Winchester College Sixth form entrance

HappyGardening - Lots of people get 7A and more in GCSE at grammar schools. And plenty in comps too. What do Win Coll do with anyone who fails to get the 7A at GCSE becuase they won't find that out until August and then sixth form starts just a couple of weeks later do they just abandon them? How many leave in the sixth form and how many arrive?

Those already at Win Coll now have to get a minimum of 7 A*'s to go into the sixth form. I understand the competition for the places for new entrants is very fierce.

Top 3% is an IQ of 137 I've been told. This is not amazing but bright. How can you prove the intake is no brighter than those at HB? I can't prove it so how can you comment? Let's not forget a child only has to sit some NVR/VR and maybe some English and Maths for grammar school and I've not met one child who hasn't had intensive coaching for grammar school, and who really shouldn't be there.

I doubt someone in the top 5% would get in unless they were planning to go onto uni to study music and were exceptional musicians.

Colleger - Fair cop re sixth form. And sorry to OP for hijack. But you do perpetuate a myth that perhaps discourages people from applying to those schools. I very much doubt the few places on offer in the sixth form are reserved for the top 0.001% of the population but of course I have no way of refuting what you say. I would guess if you are in the top 5% of MidYis scores and have had a rounded and solid education to date, you will be in with a good shout.

P.S. Why do you go on about how bright your sons are in relation to, "they could have got into X,Y and Z?" Don't worry, you're not a bad parent for not sending them, if you're feeling guilty!

MrsJ, what are you going on about? This is not relevant to sixth form entrance and I can tell, you now that they want boys in the top 0.001% for the sixth for . No one said it was the best or was comparing it to Henrietta Barnett (?) but we are discussing standards for SIXTH FORM ENTRY!!!

And here is Eton's equivalent ISC report which shows that the intake in terms of raw ability (MidYis) is the same as that of selective maintained schools.

www.etoncollege.com/files/full.pdf here

Which given what Eton achieves with its cohort, surely makes Eton the much better school verus Win College?

My two teen sons are in the top 2% of MidYis scores, so they would easily have been intelligent enough for Winchester College. BUT there's the not small matter of the £30K pa per capita fees. Oh yes, and the fact that they had never learnt any latin at their state primary school, nor could they offer German or Spanish in substitution for the absence of Latin.

These are undoubtedly excellent schools but their pupils aren't mostly exceptional, they are just bright with rich parents or parents sufficiently motivated to have secured funded preparatory places in order to be able to offer Latin etc. They intake is not brighter than those going into Henrietta Barnett etc. They may well emerge better educated but let's please stop perpetuating the myth that the intake is in any way exceptional.

I read an inspection report and it states 3/5 are in the top 5% academically not just the top 25%! It also states that the intake is well above selective maintained schools i.e. grammar schools.

Regardless of that, I was discussing sixth form entry which is very, very different from 13+ entry. Can we never have a discussion based on information that the OP requests? There are members on here that know a lot about Winchester and MrsJ, you have no dealings with the school. Have you ever visited it?

What a lot of twaddle.

Winchester College pupils are mostly not exceptional at all: they are all taken from the top quartile of MidYis scores which is broadly the same standard of cohort cut-off as a bog standard grammar school.

do a control f on this document and put in MidYis

For entry to sixth form it's not just enough to be top of your year group. The child needs to be markedly way above his peers, probably sat the senior maths challenges (if offering maths), pursued academic activities outside of school and have an exceptionally high IQ. It is a risk for a school like Win Coll to take a child into the sixth form who may not cope and bring down the A'level grades. They will be looking for a child who would have won an Election at thirteen had they applied then.

I understand from my DS that Win Coll is house centric for all age groups. I think you'll find that extra curricular activities etc don't weigh equally with academic ability but boys will be expected to offer both.

eduneering - fair point. Have you asked the college?
with PSC and its boarders, central Winchester is rather overendowed with displaced motivated A level students
I know that the rest of WC is very house centred but for 6th form only it may be less of an issue so long as he finds the Buttercross quickly!

I forgot to ask my friend - we were too busy doing headstands - I'll try to remember on Friday.

Sorry gotpostedtothe wrong Winchester college thread, and I don't know how!

mummyyime whats your posting got to do with the OP? Or the questions raised by enduneering yesterday?

From my recent reading of MNet, I have come up with the following league table of schools (according to some): Winchester 1st, Eton and Westminster 2nd, Maybe St Paul's, NLCS, Habs next (fist mention of schools which take girls). Then an assortment of also runs. Charterhouse and Bedales both have people laughing in derision. State school, might be okay if its a Grammar (preferrably super selective), surely child abuse if it's a Comp?

My DC are at a State Comp, and even when I thought about private schools, we didn't really consider any of those listed.

Questions the college could probably answer for you ...
Are the ten spread around the houses or are they in pairs so that they are not the new boy on his own?
How many come from other boarding and from day (or even state)?

Winchester is a very sociable town - the PS and College students mix a fair bit - especially hanging around college green of a sunny Saturday afternoon when I am in a hurry!

I'll ask one of my yoga buddies tomorrow as her son went there and she used to live in Winchester

many many years ago I had a boyfriend who went to WinColl for sixth form from a comprehensive. He seemed very well-integrated and happy

Win Coll is very house centric and obviously most of the boys have been together since year 9. I suspect it?s not easy to start three years later but this would apply to any school state or private.
I don?t know "how deep knowledge the Win Coll expect, especially in subjects with essays" is at that age but certainly for many subjects the boys will be significantly ahead of their counterparts in both the state sector and in many independent schools. The school places a lot of importance on literacy and writing skills.
It is a wonderful school providing an outstanding education fantastic dons (teachers) who really care about the boys I acknowledge it?s not suited everyone but for those it works for it cannot be beaten.

The things that winchester offer is a very high standard of pastoral care related to its house system, the house masters have loads of autonomy right down to the menu, and take their responsibilities very seriously. As I understand the boys spend most of their time in the house only going to the school for lessons. The staffing ratios in the houses are much better than others I know of. Secondly Winchester only do the Pre U which is as far as I understand much more appropriate for the really academic. Thirdly Winchester do this thing called "Div" a daily lesson with no examination just discussing and learning subjects that interest the boys. Fourthly there are loads and loads, I think my friend said nearly of 100, extra curricular activities there is something for everyone and then regular plays concerts speakers I've been to a couple of plays this term they were fantastic. Finally the facilities are amazing for example the school has its own observatory and the environment is just stunning.

With more than 50% getting A or A* in the much harder Pre U and nearly 40% going on to Oxbridge I think it safely be said that Winchester is "getting better results out of the bright kids".

such as?
my nephew is at Winchester and friends of mine teach at PS

My friend says Winchester offers so much more than exams when she tells me what her DS does it makes my independent school look positively mediocre.