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Are you considering Croydon High School for your child? We've collated everything you need to know about entry to Year 7, including key dates and what's covered on the entrance exam.
About Croydon High School
Croydon High School is a private day school in Croydon, South London for girls aged 3–18. It consists of a nursery, a junior school, a senior school and sixth form. It is a member of the Girls’ Day School Trust (GDST) which manages 25 private girls' schools in the UK.
Croydon High School was founded by the suffragette Dorinda Neligan in 1874 and focuses on ‘every girl, every day’. This means that the school takes the time to get to know each child as an individual with potential and adapts the right level of challenge accordingly.
Pupils are allocated to one of four school houses, each named after an inspirational woman in the fields of science, medicine and politics, literature and pioneering nursing. Girls are asked to challenge themselves and develop ‘an understanding that they are not competing with each other, but they are competing with the world’.
Headteacher: Annabel Davies
School type: private day school
Address: Croydon High School, Old Farleigh Road, Selsdon, South Croydon, CR2 8YB
London Borough: Croydon
Age range and gender: 3–18, girls only
Number of pupils: 700+
National league table rank (Sunday Times Parent Power): 86
A level results: 90.9% A*–B
GCSE results: 78.2% 9–7
Key info for 11+ admissions
Admissions contact: [email protected], 020 8260 7543
Open day: Saturday 7th October 2023 – book online
Overview of entry process: online test, teaching activity and task
Registration deadline: Monday 6th November 2023
Assessment date: Friday 5th January 2024
Croydon High School fees & financial assistance
The current fees at Croydon High School are £6,369 per term for girls in Years 7–9, and £6,605 per term for girls in Year 10 and above. Fees cover the cost of teaching, school books, stationery and other materials, choral music, games and swimming, careers guidance, and public exams. Lunch is compulsory for girls up to Year 10 and costs an additional £261.66 per term.
Financial assistance
Croydon High School is able to offer a limited number of bursaries (means-tested financial assistance) to girls applying for 11 plus entry. These are awarded to children who perform well in the entrance process but who would not otherwise be able to afford the school fees.
Bursary applications are assessed by the bursary team at the GDST. The value of a bursary is based on the family's financial income and resources.
Scholarships
Girls applying for 11 plus entry to Croydon High School can also apply for scholarships. These are awarded on the basis of merit, instead of financial means:
Academic scholarships
Art and design scholarships
Drama scholarships
Music scholarships
Sport scholarships
All girls are automatically considered for academic scholarships on the basis of their performance in the entrance test. Co-curricular scholarships need to be applied for separately, with a selection process taking place in November/December in Year 6.
Croydon High School term dates
The term dates at Croydon High School for 2023–2024 are:
Autumn term: Monday 4th September – Friday 15th December 2023
Half term: Friday 13th October – Sunday 29th October 2023
Spring term: Monday 8th January – Wednesday 27th March 2024
Half term: Friday 9th February – Sunday 18th February 2024
Summer term: Tuesday 16th April – Friday 5th July 2024
Half term: Friday 24th May – Sunday 2nd June 2024
Croydon High School 11 plus admissions process
Croydon High School is a selective school. This means that children hoping to secure a place in Year 7 will take an academic exam to be considered for a place.
1. Visit the school
Before starting your daughter's application to Croydon High School, it's a good idea to visit first. Seeing the school in-person will give you a good idea of what it's like to study there, and whether it would be a good fit for your child.
Croydon High School holds public open days and is also able to welcome families on personal tours. Girls applying for Year 7 entry can also attend a Taster Day from Year 5 onwards. For the latest information about open days and visits, see the school website.
2. Apply for 11 plus entry
When you are ready to start your child's application to Croydon High School, you will need to complete the 11 plus registration form. A non-refundable registration fee of £100 applies.
The deadline for completing the form for entry in 2024 is Monday 6th November 2023.
3. 11 plus assessment
The aim of the 11 plus assessment for entry to Croydon High School is to find out how girls think and learn, rather than what they already know.
All children who are registered for 11 plus entry will take an adaptive online test in early January. The test will respond to your child's answers, increasing in difficulty every time they get a question right. Children will be tested on skills in numeracy, problem-solving and vocabulary.
Your child will also be involved in a teaching activity, after which they will complete a task based on the skills and content they have been taught in the lesson. This activity is designed to analyse your daughter's potential and give staff an opportunity to interact with her through an informal, non-interview process.
You may find the following resources helpful to support your child's exam preparation:
4. Offers
Croydon High School will write to you with the outcome of your daughter's application by the end of January in Year 6. If your daughter is offered a place and you would like to accept, you will need to pay a deposit of £750. This will be held until the end of your child's final term at the school.
Top tips to prepare for entry to Croydon High School
Looking to give your child the best possible chance of securing a place at Croydon High School? Here are our top tips to help your daughter build key skills and feel confident for the 11 plus exam.
It can be tempting to jump straight into practice papers to prepare for school exams. However, this is not an effective way to learn and can cause children to feel demotivated.
Your child should have a good understanding of the content they’ve been taught in Year 5 before testing their knowledge with practice papers. Using a ‘little and often’ approach when recapping content is key, as our brains encode new information more effectively when dealing with smaller ‘chunks’ of information. Experts recommend study sessions should last no longer than 30 minutes for children aged 10–11.
Exam support & free resources
Looking for more information? Visit the Atom blog to find out more about entrance exams, learn how to develop key skills, and download helpful resources.
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