Tiffin Girls’ School, located in Kingston-upon-Thames, is one of the very few grammar schools within reach of Londoners, and as such, it is one of the hardest grammar schools in the country to get into. There are 900 girls at the school between the ages of 11 - 18. Since 2002, the school has a specialism in mathematics and computing, which is also reflected in the university destinations of leavers, a relatively high share of which move on to study STEM subjects or medicine following their A-Levels. According to its most recent Ofsted report, the student body is very diverse, with Indians among the largest ethnic minority group at the school. The school is rated “outstanding” in all areas by Ofsted, as you would expect.
Although children entering this school are incredibly bright and academic, it is not all about academic studies at the school, as there is a wide range of inspiring extra-curricular activities on offer. Sports clubs and activities include team sports, yoga, badminton, cross country, dance and gymnastics. Musical opportunities abound within orchestras, choirs and bands. An ex-Tiffin girl, Sophie Bray, won gold in the 2016 Rio olympics as part of the TeamGB hockey team.
The curriculum is broad and demanding. In Years 10 and 11 students follow either GCSE or iGCSE courses including a mix of core and options subjects. The core curriculum includes English Language, English Literature, Maths, Biology, Chemistry, Physics and one foreign language (French or Spanish). Students can then choose up to four option subjects to complete their KS4 curriculum from Art, DT, Drama, Music, Geography, History, RS, Fench, Spanish, Latin, PE and Computing. In the Sixth Form, A-level options include Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Maths, English Literature, Geography, History, Economics, Computer Science, Religious Studies, Psychology, French, Spanish, Latin, Art, DT Product Design, Music and Theatre Studies.
Results: Results are stellar, as you would expect with such a highly competitive intake. In 2016 GCSEs, 63.8% of girls achieved A*, 91.1% A*-A grades and 98.7% A*-B grades. At A-Level, 76% of students achieved A*-A grades in their A Level examinations this summer, with 35% achieving A* and 96% A*-B grades in 2016. Tiffin Girls was ranked 8th in London by percentage of A*’s at A-Level in 2016, just ahead of the private Godolphin & Latymer School.
In terms of university destinations, about 15-20% head to Oxbridge, with a further 55% accepted to other Russel Group universities. The most popular subject choice is medicine / dentistry, followed by Sciences, Law and Economics / Maths / Finance and then Engineering / Computing. Only about 20% opt to study humanities or social sciences, which is very rare among girls’ schools. Therefore, for bright girls passionate about STEM subjects, Tiffin Girls’ is a fantastic choice. At the same time, some parents also admit that it would not be a good school for a girl who is not inherently bright and mathematically minded.
Admissions: Admissions is via competitive 11+ entrance exam. Like the Henrietta Barnett School in North London, Tiffin Girls School operates a two stage admissions procedure. The Stage 1 Test is held in October. The Stage One Test will consist of an English paper and a mathematics paper and both will be multiple-choice style tests. Please note that the school does not set reasoning tests anymore. The Stage One Test will determine invitation to sit the Stage Two test only. Marks from the Stage One test will not contribute to the final determination of offer of places at the School.
The Stage Two Test will test the core subjects of English and Mathematics. The Stage Two Test takes place in mid November. Places at the School will be offered based on marks from the Stage Two Test only. There are 180 places on offer for 11+ entry into Year 7 in 2017. Although the school accepts applications from a large area of SW London, only applicants living within the designated area have a realistic chance of being accepted. This includes a wide range of post codes as far as Putney and Clapham, Acton, Ealing and Hanway, for example. The full list of postal codes is listed on p.6 of the admissions policy. This “designated area” was introduced in 2013 following concerns that some girls were travelling long distances to get to the school. But even now, between 1,800 - 2,000 girls take the Stage 1 test, giving any applicant a 1:10 chance of winning a place.
Tiffin Girls also offers to take at least 20 external candidates into its Sixth Form each year. The minimum qualification for entry into the Sixth Form at the School is 8 GCSE and/or AS passes. The 8 passes must include English, Mathematics and a science at GCSE/AS level. 2 of the passes must be to at least GCSE grade A* or grade 8, 4 of the passes must be to at least GCSE grade A or grade 7 and another 2 must be at least to grade B or grade 6. An A at AS counts as an A* at GCSE and a B at AS counts as an A at GCSE. The School aims for a year group of between 140 and 150 in Year 12. That means that the School guarantees to admit at least 20 external applicants as in 2016-17, Year 11 will consist of 120 girls. More places may be available to external applicants depending on the option choices made by internal applicants, the availability of staffing and the options choices of the external applicants.
How to get to the school: nearest train stations are Richmond and Kingston. The 65 bus goes to Tiffin Girls School from these two stations.