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Whitgift School
Vincit qui patitur (Latin: "He who endures, wins")
Established	1596
School type	Independent day
Headmaster	Dr Christopher Barnett
Location	South Croydon, Surrey, England
Students	1200
Colours	Dark blue and gold
Website	http://www.whitgift.co.uk/

Coordinates: 51°21′36″N, 0°6′5″W

Whitgift School is an independent day school educating 1,200 boys aged 10 to 18 in South Croydon, London in a 45-acre parkland site. It was founded in 1596 by the Archbishop of Canterbury John Whitgift and is part of the Whitgift Foundation along with Trinity School of John Whitgift and Old Palace School. In 1931 the school moved to its current site, Haling Park, which was once home to Lord Howard of Effingham, the Lord High Admiral of the Fleet sent against the Spanish Armada. The ship (a model of HMS Ark Royal) that features prominently on the top of 'Big School' (the school hall) is a reminder of the history of the site. Additions since the 400th anniversary of the school have been a maze in the founder's garden, an aviary, an enclosure for red squirrels, lakes and a multi-million pound sports complex.

In 2005, Whitgift has also begun to offer International Baccalaureate to the sixth form as an optional alternative to A-Levels; joining a growing list of exclusive schools to offer the assessment.

Whitgift is famed in the local area for its wide variety of animals, most notably the peacocks which have graced the grounds since the 1930s. In 2005 Sir David Attenborough visited the school to open the lakes, the enclosure of which also houses two albino wallabies (a gift from the Queen), and various waterfowl. The school plans to continue to increase its collection in the future, although it already holds the world record for the largest number of domesticated animals at an educational institution. The most recent addition is a small flock of flamingos in the lake area.

In recent years it has played host to one first-class game and one one-day game played by Surrey County Cricket Club. The cricket ground can cope with up to 5,000 spectators. By the end of 2005, Surrey had played seven one-day and three first-class matches at the ground. Former Surrey favourite, David Ward is now cricket coach at the school, while former Richmond rugby player Robert McGrath is Head of Classics.

Whilst Whitgift School has one the finest academic results in the country, it also pays substantial importance to co-curricular activities within the school life. This is reflected in the outstanding sporting facilities and former Olympic medal winner Kate Allenby and triple Commonwealth fencing medalist Dudley Tredger teaching Economics. There are also a huge array of musical activities headed by Jon Cullen. The school also has highly developed Design Technology and Art suites, more than 6 computer rooms, as well as two libraries.

Headmaster Christopher A. Barnett D.Phil.

Second Master Mr J Pitt

Deputy Headmaster Mr P Yeo

Proctor Mr D Elvin

Senior Master Mr S Cook

Senior Mistress Miss M Guest

Senior Housemaster Mr R Martin

Head of Upper School Mrs E Gray

Head of Lower School Mrs D Watts

Former pupils are known as Old Whitgiftians.

• Dudley Tredger, Won Silver in Epee at 2002 Commonwealth Games, Current Economics Teacher
• Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Arthur Tedder, 1st Baron Tedder, GCB, Deputy Supreme Commander of D-Day
• John Tedder, 2nd Baron Tedder, Purdie Professor of Chemistry
• John 'Cats Eyes' Cunningham, RAF ace pilot
• Lord Diplock, Judge and Law Lord
• Lt Col Colin "Mad Mitch" Mitchell MP, Commanding Officer 1st Battalion The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, politician, founder of the Halo Trust
• Sir Burke Trend, Cabinet Secretary
• Sir Peter Bowness, politician
• Reg Prentice, politician
• Lord Freeman, politician
• Graham Tope, politician
• John Howard, politician
• Bernard Crick, political theorist
• Harold Davidson, "The Prostitute's Padre", killed by a lion
• Martin Jarvis, actor
• Peter Ling, creator of TV soap Crossroads
• Peter Katin, concert pianist
• Neil Gaiman, author
• Steve Punt, British writer, comedian and actor
• Andy Duncan, Chief Executive, Channel 4
• Tim Gudgin, BBC presenter of the football results on Grandstand
• Derren Brown, illusionist (whose father was a swimming teacher at the school)
• Conrad Leonard, composer and pianist
• Gary Taphouse, Football commentator, Sky Sports
• Alan Truscott, The New York Times bridge correspondent for 41 years
• Leonard Barden, chess columnist
• Stafford Beer, cybernetics expert, businessman and author
• Peter Bourne, physician, anthropologist, biographer, author and international civil servant
• Sir Robert Boyd, space research scientist
• Raman Subba Row, England cricketer
• Robert Dougall, BBC newsreader & President of the Royal Society for Protection of Birds (RSPB)
• Ian Beer, former President of the RFU and Headmaster of Harrow
• Tom Szekeres, actor, including in The Demon Headmaster
• Alex Dawson, actor in theatre and a recurring role in My Family
• Pete Wiggs, half of pop act St. Etienne
• Tarik O'Regan, composer
• Guy Woolfenden, conductor and composer with around 150 scores for the Royal Shakespeare Company
• Daniel Cipriani, flyhalf for London Wasps rugby team.
• Michael Posner (economist)

• Whitgift School website
• A rendition of the school song, Carmen
• Old Whitgiftian Association
• List A cricket matches played at Whitgift School
• First-class matches played at Whitgift School
• Map sources