Why is Harrow School Out of Favour: What Am I Missing?

[MrsHLQ]

First off, I’m well aware of the epic “diluted brand” thread about Harrow here. An interesting read and I’m not seeking to duplicate it.

This question comes from a different perspective: A positive one! I really like Harrow!

Following a number of visits, my family (including my DS) all think Harrow would be an excellent fit for my DS.

We have no prior connections to the school and yes the local area (outside the immediate “Hill”) is very far from being genteel, but that isn’t a deal breaker for us. Key for us was that we were very impressed by the ethos of the school. The fellowship and community is very strong and they seem to be interested in boys with a range of skills and interests, not just bookish whizz kids.

But strangely amongst my son’s friends (spread across two English prep schools with boarders), Harrow is very much out of favour.

By number of applications, Eton is the cohort’s number 1 choice (by a very long way), followed by Radley and then Winchester. All three are excellent schools and worthy of praise. Many boys have applied to 2 or 3 of these schools. But they have not applied to Harrow!

In fact, we do not know anyone else other than ourselves who were impressed by Harrow or who thought it would be a good fit for their son. A few people have said they were underwhelmed on the open days and others were simply disparaging without providing good reason.

But Everyone is being very coy about their own experiences/impressions of Harrow. So we are not getting any great insight or detail from them. Even one former Harrow pupil has put his son down for Eton and isn’t applying to Harrow but won’t say much about why! So frustrating!

We have visited a dozen senior schools, many of them at least twice and we thought Harrow was fantastic and right at the top of the tree in terms of fit. But we are clearly outliers.

Very strange as I thought (especially amongst this rarified group, there are no many prep school boarders) that Harrow would’ve been first or second choice for most boys. Definitely not the case at all. Typically fourth choice behind the other 3 boys schools I mention or even more commonly, they are just not applying to Harrow at all.

The views of others are not dissuading us, as “fit” is a very personal thing and Harrow seems to be a brilliant fit for our DS.

But why are so many boys (and their parents) who we know well who we think would be a good “fit” for Harrow now not even applying? They won’t tell us directly!

So the big questions for Mumsnet (where perhaps people can speak more freely) are:

Q1. What are we missing about Harrow that others have seen?

and

Q2. Why is Harrow so much out of favour right now with what would traditionally be considered its most eligible potential pupils?

Thank you very much. Good advice.

BTW, the latest SEN numbers I could find are as follows:

Radley 178/762 = 23%

Harrow 142/831 = 17%

Tonbridge 116/800 = 14.5%

Eton = 91/1319 = 6.8%

Winchester 32/715 = 4.4%

We would fall into this category. We applied to six schools. We visited more than this and discounted a few that I simply didn’t get the right vibe from (including Wellington) and didn’t apply to Winchester or Radley (the latter because there is a certain type of upper middle class that I simply can’t stand and I felt there would be many of this sort there). My son got offers from all schools. He’s a true all rounder (loves music, drama and sport although isn’t ever going to make the A or B team at the likes of Eton) and is very bright and I’m sure he’d do well at any of the schools we have applied to. He saw the best in all schools that we visited and found it hard to rule any out - he’s the type who will throw himself into anything on offer and is very positive about life in general. We wanted to keep as many options open for him as possible. He’s young for his year which meant applications went in when he was only 9. I’m acutely aware that he’s going to change a lot over the next few years and what might have seemed the right school at aged 9 might not be ideal by the time he’s 12. We have gradually begun to turn down some of his six places (he’s now 11) as we become more certain as to which school will be the right fit for him. It’s only as you go back and see which house and HM you’ve been allocated and get to spend time with your cohort at various events and activity days that I feel I can be certain in selecting the school at which I feel he will be happiest. This will be the true determining factor at the end of the day as I’m confident he’ll get good results at any of the schools.

Our family has had huge historical connections with Harrow (largest every family to have gone there) - my GG-grandfather built a house on the hill in the 1870s and in the 1920s it was donated to the school along with the grounds - now a part of the golf course (the house is staff accommodation). The school has always had a slightly different approach to others which are very strongly on the metrics of exam results bandwagon - but Harrow has stood out against that (without doing badly!) by aiming much more to take boys and build them into rounded men - (I think my father spent quite a bit of time looking after the pigs in the school farm!). There was a meeting of Shell parents some years ago when Barnby Lenon was headmaster and he led a discussion on whether the parents wanted him to take the school to the top of the league tables (applause) - but he pointed out he wouldn't be taking their sons with him (surprise reaction!) because the Harrow boy was not a machine learning / conveyor belt product who simply spat out exam results - instead he was building real men to enter real life who would excel academically - and be pushed to the best they can do, but not at the expense of a more rounded education etc.

so, there has always been a bit of that reputation, personally it is an approach I like, but for a lot of people only results matter, so they are seduced into schools which present as wholely about results...

as for the local area - yes, South Harrow is not amazing, nor part of Harrow - but Harrow-on-the-Hill is its own enclave and very special - the school has an amazing location.

I agree with a lot that has been written in this post.

I think a lot of the league-table gazing comes from parents who are new to the schools involved so, I suppose, necessarily don't have much else to go on in terms of deeper philosophies of the schools.

Also "result-chasing" is a more recent preoccupation of parents, and, again, I think, often among parents who are new to private education and have always seen that as the benefit delivered.

The public exam syllabus is decent, but it isn't by any means an accurate assessment of the real calibre of the student who sat it - and that even in an academic sense let alone a fuller picture of the candidate. It measures a particular skill: to be able to sit in an exam and spill out responses within a very constrained and predictable syllabus. If you take two candidates who managed to do that and get exactly the same results, you may still find a marked discrepancy in the ability of each of those candidates to think on their feet, to work things out by themselves, in their scholarly methodology and other much deeper skills. That is before starting on those more rounded skills (ie; outside the academic sphere).

I think what it comes down to is that some parents are looking to maximise their child's chances of certain grades (and, even then, it varies from year to year and teens are funny things: you can't guarantee yours will be in the band you want even of the school looks to produce more results at that level). Those parents will look at league tables and count down in order of the latest set of results, or the average of the last ten years' results, or the last two years' results, or some average of GCSE plus A level, or just A level or just GCSE - or whatever method they deduce will mathematically deliver them the best chance of the grades.

Parents with more knowledge of the schools will understand the broader offerings. Often posters try to discuss that on here, but then inevitably someone always pops up and says: "But if x school is so great why is Y school above it in the league tables?"

Brilliant posts, thank you both

I agree.

what really appealed to us about harrow was the ethos

the first time I visited I didn’t know what to expect.

I was blown away by the talk from the boys and the headmaster

the actual school tour which happened subsequently wasn’t that impressive BUT I was already sold before the tour even began

the reason being is that the talks at then start were all about fellowship and ethos and how that continues for life. then the Harrow boys spoke really well and answered a lot of questions. They were impressive

at every other school I’d been to up to that point it was all about amazing facilities and exam results

whereas at Harrow it was about being a good person and letting that permeate everything

harrow was also the only school where I had two consecutive positive visits and good impressions from staff and pupils both times

other schools were very variable in that regard

Ex Eton mum here.
Have to admit I don't know much about Harrow, so I can't help you with that aspect, but I would absolutely go with your feeling of the school being right for your son

A level league tables are irrelevant IMO, the education boys get at these schools is so much more than exam results, and I'm not sure the Head makes that much of a difference. Simon Henderson has been a serious blip for Eton, but it wouldn't stop me sending my son there if I felt it was right.

Hi everybody.

Fortunately, my DS was accepted at Harrow, Tonbridge and Radley and we are in the middle of this excruciating decision process.

We have visited these schools several times and read a fair amount of information about them. I hope I can add two cents here and as a disclaimer, we are non-UK citizens, living in continental Europe.

Regarding Harrow, it seems clear that the school has been for quite some time geared towards a global presence (just look at the vast portfolio of Harrow schools in Asia and now in the US). For us, this is a positive aspect in two fronts: a more diverse student body (more internationals, as globalization will continue its course, even though we seem to be in a pause right now) and a broader university target, not relying that much on UK ones (especially because the "not so positive" approach of UK Universities towards private schools). In addition, by looking at acceptance numbers, we feel that Harrow has been equally if not more successful than Tonbridge and Radley if you consider Oxbridge + Ivy League schools. So, regardless of the terminology "more or less academically oriented", it seems that the school is doing a pretty good job on this very important aspect. Again, as mentioned above, it seems even more impressive when you consider that the intake is less selective...

Having said that, we saw, in different groups, that not so few considered this international aspiration / positioning as a negative point for Harrow. Some considered that there are too many international students and that the school had lost its British essence. Others mentioned that the focus on US Universities was a remedy for poor A-levels performance, trailing the idea that the school is less academically oriented. So, from our perspective, this seems to be an important factor that put some parents off.

Hope I could help here. And sorry for the long text.

Thank you very much. Very useful.

Please can you also share your thoughts on Radley, I’d be very interested to hear as we are in the same position as you.

On Harrow:

I think by now the international aspect of Harrow is well documented, we can all agree. Anecdotally through various observations at the school as discussed widely on Mumsnet, plus statistically via the high percentage of English as a Foreign Language Students documented by the Independent Schools Inspectorate. Plus Harrow has its own China focused application process as detailed on its website and lends its name to various China schools so has a profile there.

case closed on that I’d say

However, on academics, I think the views aren’t entirely correct.

There have been a lot of assumptions made by the families of potential students, essentially that academics at Harrow are poor. People are forming views of Harrow based on these assumptions, but not all of them accurate.

• Harrow traditionally school for wealthy but not that smart (this may be the case in the past but there are academic entry standards today, it’s not just about who your father is)

• Harrow has a broader intake than Eton and is focused on the whole person not just academics (true)

• Harrow like Asian students because they work hard and improve the average grades. (Sounds like a generalization but it has to be true, as Harrow surely are recruiting lots of hyper smart Chinese)

• Harrow no longer publish their exam results and that’s because they are bad. (False, the GCSE and A level results are excellent, though it’s understandable that not publishing them may lead to families questioning them. Faux Pas by Harrow IMO)

• Exam results at Harrow lag Eton, Tonbridge, Winchester and Westminster. (True, but these are super selective elite schools with extraordinarily high academic standards on a national level)

• Harrow target US universities because their students aren’t smart enough for UK universities (I’d say false, it’s just a case of broadening options and recognizing that the UK system is not the be all and end all. Plus there is recognized UK university prejudice against private schoolboys these days)

I think what is true about Harrow because it can be verified by looking at their publically available sports page is that the Rugby and cricket teams across all age groups and all standards (A to E teams) are more often than. It taking an absolute thrashing

This was pointed out in the “diluted global brand” thread and inferred that it’s case the international contingent have not grown up playing either of these very English sports. I’d agree with that

if you go back further in time on the same webpage by selecting sports seasons form years ago you can see Harrow was much more competitive then.

I do think that many of the less academically successful schools tend to sling a bit of mud at the more academically successful ones—often, I suspect, out of envy—by using terms like “hot-house.” They’ll also describe their own education as “well-rounded,” implying that the others are somehow “just head-in-book factories.”
In my experience, apart from a very small number of London day schools that are genuinely more single-track academic (such as Westminster or Highgate), most schools today offer a broad, balanced education with plenty of opportunities beyond the classroom. Many of my friends from those more academic London schools still managed to have a rounded upbringing—they just didn’t expect the school alone to provide it.
Eton, frankly, offers even more opportunities outside the classroom than Harrow. The same can be said of Tonbridge, Brighton College, and Wellington. Even Winchester—apart from its weaker sporting side—is every bit as rounded as Harrow.
In general, the difference lies less in the schools themselves and more in the students: these have more intellectually capable pupils, but those pupils are still eager to engage in life beyond academics.

I have not come across less academic schools slinging mud at more academic schools.

Certainly what I have never seen is Harrow or Harrovians taking a genuine dislike of Eton or Etonians. Or in fact even commenting negatively on them.

I have seen firsthand though (in real life, amongst acquaintances) some old Etonians being very snobby and disparaging about Harrow and also prospective Eton parents (with no connections to either school) acting in the same way.

Many years ago there was also a poster on here called Petenaras or something like that whose DS went to Eton and they were constantly and very verbosely saying how awesome Eton was and how crap Harrow was. For reasons such as Eton has more sports pitches. I mean, ridiculous!

OMG the lame rudeness generalisations post school is so funny and cringe my god, but I do feel it is more older people who do it. Anyone under 30 from these places generally doesn't and is def looked down upon for even asking what school you went to. In 2025 it also just doesn't track well in social settings. The world is global no one cares anymore. Being rude about Etonians or Harrovians or any school is, among my generation, seen as really quite lame. Most do not mention they went to Eton or Harrow.

It slaps of insecurity. If you need to keep talking about Eton or Harrow after you have left or comparing dear lord, you have a sad life.

But I definitely do see people call more academically successful schools "hot houses" and then claim their school is more "well rounded" because it has worse grades. Its laughable. Someone on here claimed Oundle was a hot house. It's an all-round school for the more intellectually capable student, its not got 1150 students who just sit there doing sums. Im sure the same could be said for other academically successful schools too that everyone else calls hot houses.

And when I say schools, I mean more parents (and students) not really the schools.

I am afraid that I just don't agree with this at all! The current Head, Alistair Land, is incredibly popular with both boys and parents. He commands immense respect and is a superb leader - by far the best head of a school I have experienced and I have seen a few of them.

I would actually go so far as to say that he actually embodies the Harrow values of Courage, Honour, Humility and Friendship. He is a truly inspiring leader and an amazing role model for the boys.

You say the school is scared of who it is - are you serious?! I have never seen a school that is more confident and proud of who it is! Harrow is a school that absolutely LOVES to talk about its history, its songs, and its old boys (Giants of Old). There is a tremendous sense of history there but despite this, the school is very down to earth and not stuffy at all.

As far as academics go, there is a range of boys - many are very academic but some more focused on other things, like sport and drama. Harrow is about far more than just academics. It emphasises courage, character and leadership - for our son, it has been a marvellous experience, the absolute making of him.

The music, sport and drama are all absolutely outstanding.

It certainly isn't for the faint-hearted but for the right boy, it's a wonderful school.

Harrow have beaten Eton in the Lords match for the last four years.

Harrow's first XV rugby team have been national champions for the last two years.

The standard of sport at Harrow is excellent!

That is true of the first XV historically

But they have lost to Wellington and Radley this year already

and if you look across all year groups and all standards (say A to E teams) there’s a lot of losses

https://sport.harrowschool.org.uk/FixturesTeams.asp?Id=132&S=20252026&SID=24

that was not the case even just a few years ago

I concur. At the admitted-student events we’ve attended, the school — and the Head Master in particular — struck us as anything but uncertain about its values. They offered a very confident articulation of their approach, even openly championing the role of faith in the boys’ lives. I’m not British, but over the years I’ve noticed that’s a topic many people here tend to avoid, so their willingness to speak about it directly really stood out.

In terms of having an office for Mainland Chinese and Hong Kong candidates, I don’t think the intention is to attract more Chinese applicants. Rather, they already receive a large number of applications from that region, so it makes sense to have an office that understands the local context. For example, obtaining school reports from local schools is easier for someone who is familiar with the education systems in China. It’s similar in places like Singapore or Hong Kong, schools there also receive many applications from Mainland Chinese families simply because of the large population. Even when schools like Harrow open campuses in Japan, Thailand, or Malaysia, the majority of students still tend to be Mainland Chinese. In some cases, these overseas campuses operate under a license to use the school’s name and may not have much direct connection to the original school in the UK. Often, the expansion is driven by commercial considerations. That said, because Harrow has opened several campuses in Asia, the name has become much more well-known in the region. I’m sure they now receive far more applications from Asia compared to schools that haven’t expanded there. When I visited a few schools for assessments, most of the children I met were already studying in the UK, so not all of them are coming from Asia just for that school. It may also be that London simply has a larger Chinese community, and as Harrow is a London school, they naturally end up with a more diverse racial mix than some other schools.