Documentary - Eton New Foundation Scholars

[pusspusslet]

Peeps,

On 18th and 19th March at 5.30pm on CBBC is a documentary ('The Most Famous School in the World' -- part of the 'My Life' series) following the three New Foundation Scholars at Eton at the start of the 2013 academic year.

Sounds very interesting!

I do wonder when people say 'well he wuld have done well anywhere'. really? Is that honestly the case?

I know my DS wouldnt have done as well as say the local sec modern with a 100% certainity.

Yes connections.

Not sure I see your beef Handcream with them choosing boys through ability.If they can select by money,why not brains?

It would be silly to pretend that they won't make some "good" connections but it would also be silly to assume that connections are half as useful as they used to be.

Eton's aim is to be "income blind" when it comes to selection. The headmaster's father was a baggage handler at Heathrow. He (the headmaster) was a full fees scholar at Eton himself.

You can't be income blind when the fees are £33k

The fees arent 33k for everyone.

80% then and even subsidised they'd be out of the question for the vast maj of the population.

Of course 33k full fees is out of the question for most! Eton and such like is not a school that everyone will be able to afford to go to. It does what it does very well, the waiting list is a mile high, they could fill it with boys from the Far East, Middle East and Russia ten times over.

Why do you think that is?

My DS's friend got a full scholarhsip with uniform and travel costs for the parents. Of course this isnt available to EVERYONE. The boy was academically brilliant. He was picked from a local school in Slough (which couldnt keep up with him and meet his needs) and first 3 years at a prep and then providing he passed the Kings Scholarship test he was in.

You can be pretty much "income blind" if your endowments generate enough income. Eton are trying to raise £50 million on top of what they've got. There'll be plenty of bright boys whose parents can pay full whack and loads more who can pay something. And then there will be full fees scholars. It can be done (unless you assume that all the brightest boys come from low income families).

Is it about time Eton goes "gender blind" and start having girls?

”My DS's friend got a full scholarhsip with uniform and travel costs for the parents. Of course this isnt available to EVERYONE. The boy was academically brilliant. He was picked from a local school in Slough (which couldnt keep up with him and meet his needs) and first 3 years at a prep and then providing he passed the Kings Scholarship test he was in.”

I don’t understand this at all whatsoever. When was this? Parents living in Slough and cannot afford travel cost to Eton? One could actually walk there!

Or do you mean travel cost to prep school? That being the case, where does the King’s Scholarship come into the equation? The King’s Scholarship is an entirely different story altogether.

”There'll be plenty of bright boys whose parents can pay full whack and loads more who can pay something. And then there will be full fees scholars. It can be done (unless you assume that all the brightest boys come from low income families).”

grovel, I know of a KS who lives in officially the UK’s most expensive postcode - London’s Belgravia, where property prices can be anything up to £30m. I’ve sent stuff to his mum there.

So much for "rich but thick" kids who go to private schools that one often hears so much about.

Well if it's not the type of school you like, don't apply there.

If it is, then either pay the fee's (if you can) or win an award. I do believe that the selection process is there for a reason, and they do pick out the boys that will thrive in that particular environment. Not every child will.
We have 2dc, one has won a funded place to a school similar to Eton, the other more suited to a different type of school - state/private, it doesn't matter - so long as it fills the needs for dc2. State schools have rich kids too!!!

Peteneras - it is well known that Eton scan the state schools looking for bright children who could benefit from their school.

The state school couldnt deal with this young boy. He was moved to my DS's prep school for the last three years and then onto Eton. it was 3 years ago.

I agree 1805. If you dont like the school then dont apply! However most people knocking private schools have NO idea what they are like. They really do think they are full of the sons and daughters of the Lords and Ladies of the land and have never set foot in one!

Its certainly not 'rich and thick' pupils. I find that phase insulting. No one would dream of saying poor and thick.

Just because you have the money to send your children to private school doesnt mean you always do and if you do then that money hasnt come from nowhere. Certainly from our point of view it has come from blooming hard work and making choices that not everyone would agree with. We can only do it because I work full time and always have. Some people dont want to do that (and I am speaking as someone who went to a rubbish sec modern school). I wouldnt wish that situation on anyone.

I have to admit I did find it interesting.

Was encouraged really to think in some ways it didn't seem that different to my DC's experiences at their good school (they have "house music" for example, and put on a brilliant play every year) - though I'm sure not exactly the same! Boarding would make a huge difference for a start.

Interestingly DS (12) thought it didn't make a particularly good subject for a "My life" as he reckons everyone goes to school, so was nothing special!

The Harrow prog on Sky was far better in giving a better picture of school life,but it did have a lot more time to do so.

I think Eton wanted the My life programme to show that it is possible for children from very modest backgrounds to attend Eton. Prehaps its a pity that there are not more foundation scholarships for truely gifted state school children at Eton. Seeing the programme I am not surprised that Eton has produced so many prime minsters. Prehaps as a country we should be encouraging elitist schools with goverment funded burseries for low income families rather than being the green eyed monster.

”. . . it is well known that Eton scan the state schools looking for bright children who could benefit from their school . . . The state school couldnt deal with this young boy. He was moved to my DS's prep school for the last three years and then onto Eton. it was 3 years ago.”

It may be well known to you handcream but not to me; and I think you may have got some of your facts wrong. For a start, Eton has no right whatsoever to go round scanning in state schools for bright kids. It’s up to the bright kids from state schools to apply to Eton for a scholarship if they want to go there. This is what the New Foundation Scholarships in the cbbc TV programme is all about. It is called the New Foundation Scholarships because it replaced the old one called the Junior Scholarships some five years ago in 2009.

The Junior Scholarships had been in existence for over 30 years since the 1970’s. Under that scheme, successful boys aged 10 could go to prep schools (fulltime boarding or otherwise) for 3 years and their places at Eton were already guaranteed when they start Eton at 13 years old. Again, these boys would have to apply for the JS themselves and sit some exceptionally tough exams (I’d say GCSE level aged 10). No doubt Eton would have to scrutinise them thoroughly considering the great School was to foot all their bills for the next 8 years! and there were up to 4 places available each year. Not all places were fulfilled every year because the standard required was not reached in some years.

”I think Eton wanted the My life programme to show that it is possible for children from very modest backgrounds to attend Eton.”

That’s most certainly true, Really. I understand the BBC’s executive producer of the series spent seven years begging Eton’s Head Master Tony Little for permission to film at the school.

But no such luck for that hypocrite former Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott. He wanted to film at Eton in his 2008 TV programme, Prescott: The Class System And Me but was turned down by Eton. Quite rightly so, I might add.

John Prescott - now that's a name we havent heard recently. I do remember the programme I think. Didnt he film at Rugby School and made a complete idiot of himself by asking one lad what his father did and was answered - a milkman and I am on a full scholarship (or something like that!)

He also went around to a family on benefits who didnt work and didnt want to, they were raking in far too much on benefits. Claimed their kids under 10 wouldnt wear anything but designer stuff.

You would really think that John wouldnt be stupid enough to let the programme be shown. Thank god he is no longer active.

The two masters who are in charge of the sixth form scholarships DO visit state schools to promote that programme for older boys.

Eton boys and masters both have various collaborations with local schools, which might give schools in Slough an advantage, in terms of being 'talent spotted'.

Thank you Indrid. I do get annoyed with people who spot off nonsense saying they dont know anything about it so it cannot be true. And yes, the boy did go to a school in Slough that wasnt able to meet his needs.

I'll be honest. I dont know the finer details about the arrangment - why would I unless it was my DS they were talking about.

I do know that a boy in my DS's class at his prep shcool was moved from the state system into a prep that would prepare him for Eton.

Indrid is correct. There are arrangements with local schools in Slough, to spot boys that could benefit. I met his parents once, they were a bit rabbit in headlights as to what was happening but they had some funding to visit him at the prep school.

Do I know how he has done - no I dont. Would he have been better of staying where he was? I dont know. But what an opportunity to be given.

Spot off nonsense, you say? Quite frankly I’ve not heard of such ridiculous nonsense for a long while as far as state school boys going to Eton is concerned. Please do not pass on rumours and your imaginations on things you don’t know. You are doing a disservice to MNers and lurkers alike with your very misleading posts.

Masters, officials and even senior boys from Eton do visit state schools not only in Slough but also to places far beyond these shores. For example, my own DS was sent to Tanzania for six weeks. But that’s just to, amongst other things, promote their scholarship programmes and offer their services in any which way they can. This is in accordance with the School’s charitable status. Certainly not to ‘scan’ and handpick very bright boys, uproot them and send them to prep schools and providing they pass the King’s Scholarship exams after three years, welcome them to Eton, and if they don’t, return them to state schools again whose former seats in them would have been kept warm for them in readiness for such an eventuality. Sorry, this ridiculous situation simply does not exist.

Eton is very precise in everything they do. Every action is as transparent as it can be, well documented, audited and reported on in a timely manner by way of newsletters, annual reports etc. to the Provost and Fellows of the School, parents and all interested parties.

Whilst I do not doubt there was such a very bright state school boy at your son’s prep school (Caldicott?) I very much doubt he was handpicked by Eton just because his state school couldn’t cope with him. It is not Eton’s business or responsibility to solve every Tom, Dick and Harry’s problems. In fact, the last state schoolboy from Slough who was sent to prep school (Caldicott) for three years happened in 2002 when he won one of the Junior Scholarships. I know both his mum and dad. They are middle-class (mum’s a lawyer) and most certainly could afford the travelling expenses to and fro Farnham-Slough-Eton-Slough.