Eton and Winchester for September 2026

[artistmother]

Good morning, my son is in Year 6 and applying to Eton and Winchester for September 2026, the schools his headmaster recommended for him which we visited and liked. My heart was set on Winchester, assuming we got offers from both schools, but comments I’ve read here are making me question the very good impression I had of the school, comments I hadn’t come across before.

I know Mumsnet is quite a passionate place and opinions should be taken with a pinch of salt but there are too many negative comments, from too many different parents, to ignore and I’m not sure why someone would go out of their way to put down a school. Unless I’m missing something?

I subscribed to the Good Schools Guide and read ISI reports, to get all the info I could about the different schools we were looking at before visiting and applying, and thought Eton and Winchester were good choices. My son loved the schools when we visited and I was happy with our decision. We particularly liked the Housemaster and House my son would go into at Winchester, we have yet to see Houses and Housemasters at Eton.

I guess my question is, why is there so much negativity around Winchester suddenly? Are things going downhill? Are boys more unhappy there than at other boarding schools? I thought the opposite. I don’t mind the mixed Sixth Form and like the fact it calls itself a “gentle” school. My son is very able academically and a nice kid and would apparently be happy at both schools (although our head prefers Eton for him) but I liked the idea of a gentle and kind institution. We know more parents at Eton than at Winchester but felt like Winchester was the safer choice... are we wrong?

We have yet to receive offers from these schools so may not have a choice in the matter but it would be great to hear from current Winchester and Eton parents who have thoughts on the above… please only share your authentic, wholesome thoughts :)

Thank you

ps. I went boarding at 13 and loved it (King’s Canterbury) and my two elder sons boarded and loved it too so we don’t have a problem with the boarding side of things.

DS has just finished his first term at WinColl and so far we're very happy with the school. Will DM you.

Thank you

Thanks for posting this msg @artistmother. I echo the same feelings. We loved Winchester and quite impressed with Eton too, but most of the comments here in mumsnet makes me think if there is anything that I am not able to see. I genuinely hope parents of current students at this school will give the real insight that will help us to take right decision.

Thanks @BlueTit09 , let's see. I don't usually post on forums but am genuinely perplexed by this situation. Hope we can get some insight. Although no news is probably good news here!

Having ready the comments on MN on Winchester I had the same questions. We want a Sixth form entry 2026 so I will visit the school in March. But bumping up as I have the same questions

@BlueTit09 and @Rennypie03 , I also had some misgivings about Winchester before DS started, having read some of the previous comments on MN about pastoral care and academics at the school. However, I can honestly say that our experience of the school hasn't matched the impression given in those comments. Maybe we're being hopelessly naive and it will all fall apart in the GCSE years, but so far the overall standard of teaching and pastoral care has been excellent, DS is happy and thriving in every way, and our gut feeling that WinColl was the right school for him has been completely justified. Please feel free to DM if you have specific questions.

Could I bump this please? Any current parents of Eton or Winchester willing to speak of their experiences with the schools and what type might be suited to each? My son isn’t at a prep school so we have no guidance from his primary school.

Nephew went all way through Wincoll and LOVED it all. Niece is there now in 6th form and absolutely loves it. DS has done half a year there and loves it although adjusting to boarding was tough at first. Think the house master you choose can have a huge bearing as they in effect may seem like separate schools as each HM has differing techniques/strictness.

Thanks for starting the post. Following… DS chose Winchester over Eton but I am scared by reading the posts here and would also like to know more details and true stories.

what did you decide @artistmother ?

Hi @smilingfaces10 , we have yet to hear from the schools as DS has only just sat his last tests + interview but I think our preference has shifted from Winchester to Eton now.

We certainly have buyers remorse at WC. The school has really changed for the worse in the last 12 months as if it's gone back to a bygone age of boarding schools. The introduction of girls hasn't really helped either and our son was worried about vaping and worse happening around the school.
We suspect our housemaster to have a bit of a drinking problem and raised this a few times last year to no avail. nearly at the end though. It's for some. just not what we signed up for.

@BeAmusedWriter I am so sorry to hear. Sounds very scary. Could you please message me the house? Just so we are aware! Thx

We feel the same @BeAmusedWriter , unfortunately DS still has a year to go.We should have left but it's too late to make a change now. I thought things might improve instead things have gone from bad to worse.

Our HM is completely enept, DS has also mentioned his drinking. DH picked up on too. Vaping and the other you mentioned are completely out of control.

I still wonder if it's possible to leave even at this late stage. I know that I will have regrets if DS returns in September. It's a very difficult situation to find yourself in..

I am at a loss to see of how any parent can still be eulogising about WC.

.

I would be grateful if more details could be shared - online or via message. I am puzzled about this wave of negativity towards WinColl. of course if there is something behind it we would rather know!

DS has offers from both WinColl and Eton and we need to make a decision soon.

We are in the Same situation. Any more details through PM or online would be much appreciated. We know many happy parents as well so would like to understand more about this negativity if possible to share pls.

@UltimateMushyPea What year are your offers for?

A parent asked me to say more about how I felt about the two schools in a PM, here’s my answer, in case anyone has anything to add or disagrees:

I've been talking to different people and my own son's school and it just seems Eton has it more together than Winchester. I think Winchester try harder than Eton during the admissions process and the registrar is very charismatic and you get to meet potential housemasters early on and feel much more looked after than at Eton but it looks like this can switch once you're in the school. A parent quoted on the Good Schools Guide says Eton is "a lot softer on the inside than it looks on the outside" and it seems Winchester is letting some families down once they're in the school. My conclusion is that Eton's admissions process isn't the warmest but once you're in, the chances are things will go well and your son will feel happy and safe, while at Winchester it's a bit more of a gamble and very dependent on getting the Housemaster right. I might be wrong but these are my feelings on the two schools at the moment.

Thanks for your perspective!

@artistmother I think you are right. Eton comes over as trying to put you off on the open day tours, while Winchester comes over as trying very hard to win you over. But once you progress through the application process, you see a different side to them.

The housemaster and boys in the house are critical to the experience your son will have. The boys know which are the houses to go for and which to avoid. Try to find a recent or current boarder and ask about individuals.

My son has Eton offer for Year9 2025.
Am glad reading these kind of comments about Eton. Most I have read before have been negative.

Our son is at Winchester and we are very happy. Intellectually it is superb, sport is strong and arts/music off the scale. I'd say the school is on the rise.

Of course some parents will have a bad experience at any school including Eton and Winchester. As to vaping it is probably worth being realistic. Pupils at every school in the country will vape. Many will drink. These are teenagers we are talking.

In terms of houses, DM me if you need recommendations

No My son goes and its amazing. If he is ready to board then the house masters are amazing and will always be encouraging. And the huge amount of sports they are able to play is always good.

It's good to hear from happy Winchester parents. DS has an offer from Winchester and Waiting List place at Eton, so keeping an open mind and heart!