Winchester College

Yes summer you're right the same speech at every parent teacher meeting! There were plenty of rolling eyes at the last one it's the fourth time I've heard the same speech.
Re: the sports coaching the boys were reminded by the head at the beginning of last year that "it's not about sport but academia" but then no one sends their DS to Win Coll because they're a budding top sportsman or you want retired Team GB sportsman as coaches or current GB team coaches for that matter.

Agree with all that HG and Xpatmama have already said. The other relative negative is that for intermediate musicians there is very little offered in way of music ensembles and that some of the team sport coaching is variable (definitely not up to high overall standards of schools like Radley). As HG said there is no flexibility in allowing outside club coaching during the term time.
I'm guessing OP that your DS is a likely music scholar so the former won't be a problem.
The headmaster does also tend to repeat the same speeches so not the most engaging of public speakers .

The other thing they don't do is let boys finish early after their IGCSE's, the boys stay till the end of term. I think it applies to the final term as well they stay till the end even though they've sat their Pre U's. From talking to friends at other boarding schools this is pretty unusual. I don't mind as we are paying for the whole term, a friend at that well know school just off the M4 was moaning that her DS had finished all his GCSE's by the May half term and was now home till September but she was still paying for the whole term.

We were not told % only grade for each subject, although I think he found out Latin after joining, reluctant to our myself but I will say my DS did really very well, we were very surprised and obviously pleased, but it's pretty normal to get a mixture of B's C's and D"s. A's are only rewarded for a truly outstanding performance so don't be shocked or worried if he get quite a few C's and D's this is common in fact not to get them causes more raised eyebrows.

Happygardening, you are right about some rigid policy. I booked a flight for my DS to come back on one half term, due to the timing he had to miss his last lesson on the day. I did not know I had to write in to excuse him for that lesson, I assumed the HM knew, and Matron knew it would be OK! I certainly irritated some. Never did that again! If he has to stay overnight and get the flight the next day, so be it.

Yes, HG I suspect you are right. We are being pretty cool about it. Only reason I need to know ASAP is because I need to put DS2's name down. DS1 is just happy to be going and doesn't mind what house he ends up in. I'm sure where ever he ends up he will think it is the best house.
Can you remember what sort of % your DS got in his papers?

yotty?I suspect your get offered a house after election in a few weeks.

Win Coll has recently put the fees up they're going to be just short of 35k next year and when you add in the extras they will easily exceed this. In the letter we all recently received detailing this increase it also stated that they'd increased the bursary fund and encouraged those struggling with the fees to apply for assistance.
We don't have any complaints but I suspect the schools very rigid policy on not taking boys out on Saturdays etc for special occasions (a great excuse not to go from our point of view), not being allowed to leave a day or two early at the end of term to catch a flight could irritate some.
Participation in sporting events on Sundays and missing chapel to do this is also not encouraged/permitted, neither is staying away at sporting competitions during the week day and I know this causes frustration for some of the boys.
Win Coll, unlike all others I encounter when I occasionally watch my DS at a competition, is not corporate, no matching tack suits with names on, the boys usually rock up in home clothes, some seem to be keen on the retro 70's look, the dons usually turn up at sporting events in suits clutching an academic tome, many know little about the sport they are assisting with. I love this about it, it's individuality, I'm tired and bored of the corporate look favoured by most other schools, with their pushy slightly aggressive coaches. It's living in a bygone era and why not our DS's will soon be thrust into the real 21 st century.
I can't speak highly enough of our exceedingly hard working HM, any problems however trivial or serious, he's been there, holidays or not, for my DS, he would move heaven and earth if he feels this would help.
The most surprising thing for us is how fast his time there is going, he's about to enter the the 6th form, I can't believe it it seems like only yesterday we were waiting for the results of the entrance exams and attending the new boys tea. Tell your DS not to decide now what he wants to do until the last minute, I was surprised by his 2nd choice of an MFL and one of his choices at Pre U was a subject he loathed at prep and even up until last year couldn't wait to drop!
Most parents are friendly you probably don't know them like you do at prep but all we've met have been very friendly none seem particularly pretentious, few flash their money around , although I know from talking to some teachers at a training thing recently all from other big name independent boarding schools is that the general consensus is that the Win Coll parents are considered to be some of the wealthiest. I get the feeling that most believe in what the school is, what it stands for and that's enough they don't feel a need to flash their wealth around.

24663664, my son is also sitting WinColl entrance exam in a few weeks. Superficially, he seems very chilled about it! Therefore, minimal revision is being done and he won't let me see what he is doing. He is quite diligent though so I hope it is enough.
I have no idea what sort of pass mark they are looking at but I am hoping that if things were looking dodgy then his prep school would be ringing alarm bells.
My DS was on the waiting list so we don't have a house yet. I really liked Chawkers when we looked round, so would be very happy if he was allocated that house.
We don't have any 'shoot'em up' games in our house so we don't have quite the same problem as you, but that doesn't stop DS spending hours on his xbox playing FIFA or racing cars!

I heard from my DS that if boys caught gaming (they call it Vegging) rather than doing their toys by the housemaster or whoever supervising toytime, their computers would be confiscated for a week or so, that is their house rule. It happened to a few boys in Middle Part.
My DS likes to play a few computer games too, like all teenagers, I don't think he really has much time to do so during school, but he certainly catch that up during his holiday.
Dr H has twitter page for the house, so you may be interested to follow it - it shows what the Chawkerites are up to during school.

Very few fail the entrance exam providing he's at a good prep I'm sure he'll be fine.

If he loves music and drama he will have a wonderful time. The present head of drama is excellent and gives the boys a huge numbers of opportunities to do their own thing such as writing and directing their own plays. We saw a production of Midsummer Night's Dream last term that was outstanding (with the music composed and played by year 10 boys).

Sorry, cross posted. Chawkers has an excellent housemaster by all accounts. calm,kind but firm when needed. The food used not to be so good but I hear that the last 18 months it has improved immeasurably and is of very good quality. They have a good mix of all sorts of talents and very strong on drama. My DS likes the boys from there.
What does your DS like doing -apart from gaming .

Have to say that of all the boarding schools we have second hand knowledge of I would agree with your third sentence Obviously it does n't select for boys that dislike gaming but the boys are used to doing without computers from the first year and a bit.

Some of my friends were at WC a very, very long time ago (well before screens of any kind were widely available) and still spent all their time gaming (all night d&d sessions seemed to be fairly common)