Eton King's Scholorship

My DS’s father was a KS. He says it’s not all that much fun - huge pressure to be top of everything all the time, which is almost impossible to live up to.

He thinks it’s better to go in as an oppidan and then (if you are any good) get elected an OS “on the job” so to speak, which is what his eldest DS did.

foggyuplands the selection processes (and possibly the selection criteria) for this particular school are very different now to those that pertained thirty or forty years ago. (I can say this with some confidence as I've been rather closely involved with different generations of people who attended in the past or are there now.)

And both in the past and present there exist numerous alumni and future alumni who are nothing like those whose unsavoury reputations cause such dismay and despair.

In my many, many years experience with Eton - I'm still involved with the School today in a certain aspect of school life - I can, hand on heart, say the School promotes Everything and Nothing iyswim.

The only thing it strenuously promotes is EXCELLENCE ! The rest is up to the boy himself - a villain or a hero - your call!

I've nothing particularly against Eton but it is worth pointing out that while a school has the opportunity to select as vigorously as this one must to end up with such a collection of alumni is at best a touch careless.
It would suggest either they select dc with these traits or they develop these traits in the dc they select.
I'm sure there are dc who attend Eton and have more developed critical thinking for example, a basic law of averages would suggest this.
Different schools promote different values and competencies. As I know nothing about what Eton states it promotes I can only judge what they might be on the people it produces.

@FourRedShoes -wonderful reply!

@ScholarshipHopeful if my son had been successful I was going to get him to do the past papers then get a tutor (or a teacher at school, although I would have had to pay) to mark them. My eldest son is a maths teacher. He was more than happy to coach his brother with the maths aspect. I will ask him, and I'm very sure he would be more than happy to mark the maths papers for you and possibly have a Skype to go over corrections. Can you PM on here? No idea and I'm new.
Happy to help! I will now live vicariously through your sons journey.

Thank you spellingtest!
He’ll love the experience, but the more I research, the more I see it as impossible. His current school aren’t showing much support which I find strange. He was sent to the library to do practice papers, but then no-one was interested in marking. He’s back for half term now with nothing to work on except practice papers (which I have printed for him) But if they aren’t marked & gone over with him by a teacher he isn’t going to progress

I think politicians are politicians, it takes a certain type of personality to go into running for Prime Minister, I don’t think you can blame Eton for that!
Eton will work on & improve on what they are given (the child) the vision and career path will more often come from the family & the individual.
MPs are going to be hated by half the country whatever choices they make, be it Leave or Remain,

So he was...expelled! Rightly or wrongly.

But it seems wrongly in this particular case.

And well done, Eton! No nonsense, no excuse of any kind. That's what makes you Great!!!

If truth be known, I can't thank David Cameron enough for giving us the chance for Brexit (though he's a Remainer himself) and I can't wait for Jacob Rees-Mogg to deliver errh. . . No Deal, please, Jacob!

Zac Goldsmith was expelled from Eton. There is not a shortage of old Es in the public eye, no need to pick on someone who would rather forget their time there.

I’m well aware there are many past pupils who are doing great things with their lives. It’s just a pity for Eton that it will be forever linked with the architects of Brexit.

The current Etonians are not only David Cameron and Boris Johnson. You are limiting your field of vision to a tiny spot on earth - the Westminster village - and even then, you have missed the likes of Zac Goldsmith, Oliver Letwin, Kwasi Kwarteng to name but a few. OEs are everywhere on earth in all fields, including many currently saving lives and limbs e.g. like my DS, even as I type this note. . .

You judge a kitchen by the food it sends out. My dc currently go to a private school so I'm not totally against them.
That said the current Etonians I could name wouldn't fill me with much confidence in the school!

Well done scholarship hopeful. That is wonderful news. Please do keep me posted how your son gets on.

The pre test isn't just an ordinary CAT style test. My son was getting 100% in these and said this was far trickier. It's made especially for Eton and set by Durham university.

Re the comment about the boys needing cleaners I was just a bit surprised that they came in EVERY day to clean their rooms. And even more surprised they have silver service at lunch with a butler (but they are the only house that has a butler). My son currently goes to a small boarding school as a day boy and I can assure you they have nothing like that there, hence the surprise.

I am also surprised at the number of Eton hate on line too! I was incredibly impressed by it. The history, the staff, the whole caboodle.

Jacob Rees-Mogg too !

David Cameron and Boris Johnson are past pupils ... enough said !

Hopeful I don't honestly think the type of school a boy is currently attending makes much difference to success or failure at the computerised pre-test. (Although of course if successful they will need proper preparation for CE or the state school focused entrance exam.)

We were there on Tuesday also!
Were you one of the families sent to the wrong entrance?!
My son has been at state school until 11m ago, we were shocked to get through, but feel it is VERY unlikely to gain one of the 14 places as they are almost always the same Prep schools, or Hong Kong students.
We are enjoying the experience and the chance to stay there in April.

The OP is correct, Scholars lunch is silver service in a grand hall. Formally dressed waiting staff!
The ladies that look after the boys are lovely, and the housemaster also very friendly & down to earth.
The whole experience was very different to what we expected.
Also so surprised by the amount of Eton haters online!
We don’t have a place through normal entry, just going for the chance at the scholarship.

pre-test not ore-test.

No preview function. Still.

He wasn't taking the KS LesLavandes. The OP's son has just taken a late pre-test, which qualifies those who pass it to take the KS later in the year.

(The more usual route is to take the ore-test in yr 6 and then Common Entrance or the KS in yr 8.)

You don't necessarily have to gave gone to 'x' prep school but to get a KS your son will have to be exceptional. Good luck☘️

Bad luck OP! I'm sure there's a different ideal school for your son.

But can I just comment on:

They have boy's maids who clean their rooms. Lunch is silver service and they have a butler

That does rather overstate the case! It's a boarding school - unless one expects the boys (or the teaching staff) to do all the housework and maintenance in the boarding houses, it dios rather stand to reason that there will be domestic staff to do this. As at any other residential institution. So rather less exhalted than the picture your words paint.

And I dunno about silver service ... Perhaps you only saw the scholarship boys' house? At least half the boys eat their meals in the central canteen. And definitely don't have any dealings with butlers - at least not at school.

If the Eton graduates at parliament are anything to judge by, its a shite school.

^This.