Intake: 140, boys only
2006 Applicants Per Place: 7.45

Admission Procedure:

Conducted through the LEA, applicants will need to apply through their common application form. As such there is no exam fee.

An additional photo form is also required and this is obtainable through the school office or at the bottom of this page - and this should be sent to the school.

Candidates complete two NFER exams, one in Verbal Reasoning, the other in Non-verbal Reasoning. The boys with the highest aggregate scores
are offered a place. In the case of tied scores, younger applicants will be favoured.

Description:

The school has a long history and dates back 1880. In its current form it is a boys' grammar school with arts college status. The main focus of the school is on utilizing computers in learning. Facilities include: separate off-site playing fields, a boathouse, purpose-built drama and music studios, 1995 sports hall, 2004 learning resources center which includes an open-plan IT suite and audio-visual lecture theatre.

6th Form:

The standard offer is 4 A grades and 2 B grades at GCSE, including English and Maths, although other factors apply. Students in the lower school must also achieve this benchmark to continue. There is also an interview. Around 45 new boys are accepted each year.

Ofsted (2002) :

'Tiffin is a selective grammar school for boys in Kingston-upon-Thames; its foundation is of long standing. The roll of 1063 is about average for secondary schools nationally, but it includes an above-average sized sixth form of 341 students. The school is very popular; annually, it receives around 1,200 applications for the 140 available places. Very nearly all 16-year-olds continue into the sixth form and around 40 more join the sixth form each year from other schools. On entry, the pupils’ and sixth form students’ attainment is very high compared with the national average. The school’s population is a reflection of the complexity of many urban societies; pupils and students from several minority ethnic backgrounds make up not quite half of the number on roll; this proportion is well above that found in the local community. About 20 per cent of the pupils have English as an additional language, although none are beginners. The school has identified just over two per cent of the pupils as having special educational needs, much lower than the national average. A very small proportion is eligible for a free school meal. The school
is well into the process of applying for performing arts specialist status.'

What could be improved:

• 'Pupils are not inspired to achieve as highly in English and modern foreign
  languages as they are in other subjects.'
• 'There is still ample scope to improve the range of learning activities in
  lessons, particularly in the use of and expertise in (information and
  communication technology (ICT).'

Performance:

• 2005: A-level points per exam entry - 98.0
• 2004: A-level points per exam entry - 95.2
• 2003: A-level points per exam entry - 91.2
• 2002: A-level points per exam entry - 95.0

Contact Details:

Phone - 020 8546 4638
Fax - 020 8546 6365
Website - www.tiffin.kingston.sch.uk