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Original poster

Shrewsbury School

45 replies

difficultpickle · 13/10/2012 17:26

Received the glossy brochure for this today. Looks lovely and interestingly is going co-ed from 2014. Haven't seen much comment on MN about this school and the only thing I know about it is it's known for rowing. Possible choice for ds if we choose co-ed as it has a bus that collects and drops off beg/end of term near where we live [lazy parent emoticon].

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Original poster
difficultpickle · 07/12/2012 20:53

Mrs McCririck that's good to hear. It is a school we will definitely have to visit.

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MrsMcCririck · 06/12/2012 20:01

DS is having a great time at Shrewsbury.

We clicked with the school on our very first visit. It is unpretentious (unlike Uppingham) grounded (unlike Radley) and has a good mix of children (unlike Eton and Harrow) The house masters all seem to be excellent. (certainly ours is inspirational)

The music department is superb, concerts are of a near professional standard.
Sport is varied and is played to a high standard. Our DS rows, runs, plays football and fives every week as well as fitting in untold music lessons and rehearsals.

The boys are of varried academic levels (like real life..) and certanly we have met many who have rejected Eton etc. The bus system works well. The exeat system (every 3 weeks) works well.

We are secretly pleased that our DS will be through the lower school before the girls arrive..!

The downsides are..
School hall too small (can not accomodate the whole school..)
Our son wanting to go back to school during the holidays to his pals
and of course the fees!

Original poster
difficultpickle · 16/10/2012 08:21

Dapple you should post that on bulletpoint's thread as she's concerned about applying to Eton without playing an instrument. She will very relieved to read your comments!

Ds is very musical so if we did end up applying I would expect him to go for a musical scholarship. However I'm not sure it's the right school for him. He's only in year 4 so we have a couple of years to think about it.

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dapplegrey · 16/10/2012 08:06

Bisjo - it is possible to get into Eton without playing an instrument. My ds went there and he is v unmusical. When he sang during the Carol Service people turned round to see where the racket was coming from!

Colleger · 15/10/2012 23:20

Wellington now offer a specialist music scheme and a 30% non-means tested scholarship so that's one to watch and Harrow is a fantastic song school.

Original poster
difficultpickle · 15/10/2012 22:30

I'm not hugely bothered about ds not being prepped for Eton, at least not at the moment. I do know boys who have got into Eton from there in the last couple of years, so it does happen without the junior scholarships. Whilst it may not lead to Eton the prep is a better fit for ds and our life than if we'd accepted the offer from CCC in Oxford. At the moment the only school he is registered for is Radley and there he is on the waiting list!

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Colleger · 15/10/2012 22:25

That school has never been that great academically. The boys that tended to go to Eton were the ones who'd been offered junior scholarships in Y5 by Eton and they went to that prep school. Very few get offered places, which is very unusual given its proximity.

Original poster
difficultpickle · 15/10/2012 22:20

It was the head who was only there a year and left. It will be interesting to see what the new head says.

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Colleger · 15/10/2012 22:13

What school has told you they can't prepare a chorister for Eton? It may be that the school (if it's the choir school I think it is) is just not very good at preparing for Eton. Choristers are sought after and their musical educations makes them very strong musicians once their voice breaks.

Original poster
difficultpickle · 15/10/2012 22:12

Sorry, I didn't mean to come across all protective of my thread! I just thought that those who know about Eton wouldn't necessarily be posting on a thread about Shrewsbury.

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bulletpoint · 15/10/2012 21:57

Bisjo - ive just started a new thread about this as i wouldnt want to derail the main topic here. Thanks for your reply though.

Original poster
difficultpickle · 15/10/2012 21:54

I assume it is perfectly possible to get in without playing any instrument at all but I'm sure others with more knowledge will confirm that. I'd post on a separate thread as your query could get lost here.

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bulletpoint · 15/10/2012 21:47

No not for a scholarship, just ordinary admission, does everyone have to have a musical instrument they play and at what grade ? Thanks.

Original poster
difficultpickle · 15/10/2012 21:12

Do you mean for a scholarship? I'm told it is grade 8. I don't think being a chorister counts for much as they can't offer voice for music scholarship.

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bulletpoint · 15/10/2012 20:13

Out of interest, what music grades will a child have to be, to be in with a chance at Eton ? Im talking non chorister.

Original poster
difficultpickle · 15/10/2012 19:43

grovel that's interesting. Eton would certainly be very handy for visiting as it is only about 15 mins drive. Of course by the time he is 13 ds may think that is a bit too close. Smile

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grovel · 15/10/2012 16:35

bisjo, my DS has recently left Eton. They do a pre-test at 11 which you cannot prepare for. They very seldom fail a boy who passes the pre-test when it comes to Common Entrance. And they love choristers/musicians.

Don't just write off his chances. Two of my son's contemporaries in his house were from choir schools.

Original poster
difficultpickle · 15/10/2012 16:16

Ds is a chorister and I've been told in very general terms that choristers don't have sufficient time to prepare to the standard that Eton would require.

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Original poster
difficultpickle · 15/10/2012 16:14

He's only just started at his prep so too early for school to assess what he is capable of.

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happygardening · 15/10/2012 16:13

"Eton but I don't think ds has any chance of getting in there!"
OP getting a place at Eton is notoriously difficult but unless you've been advised by your prep school thats hes a poor candidate for it then dont be completely defeatist after all there are about 200 places each year and why should your DS not be one of the ones to get one?

dapplegrey · 15/10/2012 15:12

OP - are you sure your ds wouldn't get into Eton? Has his prep school given you any feedback?

goinggetstough · 15/10/2012 11:16

I know 2 families with DSs at Shrewsbury. None have obtained good AS results and were the type of boys that needed to be encouraged. This didn't seem to happen. I appreciate that in the sixth form DCs should be more independent but even so I felt these DCs should have been more closely encouraged.
colleger Your comment about pocket money and there being no cap I think is possibly a red herring. No schools these days with the advent of bank cards etc can have a cap on pocket money. yes there can be a limit on the amount of money in the house bank but not as to how much an individual may have at their disposal. It did seem strange that these very wealthy boys were allowed to kit out their houses rather than just their own room.

goinggetstough · 15/10/2012 11:05

I know 2 families with DSs at Shrewsbury. None have obtained good ASresults and were the type of boys that needed to be encouraged. This didn't seem to happen. I appreciate that in the sixth form DCs should be more independent but even so I felt these DCs should have been more closely encouraged.
colleger Your comment about pocket money and there being no cap I think is slightly a red herring. No schools these days with the advent of bank cards etc can have a cap on pocket money. yes there can be a limit on the amount of moNey in the house bank but notes to how much an individual may have at their disposal.

Original poster
difficultpickle · 15/10/2012 08:38

I wanted it as a back up so slightly easier to get into than our probable first choices. Colleger none of what you experienced sounds very good. Was your visit recent, ie with the new head in place?

It is on the outer reaches of schools I would consider in terms of distance. Our closest is Eton but I don't think ds has any chance of getting in there!

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Colleger · 15/10/2012 07:37

I went to look at Shrewsbury because at the time they still offered 50% non-means tested scholarships. Not sure if that's the case. I was not impressed. On the open day all the Head went on about was Darwin, Darwin, Darwin. Darwin is dead, can we discuss the school please! Hmm

There was a science lecture run by exceptionally able sixth form boys but two were foreign and all had came in in the sixth form. Two boys should me around the school and I didn't like the house system. Boys do not have a cap on pocket money and some very rich boys would kit out their house with Tv's and xboxes whilst other houses didn't have such things.

Shrewsbury's results have, on the whole been raised by their sixth form intake. When i spoke the Head of Maths about my son's maths ability he was shocked as he'd never come across a child so gifted. The teacher was a typical Cambridge Maths grad so i found it surprising as he would have been surrounded by such students at Cambridge and although gifted there are plenty boys with similar ability. I really don't think it's worth the money, but then I don't think many schools are worth the money.