Winchester College - Best School

[Angelscakes42]

Hope this helps! My son has done his first term at Winchester College. Academically, we are so impressed with WC and the housemaster approach, support for settling my DS . I am hoping WC will take my youngest son in 2014!. Winchester College is not for the light hearted, many very intellectual and naturally bright boys, which come from abroad. Music is excellent. There is roughly about 2 and half hours off Toy Time (Prep), every night. We,think IGCSE is the way forward and Cambridge Pre U. Over all my son is very happy and hopefully he will go onto Harvard from here. Winchester Scholarship, majority off these papers are written by the master of WC and these boarder line beyond AS papers, preparation is a minimum of 2/3 years. My youngest son personnel tutor (old Etonian - Scholar) mentioned that you should reach 90% on common entrance by the time your son is eleven,(2/3 years before entrance) before even preparing for scholarship.

[peteneras]

In Hampshire.

[Happygardening]

peteneras thanks for telling MN where Winchester is located although I suspect most mumsnetters are perfectly aware of where in the UK Winchester is. It has awesome academic reputation stretching back to its foundation.
It is as Angelscakes42 has pointed out a fantastic school although as she says not for everyone.
My DS is also very happy there.

[Myrtille]

It depends what you judge to be important in a school. I wouldn't consider Winchester for my son.

[milkshake3]

Angelscake42, WC won't be the "best school" for the vast majority of people. The most important thing to work out when doing the senior school move is what is best for your child, so you should amend the title to "Winchester College - best school for my child". My DS was rather put off the place by the focus on the maths and physics olympiads and dumbing down of sport when WC came to talk to our prep school. Good luck to your DS2 for 2014.

[sieglinde]

I can't see the point of what you say. Best at what, and for whom? My son and I visited Winchester about five years ago - he felt it wasn't for him, though he's very good academically. He also has a friend who was pretty miserable there. Schools have to suit the child.

And I assume it's your son's personal tutor, not his personnel tutor.

[Greythorne]

This is a fragment of another thread, I think.

Doesn't make sense as a stand alone thread.

[Happygardening]

Its not for everyone regardless of how bright you might be and I agree possibly not for the light hearted. Sport probably isnt taken as aseriously as at other all boys boarding schools.

[peteneras]

Winchester College - Best School

[peteneras]

In Hampshire.

[peteneras]

"And I assume it's your son's personal tutor, not his personnel tutor."

Who happens to be an Old Etonian!

[Happygardening]

Boring

[Greythorne]

Is this a private thread?

[Angelscakes42]

Thanks for the feed back!

[ChristmasinHeaven]

If it's such a wonderful school, why have you started another thread asking about Westminster School?

[arabhorsesarethebest]

I was at a New years Day lunch recently there were families with children at quite a few well known schools Eton Winchester Ampleforth Oundle Bryanston and others all seemed to think that their school was the best for their child and many felt their school was the best. I don't think anyone can say their school is the "best" most had only looked at a couple of schools before choosing the one they were at and only had real experience of a couple. When I listened one would say what their school did and another one would then describe what theirs did listening as someone not involved there ultimately seemed really little difference. What shocked me is how much work the children are doing (compared with the state) and how much pressure they all seemed to be under. The positive thing was that there is lots of different sports.

[TalkinPeace2]

I was at a retake crammer with pupils from EVERY top school you can think of
we had ALL been let down by our schools and ourselves
so our parents had to pay more fees with VAT on top to get us into the right universities

[MrsJAlfredPrufrock]

I like the "boarder line beyond AS papers" bit .

How on earth can you know the pre U is the way to go when your son has been there for ONE term?

[Angelscakes42]

Dear ChristmasinHeaven. The reason for the Westminster Thread.
Winchester College is my first DS choice and Westminster School is my second choice !!!!!!

[PutThatCatOutNow]

Funnily enough I don't think Winchester College would have been the 'best' school for my DD
It's great that your DS is happy there and everything but a school is so personal, just because WC has a good reputation and can cream off the brightest boys it doesn't make it the best school. We looked around, DS hated it, we didn't ask him to go. If I was to start a thread about DS's school saying it was the best no one would agree with me, however it is the best for him.

[mycatsaysach]

winchester best private school - in hampshire

surely

[peteneras]

That's what was constantly drummed into my head but alas, no, not here!

Nor here!

[singersgirl]

Sadly Eton by that measure is not the best school in Windsor and Maidenhead...here

Everyone knows that those tables are compiled in a misleading way.

[scaryteacher]

Does that count IGCSEs though Peterenas? Do they do a mix?

OP - Pre U still a bit new, so early days to see if it will compete with A levels or the IB.

[gramercy]

I think this may also be entitled, "Winchester best school for those with £30K in spare change a year."

[charitygirl]

How bizarre!