most academic prep school in Oxfordshire??

[whatatod0]

No actual need to know this, but I was discussing this with a colleague and we couldn't decide which school has the most academic reputation.
I thought maybe Ab Prep? He thought possibly Moulsford or St Hugh's.
I know there's a few Oxford people on here, so if you can be bothered, I'd be interested to know what you reckon.

I’d have thought Dragon or Summerfields. I think they’re the only ones with a track record of preparing for Winchester; Moulsford hasn’t sent anyone there for a number of years.

OOOh, I forgot about the Oxford ones. MCS too probably.
Not too sure about Dragon. I guessed they had a more mixed intake.
Am I right in thinking MCS and Abingdon academically select?

MCS - without a doubt. Selective, not just by genes/cash!
They get good results but they select for the type of boy and academic ability, and sieve them out at various points along the way.
OHS for girls, although I am less familiar with the more peripheral girls only schools in the county.

Summerfields- a bit selective but not massively , expensive++
Dragon ditto
new college more selective academically than summerfields or christchurch, or headington for girls but all these schools have a broad curriculum. Ab prep similar, also manor.

I would say there is a great choice of oxfordshire schools. I would only send a child of mine to mcs or ohs if they were very bright, robust self esteem and can handle pressure and expectations. For that type of child they are fab schools, but not for your bright to very bright anxious or unsure child or that needs a lot of nurturing. ( ie my ds1).

dairymilkmonster
yes to the profiles I think. Do Ab Prep sieve out as well now? Also forgot about NewCollege.

Just too many schools around here!!!
Where do you reckon St Hughes sits?

In my books, it's Summer Fields by a million miles! Send loads to Eton and other premier senior schools year on year including multiple King's Scholars. Forget about Dragon - it's a joke.

Different aspirations from the families in all these schools.
MCS junior is most selective, is a day school and primarily feeds into MCS. NCS less selective but again primarily a day school. Summer fields well almost all boys will be going to senior boarding schools, it can teach to highest academic level required for scholarships to Eton an Winchester and will attract a lot of overseas boarders who compete for these plus the occasional very bright bursary pupil.
Dragon, mixed day and boarding. Again excellent highest level academic teaching. A lot of the brightest are aiming for day schools so for example boys get loads of scholarships to MCS etc. Boarding contingent usually get at least 2 scholarships to Eton / Winchester per year for all the same reasons as Summer Fields, although usually most of the successful boys at the Dragon over the years have been from the UK.

Meant NCS primarily aiming for day schools ( and has good academic results for these).

definitely MCS

I reckon it is between MCS and Summerfield for boys and Manor vs OHS juniors for girls.

I agree with most of the comments - summer fields and mcs are catering for diff populations really. SO if you are after boarding (with traditional poshness) then summer fields whereas mcs is academic day boys, many from families who can just about afford it. I have a friend with two DS' as day boys at summer fields neither of whom got into mcs (their older brother did and is at mcs senior) who is very happy with both schools, although feels they are quite different.

Ds1 is at new college. It is very nuturing and individual. They stretch and teach to the highest academic scholarships (approx 2/3 get a scholarship or exhibition yearly) but also cater for the bright but not super bright boys, it is very rounded. BUt small.

I don't really know st Hughes but the reputation is less academic than some of the city schools ( but all of these schools are academic!) and mainly families with plenty of cash.

ab prep - I have no idea how much sieving out is done, certainly not as much as at mcs. My next door neighbour is a teacher at mcs (prep and senior) and says that boys often leave - not in great numbers- as it doesn't suit them ( I.e they can't keep up or are not able to cope with the pressure emotionally). About 2/3 going through to mcs senior from prep - we were discussing this the other day! said neighbour has three kids, ds1 at Christchurch, ds2 at mcs and her dd at HEadington.

My ds1 has dyspraxia and is very Anxious and unsure of himself. He is bright but his incredibly poor writing skills means he would never get into a competitive school.

But your thread heading has only six words, OP, "most academic prep school in Oxfordshire", and that's how I replied. Nothing mentioned about e.g. co-ed or single sex, day or boarding, good or not so good pastoral care, catering for the posh or not so wealthy, etc.

peteneras yes, we were discussing purely on academic reputation.
I had rather stupidly forgotten about the city schools of MCS, Summerfields and OHS.

St Hughs is unselective so shouldn't even be on the list really. They take in order unless they bump into SEN they can't handle.

*nonselective...I need more sleep

MCS and OHS.
Manor used to be up there but has become less academic, whereas AP has got a bit more academic but still nowhere near the city schools. I don't know Moulsford. St Hugh's - erm... no. The Dragon is so big that it has a massive range.

We looked around Summer Fields very recebtly and I was disappointed. The top sets were working at a high level but even in the middle sets the work in boys books was quite meh. I don't really understand what market they're going for with their new pre-prep - they were boasting how academically selective they'll be for it, yet it's v hard to select academically with such little ones, plus they'll lose the brightest day boys to MCS at 7.

From leavers' destinations Summer Fields is not particulary academic at all. The academic level to get into Eton is less than MCS and even so just about a third of SF boys get into Eton or Winchester. None go to MCS so not directly comparable with MCS junior, NCS and the Dragon. I think that the academic material covered by the top scholarships sets at SF's and Dragon is certainly at a higher level than what is taught at MCS Junior but of course it all evens out at MCS senior school versus Eton and Winchester.

Didn't Eton score higher in the league table last year than MCS? I wouldn't say getting into Eton is exactly easy and would place Summer field as the most academic boys prep. Those opting for a mostly boarding prep won't be aiming at MCS in the main as it's a day school.

I'd place Moulsford below Ab Prep but above St Hugh's. Moulsford sends about half the boys to Abingdon for senior school and the odd one to MCS/Eton.

SF is changing though - adding a pre-prep to attract local day boys, who they hope to keep through to 13. (And have lowered their day fees to be the same as MCS.) They're talking a good fight about being highly academically selective but as I say, I didn't see it from the boys' books, and I don't see why many local parents of highly able boys would choose to send them there over MCS, from where pretty much all the JS get into the SS these days. The scholars stream were working at a high level, but they're up to 13 so couldn't compare directly with MCS JS which finishes at 11.

We are a way off from considering senior schools yet but we are moving to Oxford. We will be looking at prep schools with a view to boarding for senior school. Could those in the know tell me ,when you enroll your child at a school such as Summer Field / Dragon or any of the traditional preps school, are you sold on the idea that they will get your son into Eton/Winchester? Then expectations are managed down as you go along .Looking at the leavers destinations at all of the boys prep schools the vast majority seem to go on to schools with could hardly be described as selective.

Also with regard to scholarship groups (presumably these are the boys going on Winchester and Eton) , how are these boys chosen ? Is it all down to CAT scores and IQ tests . How much of this will you find out after your son has joined at 8 ,having already committed to the school ?

I would also love to know the answer to this. Are expectations managed down after you enter the prep school ? Is it all based on IQ scores etc.? It seems a huge gamble to take to enter the boarding system at 8.

Didn't Eton score higher in the league table last year than MCS? I wouldn't say getting into Eton is exactly easy

Not sure about league tables, MCS consistently over the years has been higher than Eton if you are just looking at A*\A.

Also only a third of boys are getting into Eton / Winchester from SFs compared to selective MCS Junior from which most are admitted to MCS for year 7.

Getting into Eton is more than just academic score on pretest but this thread was asking about the most academic prep.

The principle of a very good prep up to year 8 is that it offers advice about thre best senior school options.
The scholars sets not infrequently include some DCs who only really come into their own in year 7 but which school they are aiming for will be decided by pretests Year 6 onwards. The prep will direct for appropriate schools to try.

@thisthatandtheother Summer Fields has opened a pre-prep as the trend is for less and less families to board at prep. Personally, there's no chance I'd board an 8 year old.

The choice of senior school is so much more than CAT scores etc. A good prep will make recommendations based on knowing a boy in a wholistic way. Some very bright ones won't flourish if the pace is too face or forced to to do too much sport. Some might do better as a big fish in a little pond and need to be in the top sets. Others will rise to whatever level is there and are best stretched in a high paced environment. It's about finding a school where that boy will succeed and it's so much more than the name of the senior school. I don't think any of the preps "sell" based solely on their transfer list. You want a prep that regularly sends boys to the senior schools you're interested in but you need to really listen to the recommendations and watch who the boy develops into.

@Mandrakelake , I understand that the headmaster will make recommendations regarding senior schools but the vast majority of boys who apply to Eton/Winchester won't get in. In that case expectations will have to be managed down. Surely parents will then end up in a school which they would never have chosen in the first place. They will have then missed on the state entry at year and will possibly have to carry on down the private / boarding path. Even if they do get a conditional place , what happens if they fail the entrance test ?

@thisthatandtheother If you feel you'd only be happy with a very small group of private super selective senior schools such as Eton etc and you view a state school as an alternative the whole prep route may not be the right one for you. You're right that by year 9 you will have missed out on most state places.

The school will get your boy into a school that's appropriate for him. Boys change a lot between 8 and 13. No one can tell you at age 8 that a boy will get into Eton or even that Eton is the right place for him even if he could get in. Most will sit a pretest and then do CE but by the time CE comes along it's pretty much done and dusted for most. It's confirmatory more than anything. Moulsford for instance has yet to have a boy fail CE.

That huge jump from not getting in to Eton or Winchester, to then missing a place at a state school is bemusing and hilarious is equal parts.
Surely a parent who is aiming for "Eton or Winchester" and their son is not suitable would want to then choose Radley or Stowe or Marlborough or any one of the other highly selective and expensive boarding schools?