Another question about Eton College

[ElectraOnAzaleaPath]

I did not want to hijack someone else's thread....

We are considering Eton for our son (who is only 3 and mostly interested in mud and tractors). My husband and his brothers were all very happy there and the necessary money has kindly been put aside.

DD is at a Montessori Primary school and is very happy there and we would like DS to go there too. It seems so much more right for our family than a 'posh' prep school with playing fields, boaters and a harpsichord. We my move to the States for a couple of years, where they will also go to Montessori school. Are we deluded in thinking that this will be a sufficient preparation for Eton nowadays? Do we need to look at something more 'traditional'? DH insists that there were people at his school who had been to 'normal' schools and that the independence and curiosity that a progressive, Montessori school fosters would be a good preparation.

Any thoughts on what Eton life is like for children from 'normal' families would be appreciated. We are a pretty introverted family with a few close friends, quite affluent and professionally successful but not interested in being part of the county set, skiiing holidays, parties or other things I associate with public school life (I'm a GDST school girl :) . Although I'm pleased that DS has this opportunity, I don't want to start along the road if he will feel like a fish out of water.

With the possibility of relocation, I would go with the Montessori.

We had a similar situation (not Eton) but Montessori was a perfect preparation, and others who relocated and later on came into the Dds school found that Montessori was perfect for them also.

A more traditional prep might not be that transferable. Plenty of time for hunting shooting fishing pasttimes later on.

I suggest you bung him on the list now, and then see what sort of boy he is when he is 10/11 (pretest time, assuming Eton continues with similar admissions arrangements).

And provide, as far as you can, the sort of education you think best or him leaving as many future options in play as you can.

If heading for any public, predominantly boarding, boys school, then if back in UK you'll (probably) need a prep at some point - certainly from 11+ (to cover the CE years) but more likely from a year or two before that as steering through the pretest/interviews which begin 10+ (ie year 6) can be extremely helpful.

Thanks, that is my gut feeling. Went to visit the local prep school where boys go onto Eton and felt a bit overwhelmed and concerned about how he would cope in a Californian primary school a few years down the road.

Of course, my son won't have time for hunting, shooting and fishing as he'll be far too busy establishing the new Google, Amazon or Wikipedia - all founded by Montessori 'gradutes' :)

There's a list? I thought that whole putting their name down at birth things had been stopped. Oh dear, I feel behind the game already !!

You are of course right that we need to think of some options for years 7 and 8 and realistically will have to go for a prep school. I had no idea about pretests and interviews at year 6. Hopefully by that age he will be able to talk about something other than tractors and mud!

Yes, there is a list. No you don't need to put them down at birth. You can put them down at any time between birth and the month they turn 10y6mths. All those on the list, whether they've been on it for 10+ years or 10 days will be assessed for entry.

You have to pay the registration fee that is in force at the time you register. As these only go up, you may as well do it now if you think it's likely you'll stay interested in the school. It also means that you don't have to think about it again until pretest time.

Thanks to Meditina's helpful suggestions I have actually now bothered to read the admissions booklet. All much clearer. It has also unearthed the rather wonderful prospect of my August-born son being able to enter a year later (so starting year 9 in his 'real' year 10) which would be a nice possibility.

Oh dear.. I feel horribly inclined to the "ha ha (ad infinitum)" response that I've found so despicable here sometimes.

Where on earth are you getting your ideas of the place? I'm pleased you've read the admissions stuff - but I still don't understand. Why this anxiety? (Almost) every single person I've known to attend the school - both in my own generation and the current one - has been perfectly "normal". A few trust funded - a few not. Their "infant" level schooling has been all over the place; there certainly hasn't been a defined pathway from 3.

Perhaps I'm just not associating with the people you do?

We did look (quite late) for a good prep school with a view to the same senior school - and we actively avoided any "name down at birth" places. (Though we were also avoiding London.) So much cooler to wait and see what kind of child you have... There is absolutely no advantage in registering until your child is about 9 and a half at the earliest. 10.3 is good. Honestly, honestly he's not getting in unless he passes the pre-test and impresses at interview (having previously impressed his HM.)

Hunting, shooting and fishing are not the obvious requirements.

I don't think I've put this well. My impression (completely current) is that the school quite likes having lots of different types of boy there.

Relax.

Thanks zero, I probably do need to relax about the whole thing. But being a working class girl who did well in school and then inadvertently married into a very different social environment does bring its own opportunities for neurosis. I can't imagine I'd be the only one to feel anxious about our family going from builder to Eton in 3 generations.

DH had school friends from lots of different backgrounds when he was there (although not especially 'normal' in the way I would conceive of it; a diverse lot but all pretty privileged). But there is so much talk of these sorts of places being super competitive now that it can seem that unless it becomes a child's only goal in life, it's a no-hoper.

We are coming under a little pressure from family about the school choice we have made and they have questioned whether it will be of detriment to the children when considering future options. However, it is certainly the right choice for them at the moment, which is what matters.

Concentrate on doing what's best for your DC now. By the time he's 7/8 you'll have a better idea of what sort of senior school should bring out the best in him. (It might not be the one you're presently thinking of!)

Then you make sure he's getting the best preparation - in or out of any school.

(And - from what I've seen - being the son of the father is simply not a golden ticket these days...)

Go to YouTube and search for 'The Most Famous School in the World', two programmes in the My Life series which were shown recently on CBBC (cant link I'm afraid, as I'm on my iPad).

Although the three boys in the programme won the New Foundation Scholarship, they are still representative of very many of the boys who now go to Eton, and the sort of backgrounds they come from. I think that about 25% of boys at the school are receiving bursaries, mostly from 'normal' families, and in 10 years times there will be even more of them!

When financial aid percentages are quoted by schools that includes any award with fee remittance such as music and academic. Eton from its endowment can be generous with bursaries but the percentage oft quoted in the press etc is 20%