Habs boys or common entrance?

Though of course I guess the OP could try 11+ entrance into SPS (via Colet), Westminster (via the Underschool). I imagine if your sons are at Haberdashers now you must live a very long way from St Paul's though I know boys do travel very long distances to go to all of these schools.

If your eldest is Yr 5 then you have missed St Pauls as the cut off for 13+ is Feb of Yr 5. Eton is 10.5 yrs old. Radley seems to be ideally several years before you thought of having children . Westminster is end of Yr 5. Harrow is end of Yr 6 but does consider late entries unlike some schools.

So there may be options available to you but you might need to act fairly fast.

shorthand, freehand - right

this thread makes me glad that I am happy for my DC to go to the "less prestigious" public schools near where we live

Yes Laurie you did. I'm unsure what you're trying to say, probably because sometimes I can be a little obtuse, when you state "if you want early modern foreign languages/classics they are more niche areas".

I made it clear I was talking only about Habs secondary

"I would say Habs has the best academic in the real world results out if the ones you listed"
I'm not sure what "real world results" are to be honest but it's generally accepted that Westminster is at the top of the league table in terms of actual A levels results/top grades with SPS snapping close at it's heals although I accept there is little to choose between most of them. In terms of Oxbridge entry both SPS Westmminster and Eton and Winchester are ahead of Habs.
I'm also not sure what is meant by "early languages/classics" all those mentioned will generally require a candidate to sit CE/entrance exam in at least one MFL, most preps introduce French very early not just half an hour a week but 3-4 times a week, ditto Latin at most preps Latin is started in yr 4, many will also offer Greek.
I think OP you need to decide what sort of education you want for your DC, four of those you listed are proper full boarding schools, it's inevitable that they will have different ethos and culture, have a much broader curriculum and offer a wider range of extra curricular activities including sport, intellectual activities, drama, music etc than a school like Habs which is a day school (no critisism intended).
You may not be too late for those you listed in fact some your definitely not too late but wouldn't hang around too much if moving your DS's is on your mind.

Wow. This kind of op makes me glad we use state education.

You certainly jumped in at the deep end, OP.

My first post was about children's party invitation list (what was I thinking?) on AIBU. That was an interesting experience.

hg Your experience is obviously very different to mine! As regards hovering parents. (They seem to slacken by about year 8.)

OP Exactly how old are your boys? Over or under 10 and a half? You may be too late for the usual route to Radley but possibly not for some of the others.

Have you looked closely at admission procedures for each of the schools you're interested in? The details are on their websites.

Habs prep prepares them for Habs senior which is for very highly academic children - with a lot of sport.

The schools you mention do other things really well including sport and extra curricular but I would say Habs senior has the best academic in the real world results out of the ones you listed. If you want early languages/classics they are more niche areas.

Drink is not exactly correct. Many boarding schools have top you sportsmen/women even some representing their country. It depends what the sport is, the level and amount of coaching you're likely to get, at some boarding schools for say rugby a boy could easily get more coaching opportunities more than a day child could access, on the other hand if you chosen sport is one only offered in a minor way, therefore only one afternoon a week e.g. Fencing then your going to struggle to become the British National Champion. All boarding schools vary in how much of a particular sport they offer and also the level of coaching you cannot make sweeping generalisations.

zero as the parent of boys who boarded at "8 and 9" I can categorically say I never hovered and certainly wasn't there every day regardless of whether I could manage it or not. Neither were most if the other parents.
OP have you registered your DS's with Radley or some of the others you mentioned, some require earlier registration than others? Weekly spelling tests do occur in boarding preps but as most are non selective (don't know anything about Habs) they are definitely less pressured, I suspect they are less likely to turn a boarder line Eton/Westminster/Winchester child into a strong candidate than a pushy day prep, but the good ones will get most strong candidates into them but still retain a relaxed atmosphere. I think a independent prep is good the head is likely to offer impartial advise, prepare for scholarships into a variety of schools and also prepare for CE. I don't know Habs at all but however good a school it is (or isn't) it doesn't mean it's right for your DS's or you for that matter if you send the to a prep you'll have more choice.

"Not great at sport"...my experience at a leading senior school is that the students who excel at sport do so because their parents have nurtured the talent at clubs outside the school setting.
Sports scholars are invariably those who are playing at county or above standard by the age of 12 and are bought in by the school. First teams are dominated by these students.
Boarders, however talented, find it difficult to compete at the highest levels, because they are not able to go to the extra evening and weekend sessions required to continue to develop along the critical paths. So if you have athletic children and want them to do well at sport I suggest you sign them up at the local tennis/football/hockey club rather than relying on the school to develop their talents for you.

It sounds as though you have already made your mind up to be honest. You are obviously ambitious for your boys, and both they, and you, feel they need a greater academic challenge.

A good prep school will educate them well, and will also give you the best advice as to where they should go on to at 13. The schools you list are often mentioned together, but they are all quite different from each other and you need to choose the right one for your children.

Forgive me for relentless posting - but do you honestly think the parents of 8 or 9 year old boys at boarding school don't hover? Of course they do! There every day if they can manage it ...

Two points:

Firstly, there will be parents of boys at your school reading this thread ...

Secondly - and trust me on this - it doesn't matter one jot how close the links are between a stellar prep and the senior schools you mention. No prep can guarantee your child a place at a particular school.

I agree that the senior school entrance exams will bring an influx of very bright, high achieving boys.

However, as other posters have said, Habs is not designed as a feeder school for the most socially prestigious public schools. 11-13 year olds at true 'prep' schools are preparing for the CE, so if this is your end aim then you need to move them before they go up to the senior school.

And no it is not too late to move. Year 7 would be tricky unless your child is very bright and you have already met all senior school application deadlines.

But OP do you not think you are being a little offensive?

It is perfectly possible to consider sending your child to boarding school without denigrating the staff, the parents and especially the children at the school you currently use.

(And every single boarding prep will have children who find things easier or harder than average.)

If you're interested in changing schools the first step is to read about 30 websites. Narrow things down - then perhaps come back for more focused opinions. As things stand you don't seem to have a specific question ...

Look, if you want your children at a top public school then there's no point having them at Habs, it doesn't prepare for common entrance, never has and never will. Its methods are tried tested and hugely successful. For every parent who pulls their child out there are a hundred parents who would sell their soul for a place. So if you aren't happy then move your boys but the grass may well not be greener in another prep school but if you want a top end public school then you are currently in the wrong place.

I will say that the senior school will be different. Some of the boys from the prep will leave and some terrifyingly bright boys will join and that's where you will see the intellect and debate come in. You will also find that you have far less interaction with the parents as most boys will come on the coach. What you won't get though is a whole school of super rich families or aristocrats like at public school. Of course there will be those for whom the fees are a drop in the ocean but there will also be a significant minority of boys whose families are sacrificing everything they can to pay the fees and many on hefty bursaries. There will be the over tutored middling boys struggling to keep up and many many with an intellect which is off the scale.

”. . . and for a school with such high academic standards, there are too many duds.”

OP, you brought a smile to my face early this Saturday afternoon which broke out into laughter .

I think I know what you mean generally about Habs Boys (once upon a time I was very keen on the school) but what I’m confused about your post is, how is that there are so many ‘duds’ in a highly academic school like Habs Boys?

But seriously, I don’t think Habs is a “suitable” school in preparation for entry to the schools you aspire for your sons to go to - those schools you mentioned are premier public schools! Preparations for entry to them require specialist knowledge and skills by (mostly) traditional prep schools who have specialist teachers. Particularly so if one aspires to win scholarships of any descriptions to any of those schools you mentioned.

For example, in my time I mentioned a few top and well known junior private schools here in the north London area to Eton but Eton just brushed them off with two simple words, “not suitable”.