Tiffin School 11+ guide

Are you thinking about applying to Tiffin School? Find out everything you need to know about the entry process and how to prepare for the 11+ exam.

Key information for Tiffin School

• School type: boys' grammar school
• Location: Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey
• Admissions contact: [email protected]
• Number of places in Year 7: 180
• 11+ exam: school's own (stage one and two)
• Catchment area: yes

Important dates for 2027 entry

• Friday 5th June 2026: test registration opens for stage one and sports and music aptitude assessments
• Tuesday 30th June 2026: open evening
• Monday 6th July 2026: early registration deadline for sports and music aptitude assessments
• Wednesday 8th July 2026: part one music aptitude assessment
• Friday 10th July 2026: part two music aptitude assessment
• Monday 13th and Tuesday 14th July 2026: sports aptitude assessments
• Friday 4th September 2026: stage one test registration closes (12 noon)
• Friday 18th September 2026: all applicants receive stage one test day arrangements by email; sports and music aptitude results released
• Friday 2nd October 2026: stage one tests
• Friday 16th October 2026: parents notified if their son is invited to stage two tests
• Saturday 31st October 2026: deadline to apply for secondary school places
• Mid-November 2026: stage two tests for those invited
• Monday 1st March 2027: secondary school national offers day

How to apply to Tiffin School

Tiffin School is selective. This means that your son will need to take the 11+ exam to be eligible for a place. The process consists of two stages. Boys who perform well in the stage one exam are shortlisted for stage two

You must register your son for the test. Registration opens on 5th June 2026 and closes at 12 noon on 4th September 2026. To register for the sports or music aptitude assessments, you must do so by the earlier deadline of 6th July 2026.

Your son will sit the stage one exam on 2nd October 2026. You'll be notified on 16th October 2026 whether he has been invited to take the stage two exam in mid-November 2026.

You can apply for a place by naming Tiffin School on your common application form. This must be submitted to your local authority by Saturday 31st October 2026.

Important note: passing the test doesn't guarantee that your child will be allocated a place at your preferred school. Grammar schools are often oversubscribed with children who meet the qualifying standard. After the 31st October deadline, schools use admissions criteria to allocate places.

We've outlined the process for Tiffin School below.

What will my child be tested on?

The 11+ at Tiffin School consists of two stages:

• Stage one (Friday 2nd October 2026): English and maths papers, each one hour long and multiple-choice, created by Tiffin School
• Stage two (mid-November 2026): English and maths papers, each one hour long and written (not multiple-choice), created by Tiffin School

What are the sports and music aptitude assessments?

Up to 5% of places are awarded to boys who demonstrate an aptitude in sport, and up to 5% to boys who demonstrate an aptitude in music. To be considered, your son must register for the relevant assessment by 6th July 2026 and still perform to the required level in the standard entrance exams.

The sports aptitude assessments take place on 13th and 14th July 2026. The first part tests cardiovascular endurance. Boys who perform well are invited to a second part with further assessments. The assessments are not sport-specific; no particular skills, coaching or preparation are required.

The music aptitude assessments take place on 8th and 10th July 2026. Boys complete a written assessment and listen to a range of pitches, melodies, rhythms and textures, identifying differences between them. Boys who perform well in the first part are shortlisted for the second part, where they hear rhythmic and melodic patterns and clap or sing them back. No prior musical instrument lessons are required.

How are places allocated at Tiffin School?

After the stage one exam, your son's raw scores are combined and age-standardised to ensure younger children aren't disadvantaged. Boys with the highest stage one scores are shortlisted for the stage two exam, with enough boys invited to ensure all 180 places can be filled after the full admissions process.

The stage two papers are also age-standardised and combined with the stage one results to produce a final score. The combined mark is weighted 50% English and 50% maths. The English mark comes from stage two only; the maths mark comes from both stages in a ratio of 2:3.

Boys are then ranked in order of their total weighted scores. Boys with a combined score equal to or higher than that of the 450th ranked candidate are prioritised for places in this order:

1. Looked after and previously looked after boys who live within the priority area
2. Boys whose primary school receives Pupil Premium in respect of them, and who live within the priority area
3. Up to 9 places for boys who achieve above the benchmark threshold in the sports aptitude assessment, in rank order, who live within the priority area
4. Up to 9 places for boys who achieve above the benchmark threshold in the music aptitude assessment, in rank order, who live within the priority area
5. Boys who live within the priority area
6. Boys who live outside the priority area

Does Tiffin School have a catchment area?

Yes. Tiffin School prioritises boys who live within its priority area, which includes all boys whose home address is within 10km of the school. Boys living outside this area are still eligible to apply but will be considered after all in-area applicants.

How can I help my child prepare for the test?

The Tiffin School entrance exam can feel like a big milestone, but preparation doesn't have to be overwhelming. Here's how you can help your child prepare for test day.

Stay on track with a clear plan

One of the hardest parts of 11+ preparation is knowing what to focus on, when, and how to make steady progress without it taking over family life.

A clear, structured plan helps your child feel less overwhelmed and more in control. It ensures they build skills in the right order, cover everything they need, and avoid last-minute cramming.

Atom's exam plan makes this easier. Enter your child's target schools and exam dates, and we'll create a personalised weekly plan tailored to the topics they'll be tested on. It shows them what to work on and when, adapts as they improve, and helps them build progress in a calm, manageable way — little and often.

That means less guesswork for you, less stress for them, and a clearer path all the way to exam day.

Build smart exam technique

As your child's knowledge grows, practice tests can help them feel more comfortable with the real exam format.

Atom's 11+ practice papers are exact replicas of real 11+ exams. They're also unlimited — you can download the same paper again and again, and your child will get new questions each time. This helps them practise without repeating the same content.

We've made marking easy for you, too. Simply photograph your child's answer sheets and upload them to Atom. The papers are marked instantly, showing your child's standardised age score (SAS), where they're doing well, and what they should focus on next. You'll also learn how they compare to other children applying to the same school.

Encourage regular reading

Strong reading skills play a big role in 11+ preparation.

Encourage your child to read every day, even for just 10–15 minutes. The key is variety. Mix fiction and non-fiction, different genres, and a range of authors. This helps them become more confident in understanding tone, purpose, and meaning across different texts.

Over time, regular reading will broaden their vocabulary, improve comprehension and inference, and build confidence in tackling unseen texts.

Looking for inspiration? Atom's recommended reading lists have suggestions spanning fiction and non-fiction for Years 3–6.

Celebrate progress, not just scores

When you're supporting your child through 11+ preparation, what really matters is knowing they're moving in the right direction — not just how they scored on a single test.

Atom's progress tracking gives you a clear, simple picture of how your child is doing in each topic and the direction they're moving in. You can see where they're on track, where they might need more practice, and spot progress as it happens.

That makes it easier to give meaningful encouragement, keep motivation steady, and focus on what matters most: consistent improvement, not just one-off results.