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Original poster

state school child got into Eton

158 replies

kris123 · 16/12/2010 16:05

Dear Mums,

Our son was accepted into Eton, and we are indeed very happy, but as always there are now new concerns. He is currently attending a state school, and is due to finishing this year at year 6, whereas Eton only starts in year 9. This means that we have two years "inbetween".

Please note that the offer to Eton, as all of them, is conditional on passing the common entrance exam , which I hear is not difficult, but still requires some work (especially as there are specific subjects like history and geography and latin to cover).

Our choices are:

  1. play it safe, send him to the local prep school waste 14k a year basically, and put him under totally not needed stress with kids fighting for 13+ intake. Most prep schools will take him as he will simply improve their statistics.

  2. send him to the grammar school, which our son will most probably get into (he did pass the test, but decisions due in March). Issue there for me is that they will not know the Independent Common Entrance System, and will not prepare him for it, and furthermore will not even know that he is leaving them at age of 13 to go to Eton. To add to this they do not teach Latin, one subject that is needed on Common Entrance Tests i think.

  3. send our child abroad for one year, to France or Germany to learn a new language, have some fun, ski, relax, and basically enjoy a year after the stress of last two months, learning to board etc. Then bring him back for year 8 to prep school and prepare him for the exam that is towards the end of the year.

Now, I am lost with this topic, but maybe someone can guide me, especially on feasibility of plan 2) and 3). You see we are very much pro state school system - grammar of course, and want our son to learn that there are grammar schools for smart kids and be proud of his years there.

Now my concerns are:

a) how difficult are these common entrance tests? can someone actually fail them if they are smart and do some work, or do you need a lot of work and prep for it like with the admissions process?

b) what is the level and type of work done at the grammar schools... is their program similar to prep schools so that this knowledge can be used for common entrance?

c) how risky would it be to take a child out of the UK education system for one year, and bring him back to the prep school and prepare for the common entrance tests in one year?

Thanks, happy but still concerned parent

OP posts:
marialuisa · 16/12/2010 19:15

Aren't Eton advising you? They fund very bright boys from state schools who pass the prelim for 2 years at prep from 11+ to get them ready for CE. These are boys from poorer backgrounds whose parents couldn't afford the fees (so unlike you in that respect) but if you explained your situation to them I'm sure they'd advise you. Y7 and Y8 in a state grammar (or even a private 11-18) are nothing like years 7 and 8 in a prep school.

BTW Westminster still works out cheaper than Eton and the extras are all there (unless you're dead set on boarding).

Caoimhe · 16/12/2010 19:11

It's not that somewhere like St Olave's isn't academically pushy - the issue is that the syllabus is not exactly the same as that covered for CE. I'm sure some kids do get into Eton from state schools but it wouldn't be easy. In the past Eton used to do a 10+ exam for boys from state primaries but if they passed they had to go to a prep for 3 years (paid for by Eton - or at least partially paid depending on the scholarship offered).

I don't understand your calculations - how can Eton at £30k for 5 years (£150k) be better than Westminster at £20k for 7 years (£140k)?

Whitgift will categorically not prepare your child for CE. No doubt it is possible to use a tutor instead of sending him to prep school but just imagine your ds having to do extra work on top of his normal school homework! Somewhere like St Olave's will give him plenty of work so you could find him suffering two years of stress.

Why not just keep him at St Olave's for 7 years?

lazymumofteenagesons · 16/12/2010 19:02

There is also the point that if you send him to one of the grammer schools for 2 years you are efffectively taking a place from a child who needs it all the way to 18.

Prep schools do what it says on the package. They prepare kids for entry into public schools. Not all 'split the good from the bad' as you put it. My sons went to a non-selective prep which got the boys into the appropriate school for their ability/character. If you move him into a school which does not do CE you will have to pay for tutoring in order to cover the syllabus etc. This will be cheaper than prep fees though.

Original poster
kris123 · 16/12/2010 18:52

Thank you Caoimhe.

So nobody got into Eton, Winchester or Harrow directly from a state school. I am amazed to learn this, and frankly - not very happy with this.

I think that especially in the times of economic crisis, some of the smartest kids are at the grammar schools. Why Eton then.. whell to me education is more than just about IQ. Its about the experience, about the drama classes, music school, design center, boarding facilities, field trips, suspensions and hopefully not expulsions. Education to me is more than just A* grades at A-level - hence my choice of school, but I am not pleased that I might have to opt for the private sector already vs the grammar school (and lets face it... prep schools, even best ones, have plenty of idiots there too - probably as many as the good RC or CE primary school).

Strange world.

Would love to hear from someone who went to Eton, Winchester or Harrow directly from state school, and what measures - if any, you had to take.

THANK YOU!

OP posts:
Original poster
kris123 · 16/12/2010 18:27

Thanks for the views. Very interesting. Very sceary that you can "get into" a good school and then lose on the last straight due to lack of preparation.

Yes he passed his interviews and entrance exams, so its only the common entrance left. Also, apparently last year only 1 child (out of 250) failed the common entrance exam so I was told not to worry about it, but frankly - I am worried especially given the state/private school system divide. I definitely do not want to take any unreasonably high risks, but with all respect to your friend, comprehensive schools and grammar schools are of massive different in level (I am also hoping to go for St Olave's which is probably the best grammar in London).

You do not think that a grammar school will prepare him at the level equivalent to the common entrance ones?

You have no idea how much against i am of the idea of going to prep school. I was always so anti prep schools, a very concept of it, the name, the costs, the motive to differentiate between the good and bads kids at such an early stage (i think that things are bad at 11, but at 6? its insane).

Prep school would also, more importantly, hurt me financially. You see, Eton is 30k per year, but only five years of pain, vs for instance Westminster which is 20k per year but for seven years (day school).

What about if I send my child to a private school like Whitgift? They could offer us 50% scholarship, but this would not be a real prep school, but already for the 11- 18 years. Do you think that they would prepare my son for the Common Entrance even though they would not require it themselves?

Its amazing how different the state and private systems are. Its almost impossible to switch to really old schools (like eton, winchester, harrow) without going to prep school, what is not nice I think.

OP posts:
Caoimhe · 16/12/2010 18:16

The ISEB syllabuses are here.

My nephew did CE in June - they covered the syllabus in Y6 and Y7 and then Y8 was spent doing practice papers and prep for the oral exams and the geography fieldwork.

A lot of the stuff is similar to the NC and the language papers can be taken at different levels. However, Eton expect boys to take the higher level papers and (as lazymum says) expect 70% as a minimum in the exams.

His best chance will be at a prep school - if he doesn't get the right grades at CE he will not get into Eton.

lazymumofteenagesons · 16/12/2010 17:53

BTW he has to do a french paper and oral exam whhich prep school boys have been learning for about 4 years and is not far off gcse level. Has he attended an interview yet, not sure whether this is in year 6 or 8. Passing the test at 11 does not imply he has been accepted.

lazymumofteenagesons · 16/12/2010 17:46

I can't answer all your questions but your son has only passed the preliminary test to get into Eton. He will need to do more than pass his common entrance, most of the top public schools need about 70% in each subject even after preliminary test at 11.
Only prep schools prepare for this exam and there is course work involved in some subjects - definitely geography. if your school does not do RE or latin I think they will make exceptions.

If Eton is your first choice the safest option would be to send him to prep school for years 7 and 8. 6 years ago when my son did CE a very bright boy had left his prep school after year 6 and gone to a good RC comp. He then had a bit of tutoring and took CE in yr 8 for entrance into a top public school. He did not get in. This was due purely to lack of preparation.