Who'd send their sprog to Eton now?

[felulageller]

£46k a year for your DS to watch Neighbours at lunchtime, take all the drugs going, have sex with older adults in fields, leave with a B and D at A level.

Learn zero social skills.

Sounds more like a sink comp to me?

I didn’t say that, @Aleaiactaest . Obviously it’s the whole school experience that makes one choose a school - somewhere a child feels relatively ‘at home’.

@MetaDaughter - it was just a question as to whether any other boarding school offers that in Britain or not? And of course you didn’t say it, you just hinted jokingly… However, it is a consideration for parents choosing between Eton and Winchester. I have heard colleagues say the same and family members made the same choice. Winchester is also a much smaller school.

I reckon as and when Eton goes co-ed they will build lots of great girls houses and take girls from Year 9 onwards. They are rich enough to do it and raise the funds to proceed on that basis.

Trying to remember - I’m sure there were one or two when I was last considering school choices (a few years ago). But clearly we didn’t like the actual schools enough to enquire further! Or perhaps they were girls’ schools, so not relevant to my family.

No idea what the school in question on this thread is saying right now - but it’s quite big enough already. I’d have thought - if they really were to bring girls in from yr 9 - they would only do so by gradually reducing the intake of boys. Can’t see it happening, though.

@MetaDaughter

Some existing houses just stop taking boys. It’s announced that from next September, W, X, Y and Z houses will only take new pupils who are girls. Existing boys stay but no new boys join.

Of course this requires the school to acknowledge (as Seldon did when Wellington went coed) that there will be fewer boys admitted to the school, certainly in the short to medium term, but Winchester won’t do this. It is in a mess of its own making - it obviously has had problems or it wouldn’t be doing this - but lacks the guts to fix it properly. And as usual, it’s girls who lose out.

According to Google Eton has capacity for up to 1390 boys. That is 1390 single rooms across many houses - approx 50 - 55 boys in each, 25 houses in total. Some houses could squeeze in 2 kids in some rooms. They would be better off dropping their single room requirement for Year 9/10 if they take girls.

When the Upper Sixth leave, they would have to make certain houses move to other houses so that some houses become all girl houses. No way would parents surely want boys and girls in the same house!

A fully co-ed school would be 600 girls all at once across 5 year groups. Not achievable in 1-2 years without upsetting existing parents who bought into single rooms and a strong, very competitive house spirit (aka moving boys forcibly to other houses might not work very well).

One would assume that the Governors and Senior Management of Winchester College thought through all the options?

It is always better for a school to increase numbers for Sixth Form and take more girls that way first. Because they are already relying on strong GCSE results. Plus the Sixth Form co-ed is a tried and tested option throughout the country. And there is huge demand from girls themselves to go co-ed at Sixth Form following an all girls education Yrs 7-11.

Winchester Sixth Form will attract a lot of Oxbridge type girls who want teachers with PhDs and a competitive intellectual environment, in preparation for Oxbridge. Although anecdotal I have some friends considering it for their very alpha girls who are apparently “bored” and not challenged enough in their girls’ schools.

Ultra competitive girls would be better in one of Hampshire’s state schools. Winchester has seen a big drop in Oxbridge numbers.

I doubt Eton will struggle to fill their places…

Much of what is described (I haven’t read Harry’s book ) sounds like adolescent behaviour found in any school across the country!

@Aleaiactaest as far as I know Eton is the only school that is single rooms from the start and all the way through, which has its pros and cons depending on the character of the boy. Eton's also building a new boarding house in the next few years, but there is zero appetite or interest for letting girls in, either from the staff or the parents. They don't need to do it to boost numbers or educational attainment so I doubt they'd go through the upheaval unless they had to.

It's important to have choices available for parents - if single sex isn't right for everyone, then neither is co-ed. I moved from co-ed after GCSE to a single-sex sixth form and it was the most incredible, liberating experience for me and I personally would never would have gone on to do maths at university had I remained in that co-ed environment. Equally, I had friends once I got to 6th form who had had a tough time and might have flourished more at a co-ed school.

Similarly, a full boarding school is not going to be right for all, but it is right for some. And vice versa.

“but there is zero appetite or interest for letting girls in, either from the staff or the parents”

Really? Are you sure? What about the governors and the Head Teacher/Senior Management. I am sure it is regularly discussed with regard to what is happening in other public schools in the country and soft pressure from society/media.
What about Harrow?

I personally agree some choice is best and the variety of options available in the country makes Great Britain strong educationally (at least in the private sector).

I have no doubt the existing parent group would be opposed to change for their own DC in their DC’s time. That is generally how parent groups operate.

Eton is a big school. Nearly double the size of Winchester and Harrow. Winchester has always had a unique curriculum too. I don’t think Eton or Harrow will alter their intake any time soon.

Harry has been successful on so many fronts. Displayed much courage and maturity.

Left the most famous, powerful and influential RF in the world for their abuse and toxic nature. An institution many will do anything just to have a photo with them.

Fought for his country in two horrid wars.

Stood up for his mother's memory even when he had all to loose.

Successfully written a NYT best seller.

Married to a beautiful, talented wife who's also written 2 NYT best sellers. One was with the women devastated by the Grenfell tower fire, helping these women at their lowest. Ofcourse Kate won't dirty her hands with such. Harry choose a lady who had been involved in charity work in Asia and Africa long before she met him. Helping remove stigma and difficulties experienced by women in rural area in poor countries, especially around menstrual periods, was awarded UN women ambassador etc before she met Harry.

Many even at this school and even still enjoying Royal privilege and influence behind Palace/Castle walls couldn't write a successful book or affect lives in this way even with all the resources at their finger tips.

William is FA Chairman but never speaks against racism in football or elsewhere. No push to use football to help young people be healthier, occupied, gain skills etc. Only interested in the pomp and page try of the office.

Camilla is patron of a women's charity against gender violence but silence there too.

Many go to other schools, have similar experiences and grades even with the loving support of their mother and still don't achieve much, fail and fatherhood and responsibilities to their wife.

So many have better grades and still make horrid husbands, fathers and won't stand up for their mother's memory when she passes or even if she were alive won't be supportive if her husband had built their marriage on the sole intention of getting heirs.

Many husbands and fathers finished with A*s yet they will sell their soul for power and will do anything to be on the right side of Murdoch's and the British RF's empire.

Instead he protects and provides for his wife and children as he fought for his country when he was single and doesn't worship at the feet of his father's mistress.

Worth more than A* any day.

Harry has achieved very little given his status and the amount of help he’s had. If he was a normal person he’d probably be working behind a bar. He’s great at throwing his family under a bus for $100m though.

Is the Russian bot @Delectable posting on the wrong thread?

Andrew who's perhaps his equivalent although he had his mother until his 50s and his father was more present so perhaps not an accurate comparison; in spite of that he couldn't find his way independent of the RF. Neither can William or Charles in any case. I guess this is what scares some. The RF is part of the value they hold on to irrespective of what they actually stand for.

In 1992, when I was doing my applications, polytechnics were no more, they were all universities, and I got many offers of B and D or thereabouts to get into them.

We’re not talking about Andrew. He’s a different matter altogether.
I think Charles and William would be ok outside the family. Whatever you may think about the monarchy Charles was ahead of his time on ecological matters and would have found a role in that world. William is bright enough to have a degree from St. Andrew’s so would be ok too.

@ladygindiva I said PRE 1992 for polytechnics. In addition Harry was applying 20 years ago, not 30! By 2002, the majority of decent universities wanted 3 A levels. Not 2. That’s why most people took 3 by 2002. Art schools still want 2 but by 2002 it was clear a B and D wasn’t good enough and he wasn’t academic.

@Aleaiactaest
you seem really obsessed with Eton going coed! Nobody else is raising it, either here or anywhere else. Why does it matter so much to you?

It’s very odd to think that they would as they are a very big school with a lot of competition to get in. The most recognised school for boys in the country. It’s their usp so why change it?

I am not obsessed with Eton or Harrow for that matter going co-ed. However, I have read newspaper articles on the matter so it has been raised as an “option” in the not too distant future, by journalists and some politicians. Obviously, the actual choice rests with the school’s governing body/senior management (presumably after parental surveys) and nobody else.

In fact, one could say the opposite- why should the last few remaining all boys boarding schools go co-ed when there are still so many single sex girls’ schools left.

The other point I raised is that the U.K. and Ireland are outliers in Europe and North America with the amount of single sex schools available. More like the Middle East and Asian countries in that regard. Which in some ways is quite strange.

@Aleaiactaest
Ita the fact we have many ancient schools with traditions and we value choice. I think it’s healthy.

@Aleaiactaest I just looked at the table you shared - really gob smacked me the countries we sit alongside, like you say those with very poor records on gender equality. And I had no idea that single sex education was so rare in countries like America and Canada and European countries. My DG's love their co-ed and if I ever suggest single sex they are horrified as so many of their friends are boys.

And girls in girls’ schools don’t have friends who are boys?! Girls schools are not nunneries. Of course girls are friendly with boys. However at school - no upskirting, no boys’ banter, no sexual comments at school etc.

It's about the name, not the quality of education.
And the networking.

@TizerorFizz I went to a girls indie am fully aware of the pro’s and con’s!