South West Prep feeder to Winchester College

Hello, I know your post was long time ago but i wonder where son ended up as we have similar situation currently.

Thank you,
Ays

I would not recommend The Elms, go for The Dragon or Sommerfields or Cothill. We have had two boys at the Elms, both bright but I do not rate the teaching or the attitude of the staff, it is backwards and does not understand scholarships etc. My son was billed for extra help this term, I asked him if he had received any, he said no as he had not turned up to the lessons. He is a fully boarder, i cannot get him there, this is the schools job. We had no letter to let us know this was the case, how do they have the cheek to put this on the bill without ensuring that he has attended. He is a child at their school, the documentary on the Cardiff state school showed the teachers going way and beyond this level of care. At the top attaing Cardiff school teachers called children to wake them if they were not in etc. My son was not chased to get to his lesson etc. He is just a very easy going normal boy, but the school is badly run and lazy.

We thought it offered flexi boarding and was cosy, so that is why we chose it over and above the Oxford full boarding, don't do it. The others are proper schools with wide reaching facilities and classes. This only suits middle of the road types. The staff are lazy, there are few of them supervising at supper and they therfore shout a lot at the children to be heard, and they do not watch the table manners. (I am having to retrain my boys about elbows etc.) I have been really upset with the level of pastoral care at the school. My son other son was left to flounder, not acceptable. Each top year there is a case of bullying, my son experienced this, but we were told that he was the problem etc. However for the past three years a child has been bullied in the top classes so they have either left or their has been an expulsion.

We had friends with a DS at HH they also really liked it. But maybe my geography is different from everyone else's especially as my heart is very firmly in the "West Country" but I personally but I wouldn't describe either Newbury or a Winchester as the "West Country". The West Country for me is Devon and Cornwall maybe Somerset and Dorset at a pinch.

Perhaps it was just the years they were in. But as far as I could see, an excellent school with really good teaching and a happy atmosphere. I thought it better than Pilgrims , by far.

I love the image from your last sentence ancientbuchanan . TBF don't know any HH families who are airborne.

Pilgrims ok, but my godson not being as interested in his work as he was at his London prep, interesting. Horris Hill caters for both sporty and non, nephews have thrived there, though there is/ was a bit of a " ny father is arriving by a helicopter" which was tricky for the less air borne.

The anti boarding brigade love to tell us about how unhappy their DH/BIL/friends friends brother was when he boarded but I think you're right grovel children are adaptable and can be happy in a whole variety of situations.
Lots of fathers at my DS's prep boarded themselves often at the same prep, most talked about how happy they were there which is why they sent their own DC's.

Yes, happy, my point was really that boarding was/could be very enjoyable even when the experience was Spartan. Children are mostly very adaptable and find ways to be happy.

Boarding now is a very different experience. Mums don't need brandy and a weep anymore. Their children will be watched and supported constantly in any good school.

So many of course sadly have this idea that boarding hasn't changed and that all who boarded were miserable.
What you describe is incomprehensible to current boarders of all ages.

There were no exeats in those days. Half term was a week-end (at school) when parents were allowed to take their children out during the day time.

Imagine how the new boys felt getting into a carriage of 80 other boys who all knew each other. Awful.

My MiL who would never go into a pub alone (or with other women) broke that rule at the beginning of every term. A load of mums would congregate in the pub at Waterloo (The Drum) and console each other over large brandies.

There was this sad countdown at the end of every holidays. Three days before term started the boys' trunks were sent ahead (by train - Passenger Luggage in Advance). As soon as the trunk left home the boys knew their time was limited.

My DH loved prep school. Bizarre.

Extra carriages those were the days!

My DH's prep school was in Dorset. At the time there were four boarding preps within three miles (two in Langton Matravers, two in Swanage). All have now closed. They "took" extra carriages on trains from Waterloo.

The person who gave me the inside info was very much in the know. She had also in the past sent her daughter there, she talked well of it although admitted it had changed since her DD left but was concerned (for her employment) that the numbers were falling. Frankly the numbers in most small boarding preps away from a sensible commute for London are dropping, many are increasingly becoming day preps or offering flexi boarding. It's inevitable that the vast majority or parents who not only want a boarding prep and it's now considerable fees but also are to afford the very considerable fees charged by senior boarding schools are likely to live in London and the Home Counties. The former has many excellent day preps the latter many excellent boarding preps, few parents living in a London or the Home Counties are likely to have the time or inclination to flog off to Dorset on a regular basis thud the decline in numbers.

Thanks for clearing that up, I just happened to come across this one straight after reading the other thread and was surprised to see you suggest it when I thought you sounded negative towards it previously.

Yes that's true I did get that inside information but what I meant and didn't make very clear was that I don't personally know much about the sporting pastoral care side of it although the inside person providing the information about it talked highly of it.

happygardening, you said you don't know anything about Port Regis, yet last year you claimed you had inside info on it and they were struggling to fill vacancies .

HG / Summerends are right in that that is no "feeder school" in the sense that if you go that school you will get in to WinColl.

DS at Winchester - the schools which in his opinion send most to WC are Twyfords , Pilgrims . Horris Hill. However - my DS went to a different school - a good school and they prepared him well.

According to their website the Elms haven't sent a boy to Win Coll. Of course this doesn't mean they couldn't adequately prepare a pupil but from experience I think it's better to send him to a prep that has some experience of preparing for their entrance exam (Win Coll doesn't use CE but writes it's own entrance exams).

We have been over the moon with the level of care our DS has had in prep for CE at The Elms, Malvern. He's been sitting for Eton, but they have a scholarship set and line the kids up well. It's just been the best school we could have had him at, and we are not easy customers as we are in education ourselves. The Headmaster, Mr Thomas, is brilliant, and the school is small enough to look after them all really well. I'd definitely have a look.

Hi, Pilgrims' send about half the year to Winchester- sometimes just over and sometimes just under.
It also has a more tangible link in that it educates the Quiresters, who are officially on roll at the College. These are the trebles for the College chapel choir.
There may be other schools who send more boys to WC (although it must be marginal) but I doubt if any send a higher percentage.
Pilgrims have just been through several changes at the top and my experience is from several years ago.
My son enjoyed the school and it worked well for him. He is not particularly sporty - enjoyed the occasional game of football, but that's about it. He boarded from year 6. A word of caution, most boarders get taken out from after lessons on Sat to Sun night/Mon morning. A large number get a visit on Wednesday afternoon as well.

Pilgrims is the local feeder for Winohester : friends' kids from there have sailed in with no extra preparation

Twyford is more sporty
Port Regis is very rural so its range rover culture (if the mums do not get on, the kids will not meet)

Forres Sandle Manor?

HG southwest is always a relative term for me but you are absolutely right. Not sure about PortRegis, I always get the impression it is quite a sporty school and might not send very many to Winchester.
I hear Twyford's has a different atmosphere to Horris Hill and Pilgrims.
One issue with Pilgrim's is that it being so close to Winchester College might remove some of the excitement of senior school transition.

Another vote for Pilgrims being the obvious answer