Experience / advice re Winchester

[MrPickles73]

We have DS2 who is in Year 5; bright, competitive but quite lazy, excellent communication skills, sporty and out going. We have asked for senior schools guidance and our HT has said 'any school would be pleased to have him'. For both our children they suggested Rugby, Oundle, Uppingham. We have closer public schools but they are a bit less academic and still very expensive.

We had planned for DS2 to follow DS1 (year 8 currently) to the local day school. He is a bit brighter than DS1 (but lazier and needs competition to push him on), more sporty and finds friends more easily. He flexi boards but is quite a home bird.

He has a friend in the year above who is lining up to go to Winchester and suddenly taking an interest in Winchester. So the question is - is it worth to look at Winchester? Its an eye watering £45k per year. What added value do you get over a £15k a year middle of the road co-ed day school? (I'm hoping £30k worth but wondering what this £30k is..). Would Winchester be a good option for him or too pushy? What is the sport like at Winchester? How often can they come home?

The other alternative is state boarding at a grammar school which is £15k per year and he could weekly board.
Our local comp is going through a torrid time - dire maths, english and science teacher off sick for two years, no boys PE fixtures so not an option. Several families we know have left this year and moved to private schools so this is not an option for us. No outstanding state schools less than 1 hour drive away..

And if anyone has any experience of whether boys (bright but lazy) are likely to do better at day school (where parents can chivvy them along and have oversight) or boarding school (where everyone will be engaged in prep at the same time and the parents leave it to the school)? Thankyou

My son is in his second year at Winchester, and enjoying it very much. He is bright but lazy too, and I’ve been quite pleased with how strict they are about prep (2 hours closely supervised every evening, with no screens and punishments for being found using them), and weekly checks with tutor to make sure they’re up-to-date. There’s no access to screens during the day, nor in the dorms, which is good for him. There are routine punishments handed out to anyone for late handing-in of work, but not severe ones (just getting up earlier than usual to report to porters’ lodge), and the subject tutors keep an eye on each child’s marks, and report back to the parent quickly if they’re slipping. But on the other hand, the teachers are very understanding if he’s genuinely struggling with a subject, and give a lot of their time in the holidays to give extra tuition to help him catch up. He genuinely finds the teachers inspiring, even in the subjects he doesn’t like, and when he got himself in a right old mess and was massively behind last term, his tutor arranged an amnesty for him, so he didn’t lose heart, which helped him to catch up, and seems (fingers crossed) to have taught him a lesson. This is what he needs, because he’s not very good at organising himself, and a bit too easily tempted. But it might not be for everyone. And it’s not sporty - no compulsory team sports, and plenty of gentle outdoor activities you can do instead (fishing, croquet, walking 😁) - but neither is he, so that suits him. Although there are lots of opportunities to do competitive sport if they want to. I hope that helps.

I should add that I suspect the added expense probably comes in the shape of the teachers’ salaries, as they all seem to be educated to doctorate level, and quite often go off-curriculum to explore subjects they’re excited about, which is inspiring for those that like to learn. But the food’s quite good too (compared to his old school anyway), so maybe all the extra money goes on that, I don’t know 😄.

Thanks Juliedo that's really helpful :-)

Our experience is very @MrPickles73 .
We have decided to leave after GCSES, I really don't recognise the school from @Juliedo description.

Posted too soon .
Our experiencei is quite the opposite @MrPickles73 .

NannyMcPheesslippers can you elaborate?

I was a little surprised to read the previous post
Our experience has been very poor, I would say the complete opposite to the previous mum. I thought that DS was just not seen as important in the school and was being overlooked. Reading the previous mum's post was very surprising to be honest. We have never been contacted by the school , it's as if the other mum's DS is attending a completely different school. I found it quite upsetting as I had come to terms with what I thought was their lack of interest in his progress.

As I said we have decided to leave after DS sits his GCSES this year. I wish we had received the support the other mum describes. It's been a very expensive mistake.

You are paying for the staff, the exclusivity/selectivity and the prestige/reputation. Most parents either choose it because they can afford any kind of boarding school and think this is a better fit for their son than Charterhouse or Radley or Eton or wherever, or because they feel that its prestige is so high, or its offering so unique, that they are willing to fork out when they wouldn't pay for a different but similarly expensive boarding school.

The chances are very high that any boy will get about the same grades at Winchester that he would have got elsewhere, and similarly for a university place. It doesn't result in academic outcomes that are better than other choices for the same child. You need to find it good value for money for itself.

I’m really sorry if I upset you with my reply, which was probably a bit glib. Winchester has been great for us, but I didn’t mean to present it as perfect, or worth more money than others. It’s just that, compared to DS‘s previous school, which was awful, and where I had to do everything for him, or watch him fail, I feel that DS is finally getting the kind of pastoral and academic support that you’d expect from any decent school, so that I can relax, and let them do their job. If you’d like to PM me about your experience and ask any questions, please feel free to. It is good to hear other peoples’ experiences, and be aware of what problems there might be.

Also, it seems from the Times article this morning that I was wrong in assuming that the extra money in Winchester fees goes on teachers’ salaries, as they are striking over pay!

Your post did make me wonder why DS is receiving no support whatsoever. We have never been contacted by the school , we have tried but nothing is ever done. DS's cousins are receiving far more both academically and pastorally in state schools where teachers are really over stretched. I did think it was down to the fact our housemaster was disinterested but your DS seems to be receiving support across the board. I have never heard of that and neither has DS.

DS is looking forward to a new school for 6th form, the housemaster was very keen to tell us how much DS will enjoy 6th form at Winchester despite doing nothing for him up to now.

As you said it's what you would expect from any decent school.

I've just read the article in the Times, I didn't think the teachers were payed well, I know the support staff are not. Nothing at Winchester is what we should have expected.

We are growing very tried of hearing Rishi Sunack mentioned every time the school is in the papers.Perhaps if that's their idea of head boy material we should be pleased they have so little interest in DS.

My DS was at WinColl and never received support. He did well at GCSEs and then did nothing for a year. No one contacted me to let me know. It came to light that DS was massively behind in autumn of Year 13, and I was the one who had to arrange tutoring and monitor him (went down every Sunday and videochatted about his work nearly every evening) to get him through his exams. Don't even get me started on the complete lack of support for uni applications. Having said that, I believe that the school is attempting to make changes and increased support could be one of those changes.
When DS got to uni he was gobsmacked at how nice his fellow students were compared to the point-scoring ones he was accustomed to.

Shamelessly subscribing, interesting discussion

@JoeMummy your experience doesn't surprise me at all although I still find it hard to believe how little my son has received from the school. Our housemaster is dreadful. June can't come quickly enough for us all , we like you are now relying on outside tutors and trying to monitor things as best as we can from home.

Many boys particularly those from overseas have tutors all through but we were foolish enough to think that the fees at Winchester would mean DS received an excellent education. Boys in my son's house have already said their tutors will start to work on preparing them for A level and US university applications from June.

How good of them to be making changes, although nothing will change in the end. The pastoral care is beyond dreadful, I have been so worried about my son at times but now he can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

I am pleased that your DS is enjoying university and is finding the world outside Winchester College a more pleasant place , my DS described the atmosphere as bitter. They really are an unpleasant bunch and not representative of young people today. Best of luck to your DS at university, it must be a relief that it's over for you. You must be very proud of your DS .

I'm just astonished that parents on this thread pay £45k a year to send their children to Winchester and feel the need for extra tutoring just to get them through A levels 😮.

@Namechangedatheist when the support they receive is so poor what choice are you left with? You wouldn't go in knowing this of course as I said in a earlier post DS"s cousins are receiving far superior teaching and pastoral care in a state school. They also have the advantage of being surrounded by much more pleasant people. DS will be leaving after GCSES and can't wait.

These posts have put me off Winchester!

But I am torn between whether an ok day school or a 'better' boarding school is the way to go. My gut feel is being supervised at home will always be betting than a boarding school as we have more vested interest in the outcome?

What are people's thoughts?

Also, it seems from the Times article this morning that I was wrong in assuming that the extra money in Winchester fees goes on teachers’ salaries, as they are striking over pay!

@Juliedo the strike is not just about pay; it's also about the proposed withdrawal from the TPS which will have a huge impact on pension value. Many indies are trying to withdraw, but are discovering the previously compliant staff regard this as a step too far and take union action. It happened last year at GDST schools, and at Pocklington, near York. Threatening your staff with fire and rehire on inferior terms will tend to do that.

As a teacher in an impoverished indie which is still - somehow - in the TPS, I'm appalled that somewhere like Winchester would be so short-sighted as to try to withdraw.

My perception is that Winchester has not been managed very well in recent years. The phrase shambling amateurism comes to
mind. New head in September though so let’s hope it’s a new broom.

I only have family experience of Eton, but I assume Winchester is very similar. So my basic experience is: it soo depends on the house/housemaster. 2 different boys at the same time can have very different experiences if they are in different houses, or at College vs. a house. It's similar with all boarding schools, but it's less of an issue with weekly boarding. At Winchester, despite some exeats, you are pretty committed to the whole thing and it can be miserable if you and your housemaster/house ethos are not a natural match. I don't know how much you can choose your house nowadays. Parents used to be able to choose the house/the master, but I think you mainly get placed now by the school.

Unless it’s changed in the last couple of years the system is very different from Eton’s, @NellyBarney which might explain why two such highly selective schools seem to gather quite different student bodies. The admissions process is House-based and the first stage is agreeing with a Housemaster to put your DS his list. The Housemasters then select their share of that year’s intake- it’s not centralised as at Eton. The final entrance exam is school-wide (except College) but really just ratifies earlier Housemaster decisions. So much emphasis is placed on the House- it’s like a junior version of a collegiate university. So it’s all the more infuriating when the school unilaterally changes the make up and nature of your House, or the Housemaster you chose when DS was 9 or 10 leaves when he is 12 and you are left to make the best of it…. but that’s high-handed Wincoll for you.

I am reading these comments with concern, because they are so different from our experience, and it’s good to know what can go wrong. I think, as suggested above, that the individual housemaster must make a big difference to the atmosphere/level of care, and in that we’ve been lucky. The housemaster chooses the boy, and after that, so long as he passes the exam, he’s in. In my son’s case, the housemaster chose him because he has some mild SEN, and the housemaster felt that he would do well in his house, because the house tutor is also the school Senco and the the deputy housemaster is the school’s safeguarding officer. So the pastoral care has been fantastic for us, and the housemaster is kind, caring and invested in the boys. But I hear and understand that other people have had a very different experience. Interestingly, when I talked to my son about the experiences people have written about here, he confirmed that, from what he hears from other boys, some housemasters, and houses, are very different to ours, and that he wouldn’t want to be in some of them.

I wish they had sorting hats in real life 😀I didn't want to suggest they get it wrong all the time, like pp ds, many are happy in their houses. I just wanted to remind people that it is not as straightforward as: Is Winchester (or Eton, Radley, Hogwarts...etc) the right school for my ds, it's often more 'is xhouse' the right home for ds and do I want Mr X to be his quasi parent for the next 5 years. The more information a school will give you about the boarding houses, the more they involve you in the matching process and the more comfortable your ds feels with the final arrangement, the better. I think, from experience, that's more important than league tables, numbers to Oxbridge or facilities when it comes to choosing a boarding school.

So how is the experience different between a commoner house vs. College at Winchester, or even Eton if similar set up?

To me it appears that the scholars in College sit a more difficult entry test and thereby gain academic kudos, so academic expectations are higher throughout, which I expect means more pressure less slack. The year groups in College also seem to be more integrated, more sense of belonging due to the shared study halls across all years.

The facilities in College also seem decidedly more spartan in comparison… but are these differences really that substantial?