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The Tiffin Girls' School

The most competitive two-stage grammar process in London. Tiffin Girls rewards mathematical depth over speed alone—a distinction that sits at the heart of Singapore-method preparation.
Exam board
Bespoke-SET
Entry
Year 7
Founded
1880
Year 7 places
180

The Tiffin Girls' School

SMA Difficulty
Master
Location: Kingston upon Thames, South West London
School type: Grammar
Admissions test: Bespoke-SET
Free 11+ Baseline Assessment
LOCATION & GETTING THERE

Where The Tiffin Girls' School sits — and how to reach it

● Schools● Trains● Buses● School coaches
LOCATION
The Tiffin Girls' School
Richmond Road, Kingston upon Thames, KT2 5PL
Other selective schools nearby, closest first — useful if you are considering more than one.
Tiffin School
Kingston upon Thames, South West London · 0.4 km away
View guide →
Lady Eleanor Holles School
Hampton, London · 5.0 km away
View guide →
Hampton School
Hampton, London · 5.2 km away
View guide →
King's College School (KCS)
Wimbledon, London · 5.2 km away
View guide →
Nearest railway and Underground stations, with the lines that serve them. Distances are straight-line from the school.
Kingston
0.1 km from the school — South Western Railway: London Waterloo to Kingston loop and Shepperton services
Hampton Wick
0.8 km from the school — South Western Railway: London Waterloo to Kingston loop
Norbiton
1.1 km from the school — South Western Railway: London Waterloo to Kingston loop and Shepperton services
Kingston Station (Stop V)
routes 65, N65, 671, K5
Kingsgate Road (Stop U)
0.1 km from the school — routes 65, N65, 671
Canbury Park Road (->W)
0.2 km from the school — routes K5
Bus stops closest to the school, with the routes that serve them. Distances are straight-line from the school.
Kingston
0.1 km from the school — South Western Railway: London Waterloo to Kingston loop and Shepperton services
Hampton Wick
0.8 km from the school — South Western Railway: London Waterloo to Kingston loop
Norbiton
1.1 km from the school — South Western Railway: London Waterloo to Kingston loop and Shepperton services
Kingston Station (Stop V)
routes 65, N65, 671, K5
Kingsgate Road (Stop U)
0.1 km from the school — routes 65, N65, 671
Canbury Park Road (->W)
0.2 km from the school — routes K5
Coach services run by the school itself, where they exist.
Kingston
0.1 km from the school — South Western Railway: London Waterloo to Kingston loop and Shepperton services
Hampton Wick
0.8 km from the school — South Western Railway: London Waterloo to Kingston loop
Norbiton
1.1 km from the school — South Western Railway: London Waterloo to Kingston loop and Shepperton services
Kingston Station (Stop V)
routes 65, N65, 671, K5
Kingsgate Road (Stop U)
0.1 km from the school — routes 65, N65, 671
Canbury Park Road (->W)
0.2 km from the school — routes K5
Private coach services are run by local operators — confirm routes and seats directly each September.
ON THIS PAGE
OVERVIEW

How the test is structured

Tiffin Girls runs its own bespoke two-stage selection process, arguably the most demanding two-stage grammar process in London and the South East. Stage One, sat in late September, includes a Maths paper (partly multiple-choice) and an English paper; girls who clear the qualifying threshold are invited back for Stage Two in early November. Stage Two maths is open-answer, featuring arithmetic, challenging word problems, time zones, speed-distance-time and introductory algebra—well beyond standard KS2 fare. Families must register via the school’s Supplementary Information Form (SIF) before the window closes, then submit the LA Common Application Form (CAF) by the October deadline.

With over 1,400 applicants competing for approximately 180 Year 7 places, the attrition between stages is severe. The school sets its own papers rather than using any commercial provider, which means the question style evolves year to year and cannot be reliably predicted from past papers alone.

HISTORY & ETHOS

The school's story

The Tiffin Girls’ School traces its roots to a bequest made in the 1630s by Kingston brewers Thomas and John Tiffin, who left funds to support the education of local children. The girls’ school opened in January 1880 under its first headmistress, Miss Rhoda Ward Fysh, and has operated ever since as a state grammar—selective by design, civic by ethos. Across nearly 150 years it has built a national reputation for academic excellence while remaining rooted in Kingston, drawing pupils from a wide designated area that spans Richmond, Wandsworth, Merton and beyond. Its alumnae occupy senior roles across law, medicine, academia and public life.For families considering Tiffin Girls, the question is never just “can my daughter pass the test?” but “is her mathematical thinking genuinely developed?” The Singapore mastery method—built on CPA progression, bar-model reasoning and conceptual depth before procedural fluency—is precisely what the Stage Two maths paper rewards. Girls trained to understand why a method works consistently outperform those who have only drilled procedures.

Why the maths is genuinely hard

Tiffin Girls sets its own Stage Two maths paper with no multiple-choice safety net. Questions reach into algebra, simultaneous reasoning and multi-step word problems that demand genuine mathematical fluency—not just fast recall. Speed matters in Stage One; depth and accuracy decide Stage Two.

SMA DIFFICULTY VERDICT

Our honest take on the difficulty

The SMA Verdict

4.5

/5

Master

We rate Tiffin Girls as London’s hardest grammar two-stage process outright. Stage One filters on pace and breadth; Stage Two filters on depth and mathematical maturity. A girl who breezes Stage One can still fall short at Stage Two if her problem-solving isn’t properly developed. The bar is closer to early GCSE reasoning than KS2 arithmetic. Among London grammars, only Tiffin Boys rivals this on mathematical rigour—Tiffin Girls sits firmly at the apex of the girls’ grammar tier.

CATCHMENT & TOWNS

Where families come from

Kingston upon Thames
New Malden
Surbiton
Richmond
Twickenham
Wimbledon
Putney
Morden
Ham
Teddington
KEY DATES

The 11+ admissions calendar

June 2026SIF registration opens
July 2026SIF registration closes
September 2026Stage One test
November 2026Stage Two test
FAQ

Parents' most common questions

Does my daughter need to live in a specific area to apply?

Tiffin Girls has a broad Designated Area covering Kingston, Richmond, Wandsworth, Merton and parts of Surrey. In practice, all offers in recent years have gone to girls within this area. Families outside it can still sit Stage One but are very unlikely to receive an offer.

How does the two-stage process work?

Girls register via the school's SIF before the deadline (usually July/August). Stage One is sat in late September; only those who reach the qualifying standard are invited to Stage Two in early November. The LA Common Application Form must be submitted by 31 October regardless of Stage Two outcome.

What is the Stage Two maths paper actually like?

It is open-answer (no multiple choice), with multi-step word problems, algebra, ratio, and reasoning questions that go well beyond KS2 expectations. Speed matters less here than in Stage One—examiners are testing mathematical thinking, not just recall.

How many girls get an offer each year?

Approximately 180 Year 7 places are available. With over 1,400 applications, roughly 1 in 8 applicants receives an offer—making this among the most selective state schools in England.

How far in advance should we start preparing?

We recommend beginning structured maths preparation at least 18 months before the Stage One test—ideally earlier if algebra and multi-step reasoning are not yet secure. Many SMA families start in Year 4 to build genuine conceptual fluency.
EXAM PAPERS

Past and sample papers

COMING SOON

We're gathering the sample and familiarisation papers The Tiffin Girls' School publishes, so you can see the real thing before you prepare. If you'd like them sooner, just ask.

NEARBY SCHOOLS

Other selective schools in the area

Tiffin School
Kingston upon Thames, South West London · 0.4 km
View guide →
Lady Eleanor Holles School
Hampton, London · 5.0 km
View guide →
Hampton School
Hampton, London · 5.2 km
View guide →
King's College School (KCS)
Wimbledon, London · 5.2 km
View guide →

Preparing for The Tiffin Girls' School?

We teach the reasoning these papers actually reward — not test tricks. Small online groups, qualified teachers, and a Singapore Maths method built on genuine understanding.