Slow processing - Winchester or Eton?

[lostinSW6]

On the websites both schools seem to offer great support for different learning styles. We do not have a formal diagnosis from an EdPsych, but one from school following basic diagnostic tests. I am wondering what level of support/understanding DS would actually be offered at either school. Does anyone have any experience? Thank you

What year is your son? Has he jumped the ISEB hurdle yet? Depending on his personality, also consider Harrow maybe...and Sherbourne

Thank you. Harrow wasn't right, Sherborne lovely but too far away. He has offers for both for 2023 and we're trying to decide but finding it hard. This is a part of the decision that's important to me - he is more interested in where he can do the most exciting activities. I could ask the schools, but at the moment it's more of an inconvenience (takes him longer to read/write) than anything as we don't have an EdPsych report and I am not sure we need one, just a bit of understanding and patience. The online descriptions of their Learning Support departments all sounds very strong. I was wondering if anyone had first-hand experience of them. Thank you.

Disconcerting experience with Eton Safeguarding team few years back. Complacency rather than malicious I thought, so harder to change . Wouldn’t be my choice mainly cos of this .

It is really about what he finds interesting. Winchester is where you can really be yourself and choose what you want to achieve, so if you are not into sport you can do other activities that you want. Music is big here. Societies are varied and run by students. Sport is getting more popular and being in the first eleven football team is now cool. Boys are gentle. They just want to excel at what they enjoy.

Eton is far more competitive in every single things even the things you are not enjoying. I would say it is a lot tougher than Winchester and it is a much bigger school.

In addition to learning difficulty. Many kids who has learning difficulty actually find it ok at Winchester because no one really bully them since the kids here are not the macho bullying type. The learning support is great also.

Eton parent here,what does your son consider "exciting activities"?

Winchester is a place that you can choose your own path but one thing in common is your DS has to enjoy the intellectual environment and discussion. Students here get to study something that is not in key stage curriculum and very diverse. Recently the first year students are studying Meiji Restoration, Death of Socrates and Henry V.

Thank you all. @nolanscrack exciting activities would be energetic and active. The more of them and the more high octane/faster the better. He doesn't sit still - plays any sport under the sun and if there's one he hasn't tried he can't wait. Loves the outdoors and exploring. Not musical/arty/thespy. However, not super macho either and I think would be equally comfortable in either school. Very friendly and well-liked (to date) so I don't think he'd get bullied for AEN issues. It is more about him getting the support he needs to reach his potential. In a tough environment it might be that there is little tolerance in reality for taking a bit longer in wordy subjects, despite what the website says..?

@Beyondthesea123 your description of Winchester sounds so lovely. I hope your DS is having the time of his life.

Winchester would not be my first choice for a sporty child,yes they give out a couple of sports scholarship(unlike Eton) but the general standard is not great in team sports-better in niche sports-but sport is not a priority,
I know plenty of wykehamists that shun sport and indeed shun most activities beyond intellectual pursuits,that cant happen at Eton.Eton want something beyond straight academic ability,thats taken as read,they want to know that youll bring something to the party ,whether thats music or drama or sport etc,they want boys that will make the most of what the school has to offer,they arent interested in boys who dont offer something beyond academic ability.I think that for too long Winchester has relied on this talk of div,intellectual enviroment etc to attract parents and let other things slip,many of the facilities really are not on a par with other leading schools and really need to be updated.
Eton is indeed competitive(not sure why anyone would think that was a minus point..) but ive certainly never seen or heard(ive had three boys go through..) any intolerance for boys that are slightly slower, at something,indeed Im aware of boys that have needed help and the parents have been very happy with that support.,Im sure the support at Win is excellent as well but I dont have first hand knowledge
One thing I would say is maybe consider what the changes to Winchester and going to do to it,,girls and day pupils will change the school and Im aware of prospective parents that are no longer proceeding with a place as the school isnt going to be the one they signed up to..Why are these changes being made?

What was the school test?

• Teacher assessment?
• On-line?
• Something else?

Teacher and/or online are not diagnostic tests. They give a probability at best. They are not recommended by the British Dyslexia Assoc. You need to get DS properly tested.

Having a full diagnostic screen gives DS the certainty of what his strengths / weaknesses are. Also, if given a diagnosis of say dyslexia, then DS has the protection of the Equality Act ‘10 and the Gov’t SEND Code of Practice.

• This means, school have to put in place an IEP (Individual Education Plan) based on the clinicians recommendations.
• School cannot ignore the diagnosis.
• School cannot re assess.

Have a meeting before DS starts. Have the IEP in place before start of term.
Otherwise you’re in a nebulous place of DS needing support but with no diagnosis or full screening report to back you up.

My DS is at one of these schools and has ASD & dyslexia.

There are a lot of changes at Winchester. For most part I think it is for the better. The school is wealthy and now they start to put more emphasis on improving facilities; new sport hall is about to be completed, they are setting up an entrepreneurship centre in which will focus on innovation as well as teaching kids 21st century skills ( having hackathon, teaching how to pitch, helping students to do start up and spinning off businesses) , extend another building for design and technology and improving the boarding houses. English literature is now compulsory for GCSE (before that there was no English literature) history and computer science GCSE is now optional ( it was not a GCSE choices). The results is much better in 2021 than previous years both for GCSE and Pre U ( will be just A level for 2022 onward). More students are now heading to US not just Oxbridge and Russell Group universities (since there is bias against all the public schools from Oxbridge for equal opportunity purposes).

Sport is much better at Winchester. Something nobody has realized is nowadays First eleven football team is sometimes draw against Eton first eleven (this year however Winchester lost 1-0).Cricket first eleven also sometimes beat Eton and the like of Radley, Marlborough, Abingdon and Bradfield.

Many parents are not please when the school decide to have Co-Ed in sixth form and having a day students, however the world has changed and it will be interesting how they will handle this. It is turning into more of Westminster type of school while still maintain some ritual and tradition of Winchester College.

Beyondthesea-So the real question is why did Winchester leave it so long to make these improvements to facilities, my understanding is that its because so many prospective parents were looking at the very poor facilities and deciding to go to schools that have excellent academics and excellent facilities,,Winchester is now playing catch up..Lets remember with regard to 2021 academic results that they were CAGS,all those results from all schools need to be put into context,but i find it amazing you feel the need to say"the results is much better" if Win is being beaten in Academic results -as it is-by schools it would regard as less academic..what exactly is going on.?.Those without a knowledge of the school will find it incredible that the boys have only just started to sit what are regarded as core GCSEs..
Regarding sport-the results show a lack of depth in every major sport,worth remembering when you say that sometimes the XI "Draw" against Eton that football isnt the main winter sport at Eton,thats Rugby and many other excellent sportsmen will be wet bobs..
I note you state" cricket first eleven also sometimes beat Eton",last season you played Eton in 12 matches across the age groups,you lost eleven of them and got one draw,another five fixtures had to be cancelled because you couldnt raise a team..if thats with as you say "sport is much better at Winchester" then its clear there is still some way to go.
Winchester for the right boy is a fantastic school but lets not pretend its something it isnt.

Well Nolanscrack I just wonder why you always have to be not so nice toward other schools or parents from other schools. I know that you are so proud of your DS school but it would be much better to stop comparing and try to beat outother.Each school has it owns greatness and being like this only shows that some parents can be overly proud or competitive about meaningless thing. Please learn to be kind toward other. I think your son has graduate long time ago right? It is better to help out people here to see good side and bad side of the school that you know well which is your son school without attacking other. I am glad that my friends has a lot of friends at Eton and they were all nice so if I only know you through here I will think badly of Eton’s parent. Please respect other with manners.

Winchester is always have a good academic results and always improving 92.2% A* and A in Pre U is much improve against the year before It is about competing against oneself not other. I am not even comparing with other schools.
The school was always care more about intellectual stuff that has nothing to do with academic results and now they are just given more opportunities toward students. They thought History and English literature was already included in DIV in which I also did not like it that way but now they change which is a good thing, why do you have to attack the past. It did fine at the time. And now when they improves things or being so radical about co-ed and day pupils, you also attack them. Whether they are staying the same or changing you always have to find ways to attack Winchester in every post.

Sport is not always the thing for Winchester but getting better is also a good thing. Winchester is not as big as Eton ( nearly half a size) and boys who came here is not as sporty but each year they improve and do better which is good for them. Getting beaten is like life, you have to learn how to lose before you can win, improving yourself and doing the best you can. My son was very good at sport ( before covid), competed and won some in international tournament. Being in non sporty school is where he learns how to help out his friends, not blaming other, learning how to lose and having courage to keep going. Sport is much better at Winchester meant they are getting better at it, not comparing it that it is better than Eton but before Winchester boys do not even like to play sport but now they do. The fact that Winchester first eleven could sometimes draw or win against Eton is the fact that they are much better than before.

The different between me and you is mind set. When I say something I am comparing Winchester now vs Winchester before but you always thought of comparing other school vs Eton. Life as I said it is about improving yourself, learning your own path not trying to out beat other and comparing yourself with other all the time. How could someone find a happiness if you always try to compare themselves with others. Be kind to others please. I hope you learn something today to make yourself a much happy person.

92.2% I mean D1D2 D3 not including M1

@Beyondthesea123

The different between me and you is mind set. When I say something I am comparing Winchester now vs Winchester before but you always thought of comparing other school vs Eton. Life as I said it is about improving yourself, learning your own path not trying to out beat other and comparing yourself with other all the time. How could someone find a happiness if you always try to compare themselves with others. Be kind to others please. I hope you learn something today to make yourself a much happy person.

Lol..you make silly claims about Winchester and when its pointed out that they are false you post this pompous sanctimonious stuff, Perhaps youve confused me with another poster,I certainly still have a ds at school.. I have said several times that for the right child Winchester is an excellent choice but you sound desperate to pretend the school is something it isnt,now I understand that Winchester has to try to attract new pupils as more and more UK based prospective pupil were not applying-Foreign boarders I believe around 25% compared to I think around 10% at Eton and other major boarding schools and that the appeal of the school was on the slide to uk based parents,hence its new day pupils /girls/facility improvements,those are being made through necessity not choice..likewise its decision to actually do English lit GCSE and to offer History GCSE etc I wish it well but it has decided to destroy its USP ,if you want co ed there are plenty of other schools that will be truly co ed,will have similar exam results and far better facilities,if you want an academic boys only school ,then its no longer an option,it could well end up satisfying no one.

I am not pointed out a silly claims. I never said Winchester is great at sport. I am saying it is a lot better than before and it did beat some sporty school such as Eton sometimes which mean it is much better than it was. I think you misinterpret me and getting mental because you always comparing and think about Eton. While I am pointing out Winchester Now Vs
It’s old self. It is much better at sport now than ever but it does not mean it is sporty school in which I pointed out in many posted above.

People like you with no kindness is may be has some sort of inferiority complex. Just wonder what your value is. I hope your DS is kinder and nicer than you are.

Winchester has 25% international student for quite awhile now. It is not something new. I although agreed that it will lose some of its character and being the oldest boys only school trademark. They have no choice but do it well enough. Only time will tell. My boy is currently happy and I think it suits his character.

@nolanscrack and @Beyondthesea123 you have both been helpful to me, thank you. My intention wasn’t to ruffle feathers. I am happy that your sons are happy where they are - that’s basically what I am trying to work out for my DS as best I can.Both are undoubtedly excellent schools and they are lucky boys.

@AuntyFungal I appreciate your wisdom here and will think about next steps.

lostinSW6 You are welcome. I am glad that my information is helpful. Both schools are excellent and suited different type of boys. Sorry that me and Nolanscrack exchanged some argument in your post. I wish your son a great search for the right school where he feels happy and challenging.

@Beyondthesea123 please, nothing to apologise for, good to see some passion! I still don’t know which to choose, he has a bit of both in him!

Ad hominem is never a good look.

Nolanscrack

I just feel that you are a housewife who has nothing to do apart from trying to be mean to other people on random blog so you can feel better about yourself. I also have a dyslexia and for you to judge other people on the way they type thing rather than their content....showing that you are mean and lack of etiquette.

Nolanscrack you are the one that is attacking the way other explaining not at the thing they are saying.

Your argument was written with acrimony.