How to pass the Trinity School 11+

Are you looking into Trinity School for your child? Learn everything you need to know about the 11 plus admissions process, and how you can give your child the best chance at success.

Skip to:

• The 11+ admissions process
• Exam content
• The interview
• Scholarships
• Find a tutor for Trinity School
• Contact us

Introduction to Trinity School

Originally established in 1882 as Whitgift Middle School, Trinity is an independent day school for boys with a co-ed sixth form. The school will however become fully co-educational by 2031. Located in Shirley Park, south London, the school is easily accessible by public transport, with many children commuting in from all over south west London.

As part of the Whitgift Foundation, Trinity applicants can benefit from the generous bursaries and scholarships offered across the foundation’s three independent schools.

One of the most popular London independents for boys, the school boasts a record of academic achievement. For example in 2024, 86% of GCSEs were awarded at grades 7-9. In the same year, 68% of A Level grades were awarded at an A*/A.

Sports championed at the school include rugby, football, cricket, hockey and water polo, with incredible facilities available for the pupils. They have seen considerable success from their teams, and many students also represent their sport at county and national level. The school has a climbing wall, two large astro-turf pitches and tennis courts, plus pitches for rugby, cricket, football, and athletics. Furthermore, Trinity’s Sandilands field is a short walk from campus and their indoor sports centre comprises two large halls, squash courts, a gymnasium and weights-room.

Head Alasdair Kennedy places a real emphasis on achieving, but with humility. Previously Head of Physics at Dulwich College, he has steered Trinity to continued academic, sporting and extra curricular success. Taking on the mantle from well-loved Mark Bishop can’t have been an easy feat, but parents consistently remain happy with the education their sons receive and impressed by the school’s level of pastoral care.

The Transition to Co-education

Trinity have announced that they are extending co-education from their Sixth Form only to students of all ages. They will welcome their first co-educational intake in year 6 and year 7 in September 2027, and will be fully co-educational in 2031. The school’s welcoming and inclusive community is eager to embrace this opportunity to create an even more diverse learning environment. If you believe Trinity could be the right school for your child please do not hesitate to get in touch with any questions.

Trinity School Fees

At Trinity, fees are £26,949 per year. Scholarships are available, worth up to a generous 50% of fees but are typically smaller; a 20% award in 2024 was given to some of our very best candidates. In addition, you can apply for a bursary from the Whitgift Foundation or the Trinity Bursary Fund. Over 10% of the school’s yearly fee income is covered by the Whitgift Foundation’s bursary scheme. On top of this, the school’s own bursary fund gives opportunities to those who would otherwise be unable to attend.

Applications for a bursary through either of these funds should be made alongside your 11 plus entrance registration.

11 Plus Open Days at Trinity School

Attending an open day at the school you’re applying for at 11 plus is a must. Parents can have questions addressed by staff, and children get the unique chance to familiarise themselves with the grounds and teachers. We find that children are put at ease when invited for interview if they have already visited the school and met the staff. It also makes the sometimes daunting transition from prep to senior school smoother.

Trinity hosts a number of Open Events for prospective students in the Autumn term. The 2025 open day will be held on the 4th of October and will be available to book now. They also have a virtual tour available on their website.

The Trinity 11 Plus Admissions Process

Registration for entry at 11 plus in 2026 has opened and will close on the 17th of October 2025. 11+ entrance exams will then be held on the 12th of December, before interviews and scholarship assessments take place in January 2026. Offers will be posted on the 13th of February, and have to be accepted by the beginning of March.

Upon submitting your registration form, you pay the £200 registration fee. You also need to submit:

• A photo of your child
• A copy of their passport
• Your child’s most recent school report
• Any applicable Educational Psychologist or medical report
• Copies of testimonials relevant to any scholarships you are applying for.

Trinity admits about 80 children at 11 plus, with class sizes typically being around 20. There is no official sibling policy.

Trinity 11 Plus Exam Content

The 11+ exam at Trinity consists of two parts, an online assessment and a written paper. The computer-based assessment will be made up of a General Assessment taking 70 minutes which tests the following:

• Mathematics (30 minutes )
• English (20 minutes)
• Verbal Reasoning (10 minutes)
• Non-Verbal Reasoning (10 minutes)

These sections will all have strict timers and will be multiple choice.

The written test is 30 minutes long and will require students to formulate a personal response to a range of prompts.

These papers will require your child to have full knowledge of the National Curriculum for Year 6. So, they may not be taught the syllabus in time at their prep or state primary. We recommend starting specialist tuition from Easter of the year your child is sitting his 11 plus, to get them on track. Our school entrance specialists are experts in teaching exam technique and developing confidence.

Familiarisation activities for the online assessment can be found via the Trinity School website. We also have a range of our own practice papers available to download.

The Trinity School 11 Plus Interview

Children who perform well enough in the entrance assessment will be invited back for interview in the January of year of admission. This is the final stage in the 11 plus process, and is your child’s chance to really shine and show what they are capable of beyond their academic abilities.

Lasting between 15 and 30 minutes, the interview focuses on your child’s interests, hobbies and what they can contribute to school life. Applicants need to bring along a small piece of work or an object of interest, to spark the initial discussion. There is also an academic aspect to the interview, children will be assessed further on areas they struggled with in the entrance exam. Your child needs to be able to work confidently while being observed by an adult, while explaining what they are doing and how they arrive at the answer.

Teachers will be looking for children who are bright and confident, but who can also demonstrate what they will bring to Trinity. It is really important that they can answer questions confidently and express themselves eloquently. However, appearing over rehearsed can be detrimental. This is why we run individual and group sessions on interview practice. We help children to develop their answers, present their best self and be able to engage in a stimulating conversation.

Contact our team for more information on our 11 plus courses and workshops.

11 Plus Scholarships at Trinity

Trinity School offers children scholarships for academic exceptionalism, as well as in the co-curricular disciplines of Sport, Music, Art, Drama and Design & Technology worth up to a generous 50% of fees. Regarding these co-curricular scholarships, you must indicate which one/s you want to apply for upon registration. Due to the competitive admissions process at Trinity, applying for a scholarship may strongly support a child’s general application. Regardless of whether they achieve the scholarship, an application sets your son apart from other prospective pupils and alerts the school of their talent and outgoing nature. 

All applicants are automatically considered for academic scholarship. These are awarded on the basis of performance in the entrance exam and interview. To be up for consideration, your child needs to be able to complete the entrance exam quickly enough to reach those all important scholarship questions. Whether sitting a traditional exam or an online exam, it’s no good only being able to answer 75% of the paper and not display true potential.

Many of our tutors have great success securing scholarships and are experienced with pushing the boundaries of learning for exceptional students. They can work to improve speed when sitting entrance exams, developing a child’s ability to answer questions accurately and with confidence.

Entry to Trinity at 10+

With the aim of making the transition to secondary school seamless, Trinity has an entry point at 10+ (year 6). The application process is very similar to that of the 11+, with children sitting assessments comprising of both a computer-based (Maths, English, Non-Verbal Reasoning, Verbal Reasoning) and a guided written paper in November. Those who are successful in the exams will be invited for an academic interview in January. If you have questions or would like support with the Trinity 10 plus, please do not hesitate to contact our team.

Meet our Tutors

If you’d like an experienced third party to help you stay on track with your preparation, our range of specialist 11 plus tutors have significant Trinity entrance experience. 

With more than 40 years of experience in tutoring children to gain admission to some of London’s most competitive independent schools, we at Mentor have a wealth of knowledge on how best to prepare your child for the Trinity School admissions process.

Over 80% of our tutors are qualified teachers, so they have an in-depth knowledge of their subject, the syllabus and the most effective teaching methods. Many have been heads of department, head teachers or examiners and all come with a wealth of experience and a great track record of success. All have been reference checked and have up-to-date DBS certificates. Wherever possible we will match your child with a tutor who has a track record at Trinity themselves.

For some information on our tutors’ unique approach to testing children in preparation for exams, contact our team.

More Information on Trinity School

Address: Trinity School, Shirley Park, Croydon, CR9 7AT

Telephone: 020 8656 9541

Email: schooloffice@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

Website: www.trinity-school.org 

Local Authority: Croydon

School’s Unique Reference Number (URN): 101842

Gender: Co-ed

Age Range: 10-18

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