Harrow v eton

Breed apart? Maybe at one point but in the last 3-4 years it's more like heavily coached...

Eton is good academically but there are more students beyond King's Scholar ability at Winchester and Westminster - at least half the cohort. Let's not fool ourselves - those who choose to send their kids to Eton do not do it for the academics but they will get a good academic education.

Pass the sick bag Alice-"very unique"
Why should the fact any child is going to Eton or indeed any other school be the best five years in the parents life,how sad and pathetic,its a school,nothing more nothing less,it doesnt reflect on the parent at all,what a sad,risible vicarious life..
Some of us have enough faith in the choices weve made not to feel the need to rubbish every other school on the planet but perhaps that only comes with time.You cant buy class.

"I am sure your little darlings will look as smart .... in their smashing uniforms."
I'm not sure smart is the first word that springs to mind more like ridiculous!

Peteneras never gets that his Eton cheerleading to such extremes makes him and by extension the school look ever such a little bit risible. Think brainwashing.

Is there a vomit smiley?

Thank you IndridCold. And I read somewhere your son is going to Eton this autumn. Very many congratulations to the both of you! And congratulations too to Colleger and her son who is also entering Eton this September. The next five years will be the most tremendous 5 years in your lives, I assure you!

I am sure your little darlings will look as smart as All The King?s Men here in their smashing uniforms which is arguably the most unique in the world as is the School which is the world?s most unique. Please don?t be swayed by people who will never get a chance to wear this unique uniform, except perhaps just once in their lifetime - on their wedding day - telling you they hate the school because of the uniform. Frankly, they ought to come out with a better excuse.

And neither should you be swayed by the comment that Eton is not as academic as some other public school in Hampshire or central London. These guys are talking as though we are still in the 1950?s. Your son(s) will be going to the Eton of the 21st Century where they will be mingling and studying with [KS] boys who are ?a breed apart? according to Monica Porter of School House Magazine.

Be careful Abitwobblynow your trespassing into dangerous territory there are some on MN who firmly believe that Eton is in a class of it's own. That all other schools are at the very least second class in comparison and that those of us who choose to send our DS's somewhere else only do so because we've either been rejected by Eton or our DS's are not good enough for it the first place:)

I get it but I'm wondering why they would sing their failure as a badge of honour?

errrrrrm.... because Eton isn't the b all and end all, and not as great as it think it is?

ie the chant is mocking?

peteneras - very interesting article by Henry Ashcroft. Thanks for posting the link .

I get it but I'm wondering why they would sing their failure as a badge of honour?

Colleger if you get a b or c letter the next place is Harrow. Also that many old etonians are sending their boys to Harrow now.

Harrow v Eton?

Nay . . . . .

ETON RULES!

It is funny, although I'm not quite getting the Harrow chant? Lol!

The chanting at the Eton Harrow cricket match at Lords is so amusing.

Heard yesterday: Harrow to Eton 'We all failed the Eton test, do dah, do dah'

And a financier invited to Eton to talk to the boys: 'it is rather a sad day when you have to get an old Harrovian to come and teach you how to make money!'

I know a few boys that have struggled at Eton but I put that down to them being top of the pack at their prep and then bottom of the heap when they get to Eton. Boys going to Harrow are not always top of the pack, although some will be.

I am impressed by Harrow's network and that OH's are expected to offer work experience to the boys. I have always been very impressed with the Harrow tours but less so with the OH's and the type of boys that are sent there as they are often children of old boys, so similarly arrogant.

As for the house system, I can't see why it would be any better than Eton. Eton has a maximum of ten new boys in a house each year and a maximum of 50 in the entire house. It is small enough for the 3/4 members of staff to keep a very close eye on the boys. The boys have a house tutor and another external tutor so they can mix with boys outwith the house too. I also think single rooms are preferable now my son has got to 13. He needs his privacy and a space where he can get away if he needs too. How many 13 year olds want to share a room at home? I didn't used to think this way.

Radley has an even better system. They have single rooms for the first year but there is a curtain instead of a door and the rooms have no ceiling so the boys can chat to each other and it's not so isolating for a boy who wouldn't cope in a single room. After the first year, the rooms are single.

Oh, dead and gone!

However, a topic that is perennial

sure to come up again

Whats a zombie thread?

Zombie thread

Matekiddleton you are absolutely right about the bullying at Harrow.

20 years ago.

Now, it has incredible pastoral care - in fact, more so than Eton.

Why do I know this? Because our prep school is an Eton/Harrow feeder. The new boys that go off, the Eton boys are still crying about going back to school 2 terms later whereas the Harrow boys have settled within the first week.

This is understandable in a way, because Eton is very collegiate and this (and own rooms) is a very big ask for little 13 year old boys. Whereas at Harrow there are tutors assigned to every house and the shells (new boys) are watched like hawks. Harrow have found that there is very little bullying from older boys to younger boys (this is seen as unmanly), but that the jostling amongst the peers for top dog position is watched very closely and if it looks like they need help the beaks intervene.

This is the feedback from mothers and prep school anyway. Bottom line, they are both great schools and either one makes your DS a very very lucky boy.

Harrow seems very tribal: there is a tremendous network from old Harrovians with influence reaching out to younger men. Who you know and all of that.
I am not too sure about Eton? Eton certainly gets more Oxbridge places. But the calibre of the staff of both school is exceptional, and there seems to be a lot of 'exchange' between the two schools.

What did you choose, in the end?

This is the problem with Eton - unless like collager you can go to events you will never get a feel for it when go for a tour. I have a friend whose son is there and when she took her younger son to look round it on one of their tours she said that she would not have chosen it if she didn't already know what a good school it was.

Yes, I agree that the major downside of Eton is that there is no way to get to know the school until after accepting a place. I was lucky in having a good friend who has invited me to many special events and I gained an insight into the "real" Eton because of this. Even now I am learning things that I would not know with my other on being there such as the music that rivals most conservatoires.

It is difficult for Eton though because many people go on a tour when they don't even have a child, let alone a son!

We never knew what to expect when the head of study in DS prep suggested us just to "visit" and "feel" the atmosphere of the school. After visiting a couple schools, it became obvious regardless how tidy and well-known they were. I think Harrow should be the same.

Although most schools have similar tour routines, greeting tea, wondering around the school buildings & boarding facilities, and coming back for questions, etc. Ones for Eton was rather different (still feel like tourist), partly because of larger group and no campus-based environment. The first real feel of Eton was when you visit there for house selection after conditional offer.

The main difference is that Eton is bigger and more acedemic than Harrow. You are always going to find people who love/hate both. Both are full boarding, and single sex. I never looked at Harrow because for me its location was impossible and I've heard other parents say the same thing - most live in Kent/Surrey. At my DS prep we have boys who go to both (and plenty of families with brothers at both) and there is little difference between them in terms of personality and one of the brightest boys this year chose Harrow over Eton. I would be able to find at least 50 parents at my DS school speach day (yawn) who will be able to tell you why one or other is the right you. Go and look at both and form your own opinion although this hard with Eton as their tour is not very inspiring and very impersonal.