Winchester College Sixth form entrance

We have never had our ds's IQ tested. He is a very bright boy who is confident and well rounded, academically, musically and sportingly. We registered an interest with Winchester for 6th form - we were a little late in asking and the school was very helpful. The admissions lady was very nice, Kirsty I think, and extremely helpful. We put in an application and DS wrote a paper to support it. The school wanted to pursue the application and we thought it would have been a good place for ds - he certainly is not scholarship material at his London Day School although he is a classicist and linguist but the school was overwhelmingly welcoming and encouraging although we are far from pushy.

Ultimately, DS refused to take it further because he was and is so happy where he has almost always been. Our overwhelming impression was of a very helpful school that probably would have been pastorally excellent and might have suited DS. His godfather went there and was very very happy having moved from a SW London hot house where he was very very unhappy. Godfather is now late 40's so that news is of course a little out of date.

I?m afraid all this talk of IQ score figures is rather meaningless if not misleading.

Put it another way, for example, there is no difference in ?100? and ?212? if we are not told under what scales these figures are being referred to. I am of course, talking about the temperature required for water to boil at sea level in the above example - the former is measured in degrees Centigrade and the latter in degrees Fahrenheit.

Similarly, an IQ of ?148? is no better than one of ?131? - they are the same; both representing the top 2% of the population and the minimum score required to qualify for membership of British Mensa - The High IQ Society, only that the former is measured using the Cattell III B method and the latter, the Raven Standard Matrices.

Please note, before anybody makes any wild claims about phenomenal IQ scores, apparently, an adult can only get a maximum IQ of 161 on the Cattell III B test. It is said both Albert Einstein and Prof. Stephen Hawking have the same IQ of 160. But under which scale is the question.

Back to Win Col?s ?118? cohort, if this is with reference to the Cattell III B scales, then I must say this is pretty poor calibre considering 148 is the minimum needed to join British Mensa.

Edit: Young kids are usually measured using the Wechsler Scales.

Me too Evilclown. :/

Nothing else to offer, except I am astounded at the IQ of 118 and upwards. I always thought of Win college as looking for upwards of 140.

Way higher than top ten%. "Appearing" bright is not a very scientific test of iq.

I don't think 137 is that high and I know many kids that appear brighter than my youngest child. Is 137 in the top 10% then?

Top 3% is an IQ of 137 I've been told

And this figure is wrong (if you are using figures from the most commonly used test). I think that having a gifted child might have distorted your idea of iq levels and their distribution in the population. High iqs are not that common so schools take from a wider range than parents appear willing to accept. Otherwise they'd have empty seats. I don't know why I'm typing this as I hate this narrow obsession with iq.

Luckily for those who are interested and have the cash, good schools know full well that in order to teach children, it is easier for educators if they have "enough" iq, but the benefits to both teachers and children, in school and in life, do not increase exponentially as iq increases.

I know boys with IQ's above 150 who find it challenging and difficult at Win.

Winchester staff will be well able to challenge boys with this kind of iq as well as they will challenge boys with lower academic ability. It is called differentiation and a fundamental of classroom practice at any school. The idea that a school of any size could be at all homogeneous in terms of ability, attributes or personality of either students or staff is a nonsense that puts off many people.

My post was not intended to engender a sneery attitude to the boys or the school, which I think is a lovely one but the generalisations, pigeonholing and categorising on these boards of children who attend these schools by two or three parents (out of thousands) is misleading to those seeking information .

In the 6 th form boys either share a room or have a single room my DS says the boy who joined his house in the 6 th form this year was put in a double room to help him settle and make friends which apparently he has done very quickly. As said above their is tremendous loyalty to your house and this also helps all new comers.

Eduneering

DS is at WinColl (not sixth form so I can't help with the academic selection side) . However , making a working assumption he is reasonably personable and has a few interests , I would not worry about him fitting in.

I think the House think will actually help - Once he is seeing people from the house for breakfast , lunch , dinner & free time in the house it won't be long before he gets to know people. When the boys are new in the first year they are all assigned someone whose job it is to make sure they know where they are going , explain stuff etc so I am sure the Housemaster will find someone to show him the ropes. There are huge numbers of extra- curric. things so he will have a good shot at finding boys with similar interests to him. Also from what I see the boys are nice. The older boys are good with DS where he has eg joined a Society of mixed years. The Housemaster will be keeping an eye out for him to begin with I would think. Also the boys are very proud of their houses and once he is in one he will become "part of the family " so to speak.

So not an expert - this is only based on observation but if he gets a place , I personally wouldn't worry about the fitting in. He will be a bit apprehensive I guess , but consider me a non scientific survey of 1 who thinks he will be OK.

This is not an Eton versus Harrow versus WinCol thread.

This is strictly a Win Col thread - at least that's what I understand it to be.

OP, obviously frightened by all the 'super academic', 'not for the faint-hearted' claim of Win Col is being reassured by some MNetters (me included) not to be discouraged in going for the extrance exam. Well, she shouldn't be when the horse's mouth has confirmed that the calibre of Win Col's cohort is around the 118'ish IQ.

I cannot help if insecure parent(s) were to come and try to turn a perfectly reasonable thread into a public school tug-of-war.

One thing I notice on the Eton versus Harrow versus WinColl threads is that the much vaunted public school self-confidence and assurance is seriously lacking in the parents. I hope your boys do not sugfer with your crippling inability to accept criticism and your need for one up manship and having the last word.

Well I for one don't believe there are many 118's at Win but I agree with HG, it's getting boring now. We all think we're right but we got it out our systems weeks ago and now we are trying to answer the OP's post not compare schools. If someone wants to compare schools then start a thread.

Actually, please don't!

Being a well balanced but very intelligent child without any hang ups in life they probably wouldn't accept him.

That's assuming all those schools mentioned would accept him in the first place, of course.

Oh God typing error:
I cripple myself to pay the school fees but for me it is worth every penny and I can tell you quite categorically if he wasn't there I would not waste my money on any other school be it Eton St Albans or St Elsewhere or send him to a grammar school because for him nothing would compare with Win Coll. I would send him to my excellent local state comp.

This endless back and forth argument about Win Coll's selectiveness, exam results %of Oxbridge entry or for that matter anywhere else be it Harrow St Albans Eton or Henrietta Barnet or Billericay comprehensive is becoming exceedingly tedious. I admit I'm as much to blame as the next MN poster. Win Coll for my DS is a highly academic, intellectually challenging and uniquely civilised school all combined with a totally house centric enormously high standard of pastoral care. Its ethos suits both him and myself I admit its not everyones cup of tea being rather old fashioned and unworldly but for him it works. Frankly I don't give a stuff what any of you others think about it, none of you has a DS at Win Coll today so the reality is that know absolutely nothing it. I cripple myself to pay the school fees but for me it is worth every penny and I can tell you quite categorically if he wasn't there I would waste my money on any other school be it Eton St Albans or St Elsewhere or send him to a grammar school because for him nothing would compare with Win Coll. I would send him to my excellent local state comp.

Perhaps they find the pomposity and seriousness challenging and difficult rather than the work itself. Not to mention having to do all those sweats.

I know boys with IQ's above 150 who find it challenging and difficult at Win.

118?! That surprises me!

One hundred and eighteen and upwards! Is that all?

That?s just a shade over the average IQ of 110?ish. Most grammar kids in my area would tip 125 without sweat. But I was given to understand Win Col is ?not for the faint-hearted??

TheMead seems to have a measured view, from the horse's mouth, of what is needed

Upon enquiring, I was told by member of academic staff at Winchester that to cope comfortably, it might be helpful for a boy to have an iq (yes, blunt instrument, he acknowledged ) somewhere in the region of 118 upwards.

Some will be better, some might be lower, some will have other attributes. In "old parlance" 90 to 110 is average, 110 to 118 is high average. So around top quartile?

Mightn't it be best for a parent to go direct to an education professional to see the standard required?

Unless exceptional, kids' potential is considered pretty equal. It could be academic, music, or sports, etc. If they have the same results in the school exam, some perform half of their potential while others needs 100% efforts. This is where IQ or equvalent test comes in. Also, kids' attitude is important, seen from interview process. Hence, there is no single measure someone's ability and potential. Many 13+ entrance, as well as 11+, is concise form of those. This is what DS' director of study once told us.

I don't think DS has exceptional IQ. If so, school would've told us.

Lots of maintained schools do the same thing Mrs J, even your precious St Albans. Maybe not with 7 A* but there will be a cut off.

all FASCINATING but irrelevant.
Winchester do very well with very bright boys at huge expense.
Nuff said.

I'd be interested to hear what they do to make the 6th form intake feel included in the very tight house system