11 Plus Exams Forum

Going round in circles trying to decide between Dulwich and Whitgift - has anyone got any views on their respective reputations?

Is Dulwich not higher in the tables?

I went around Dulwich open day and found it to be a bit "stuck up". The grounds are very nice though!

Which is nearer to you?

Thanks sonu

We are about same distance from both and I think it depends which tables you look at for results - its very close. Grounds at Whitgift are lovely too!!!!

Was in the same position last year. DS chose Whitgift in the end. Had a letter from Dulwich headmaster, asking why we did not choose Dulwich (although he did note that we were perfectly in our rights to choose whatever school we thought best for our child - I think it was an information gathering exercise - reasons why boys do not choose Dulwich). I liked Dulwich but DH and DS preferred Whitgift, and our view was that if DS chose his school then he might be less likely to 'rebel' later on in those awkward years. Our prep headmaster wanted him to choose Dulwich, I think that he would have liked to have listed Dulwich as a leaver destination (3 others went to W in the same year).

Both schools are great for sport but I found there to be greater diversity at Whitgift. With the generous bursary schemes you find child from varied backgrounds as you would at Dulwich. For that reason I didn't apply for Dulwich although 2 boys from ds primary left in year 5 to join Dulwich and are very happy there.

We have a son at Dulwich and he absolutely loves it; we couldn't be happier with our choice. We worried that it may be 'stuck up' but it isn't at all. It is very diverse, probably because it's a boarding school, and many, many boys receive bursaries. The pastoral care is second to none; it's a big school but somehow they manage to make every boy seem 'special'. We did not look at Whitgift so I can't compare the two but I will say again that we are so happy we chose Dulwich and hear nothing but praise from other parents too. Good luck choosing but it's a good choice to have to make!