Scholarships

All students are automatically considered for an academic scholarship when they sit the Entrance Examination papers and therefore a separate application form is not required.

Art Scholarships, with a fee remission of between 5% and 50%, may be awarded to students with outstanding artistic flair, who will contribute to the future success of the Department.

Candidates for an Art Scholarship should be able to display a personal involvement with expressive, responsive and design aspects of art activity. A successful candidate will be expected to demonstrate commitment to the subject throughout their time at Whitgift, both in terms of the curriculum and the wider life of the School.

Potential scholars will be asked to present a portfolio of their work for assessment, which demonstrates both aptitude and interest in the visual arts. The portfolio must show work completed in school (including homework), as well as pieces done for pleasure.

A testimonial from an art professional should accompany this application.

Folder of Work Guidelines

Listed below are some guidelines to assist in the assembling of a portfolio of work. A portfolio should contain at least 10 pieces of artwork, no smaller than A4 and no more than 30 pieces. The work included should be of the highest standard that the student can produce, so please be selective. 

Drawings 
Sketches, observational drawings, carefully considered work produced over a lengthy period can be included. Students need to demonstrate good technical skills, including use of correct proportion and tonal shading to create form.

Styles and Techniques  
Include work that shows a willingness to experiment and be inventive. For 3D work , please do not submit actual work, but photographs of it from two or more angles. Candidates should show an understanding of other artists' work, and it would be useful to have a few pieces of work that demonstrate how they have used an artist's work to inspire their own work. 

 Workbooks or sketchbooks could provide evidence of
• Preparation for final pieces
• Personal interests
• Contextual work (study of the work of artists)

Awards and Competitions
• Evidence of entries to competitions and awards given

Potential scholarship candidates will need to have reached a suitable standard in the entrance examinations, and have been selected, in order to be invited in for a scholarship assessment.

Assessments
During the assessment, which will last approximately four hours (two hours for each task), students will be asked to:

• produce an observation drawing from a selection of still life objects in a medium specified by the teacher, focusing on accurate proportions, detail and tone.
• create a piece of imaginative artwork in response to a brief set by the teacher on the day.

Key assessment dates

Scholarships, with a fee remission of between 5% and 50%, are available to students who show a particular aptitude and interest in Design, Technology and Engineering (D, T & E).

A successful candidate will be expected to demonstrate a commitment to a D, T & E activity at Whitgift, both in terms of the curriculum and the wider life of the School, in order to maintain receipt of the Scholarship.

Candidates should demonstrate flair and technical ability in one or more resistant materials, along with a subtle understanding of the design process. They will be asked to submit a portfolio of their work, together with the Scholarship Application Form, which will be viewed by members of the D, T & E Department.

Listed below are some guidelines to assist in assembling a portfolio of work.

Portfolio Guidelines

The initial portfolio should be in digital format and contain sketches, designs and photographs of work together with any other multimedia work. This should be either a PDF, a link to a web or video site.  If selected to attend the assessment day, students are encouraged to bring in a digital or physical portfolio.

Designing:

• Demonstrate  the ability, through sketches and designs, to visualise ideas (e.g. from conceptual sketches to accurate finished drawings)
• Demonstrate skills in computer graphics

Making: 

• Demonstrate creativity and inventiveness through a variety of means (e.g. by mechanical, structural or electronic components)
• Produce accurate models by using either kits or your own construction skills

Quantity:
• A maximum of 10 examples of work on A3 or A4 paper can be included in the portfolio
• No more than three 3D pieces should be presented on assessment day

Do's and Don'ts

• Please do not be afraid to put in unfinished work
• Please do not put in work that has been done only at school
• Please do not put in endless versions of the same item.

Potential scholars will need to have reached a suitable standard in the entrance examinations, and have been selected, in order to be invited in for a scholarship assessment.

The Presentation (on the assessment day)
The presentation will form the basis of an interview with the Head of Design, Technology & Engineering, and the candidate will also be asked to perform a practical task, which will last the remainder of the day. 

These scholarships will run throughout a pupil’s time at Whitgift, subject to annual review. They are conditional on the award holder making good progress and contributing, as appropriate, to design, technology and engineering at Whitgift. 

Key assessment dates

Whitgift offers a number of Music Scholarships, with a fee remission of between 5% and 50%.  Students in receipt of a Music Scholarship are automatically entitled to at least one Music Award to cover the cost of music lessons, whether taken in school, or with an outside teacher, to the value of the Whitgift music lesson scale.

Scholarships may be awarded at any age on admission to the School, to students who have been successful in the entrance examination and have demonstrated musical talent in an audition.

Candidates would be expected to be of a standard equivalent to at least Grade 3 (10+/11+), Grade 5 (12+/13+), Grade 6/7 (14+/15+) and Grade 8 (16+). These scholarships will run throughout a pupil’s time at Whitgift, subject to good behaviour, an annual review, and sustained commitment to Music.

Students not offered a Music Scholarship after audition may be offered a Music Award to cover the cost of music lessons, whether taken in school or with an outside teacher, to the value of the Whitgift music lesson scale.

Minster Choristerships
Whitgift provides choristers of the highest calibre for the Choir of Croydon Minster. The English choral tradition is unique, and being a Minster chorister at Whitgift offers boys an all-round education in a school with outstanding facilities.

Key facts:

• For boys aged 10-13
• 10% remission of day fees (can be held in conjunction with other awards) This will cease at the end of Year 8.
• Free flexi-boarding on Tuesdays (optional)

Minster Choral Scholarships
Choral Scholars sing alongside a team of professional singers (lay clerks) at Croydon Minster. This has proven an excellent training ground for those interested in pursuing Oxbridge choral scholarships and Whitgift has a distinguished track record of sending young singers to various colleges, including King’s College, Cambridge and Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford.

Key facts:

• For boys aged 13-18
• Remission of day fees (can be held in conjunction with other awards)
• Free flexi-boarding on Thursdays (optional)

On the Audition Day candidates should try to relax and enjoy their performance. At the audition, candidates will be expected to:

• Play one piece on their principal instrument (two contrasting pieces if they do not play a second instrument)
• Play one piece on a second instrument
• Play/sing, at sight, a short piece of music
• Sing a melodic phrase, undertake elementary sight-singing and other aural tests
• Minster Choristership/Choral Scholarship applicants should sing two contrasting pieces, at least one of which should be sacred.

Candidates are not required to provide accompanists at their audition, but may do so if they wish. If a piece is written with piano accompaniment, it must be played as such.

Please note that candidates are only considered for audition if they have achieved the minimum grade requirement (or an equivalent standard) for their age group, and if they have reached a suitable standard in the Whitgift entrance examination.

Should there be a high number of applications above the level recommended for your son’s age group, your son may not be called for audition.

Internal Awards
Students who enter Whitgift without a Music Scholarship, and make significant progress, may apply for an Internal Award after being in the School for two years. These Awards will run throughout a pupil’s time at Whitgift, subject to annual review. They are conditional on the award holder making good progress in music, and contributing, as appropriate, to school musical ensembles.  The pupil’s teacher should make a recommendation to the Director of Music.

Key assessment dates

Sports Scholarships may be awarded to students who have a significant strength, to national and county level, in one or more of the sports offered at Whitgift. In the case of certain sports, the selection to an Academy or national/regional elite training group may be seen as comparable. Fee remission varies from 5% to 50%, but  students must display a strong academic commitment in addition to their sporting prowess.

Potential scholarship candidates will need to have reached a suitable standard in the entrance examinations, and have been selected, in order to be invited in for a scholarship assessment. This will comprise of a series of physical tests on a separate sports testing day. The scholarship testing day includes:

• Generic ball and spatial awareness skills
• Fitness testing
• Core sport sessions – football, hockey, rugby (contact/non-contact as appropriate) and cricket sessions
• Specific sports testing
• Sixth Form students will be assessed in their specific sports on an individual basis.

Key assessment dates