Winchester College Entry 2025 - results

[SW1Pmum]

Anyone knows when do we expect results to be sent out?
My son had an interview in mid January and I’m excited to hear from them.
Don’t want to chase the school 😉 so I was wondering for any advice here
Thank you

It is likely driven by academic (not business) considerations, and WinColl will likely
do it as long as they can afford it as it could discourage the less academically curious.

I think it is used not only for setting, but also to bring boys up to speed so they all enter with a similar or at least comparable body of knowledge.

Dons also get a valuable insight into gaps of knowledge to be addressed in the autumn term of JP, so makes the entry and integration smoother.

Agree that it is more of a verification, as not that many kids fail entrance. Maybe a few every year, but it is largely used for other things.

Just so that you know … the offer letter emailed today did mention to only accept the place of serious and no later than 3rd July so I’m sure you will get some positive news after that x

Congratulations to everyone with a place.

Is anyone else waiting on bursary outcome?

I think they are sending them now. Though shockingly, we were just sent another family's letter / outcome (including their personal contact details!) They have just recalled the email.

@Underthelavender I would be very surprised if after starting in year 7 at QEB you move to Winchester in year 9. QEB is a fantastic school, we have family members there , it's outstanding in every way. Congratulations to your DS !

For context I have a DS at Winchester and we wouldn't do it again.DS is about to leave ,we did contemplate leaving after GCSES but we were talked into staying ,unfortunately nothing changed.He will be happy to leave Winchester behind this summer and so will we.

@Bestbeforenine thank you DS is super excited to start in September..We were originally thinking of boarding in year 9 and I wasn’t sure if he would get into Queen Elizabeth as it’s so competitive. We are also waiting on Eton results but are happy which ever way that goes. I am sorry to hear that your DS has not had a happy time at Winchester, I hope the next stage is much better. Wishing him lots of luck in his A levels.

@RaspberryCake that is awful, how on earth could they make such a mistake.

Thank you @Underthelavender .

Dose the school evaluate the student's families when it made the decision?

@yukkim although i might be talking out of my arse I don't believe WinColl or any other secondary school evaluate student's families. That is not to say that during the HM tour (which I believe is important) a parent can make a good impression by engaging with the HM etc. If your query relates to family wealth I believe it makes diddly squat of difference these days.

Some parents told me that the school will choose students from certain class/families.

The parents who told you this were spot on @yukkim. They are also fond of very generous parents £££ , who just happen to have a genius son.😄 You will be sent the names and donations amount annually, although some remain anonymous. Even after your son leaves for university this will continue to arrive along with an envelope for the £££'s.

For bursary the family’s finances is the only thing they evaluate. For shortlisting, your DC’s aptitude will dominate in the assessment overwhelmingly,

yet I am sure they glance at your profile too but I also think at Wincoll you find a higher percentage of parents from academic and diplomatic backgrounds (vs nouveau riche) than most other schools. Wincoll has a soul that way.

My impression was that as long as you can pay the fees and your DS is bright, you are fine as the school takes the long view e.g donations are of course coveted abd welcome, but not the main driver of selection in any way or form like at some other less academically focused schools

Who uses the term nouveau riche ? Are you a current parent at Winchester ? Who on earth speaks about people like that online or otherwise.

Weeonline claims to be a parent who had offers from Eton and Sevenoaks which were easy to let go for WinColl…. Or so I recall from another thread. He or she also claims to have a DS who lights the world on fire academically and that WinColl is better at academic competitions.

On Mumsnet there is no way of knowing who is a fantasist and who is genuine so I would definitely ignore certain comments. If the source is not WinColl itself then it is not a verified source.

Most private schools ask for donations forever more… a bit like Oxbridge Colleges.

I think these schools do evaluate the child’s family but more in terms of is this child mentally sound, happy, will they thrive in a boarding environment vs have they been through trauma/very difficult divorce etc. SEN is fine as long as thye understand it and can cater for it. Some children with SEN really thrive in a boarding environment and some matrons are amazing in that regard. Most of my friends who are housemasters/mistresses will readily tell you that every year the majority of kids are no problem at all but a handful with issues keep them very busy. So I think they are very happy to take a nice intelligent boy who will thrive at the school. However, if they see something which means the boy may not thrive in a boarding environment for whatever reason they will have their concerns.

Thankfully I am not a fantasist and no I didn’t mean the term nouveau riche in a derogatory manner. What I meant is that the more academically ambitious a school is, the more your DC’s aptitude will count in the balance vs money only. Please don’t take it the wrong way, this was meant to be helpful.

No school will spend 90 mins on 1:1 interviews with every single child for nothing. And I do think that there is a correlation: the more time a school spends on assessment of your child, the more your DC’s aptitude will weigh in the balance in my view.

Probably someone who knows the difference between the soil and a planet🤔?

“Probably someone who knows the difference between the soil and a planet🤔?”

You lost me…. I am clearly not intellectual enough.

Sounds like an interview question to a WinColl boy - “what is the difference betweeen soil and earth?”

Some private schools attract different crowds. Not everyone wants their DC to have to go to chapel on Sunday morning and only be able to leave once a term. It is not just a question of money/class etc. Plenty of certain types of family are pretty relieved when schools do away with certain ehem defunct traditions.

Probably someone who knows the difference between the soil and a planet🤔?”
You lost me…. I am clearly not intellectual enough.

Me too. Could it be something to do with earth?

They mean because you didn’t spell Earth with a capital E. 🙄. Pretty pleased I worked that out even though I’m neither an academic or diplomat!

@Underthelavender do Wincol know you are moving at year 7? We have a place at a super selective state grammar and my son is due to move from his prep in September. I guess he might settle there and not want to move, but I’m not sure I’m ready to close the door as I have some reservations about it.

@Intergalacticcatharsis you are on the money suggesting that some people would prefer that schools do away with ‘defunct traditions’. I would much prefer to have my son come home on a Saturday night than him have to stick around to attend chapel, especially as he’s a committed atheist!

We haven’t contacted them to tell them but it’s not that unusual apparently. Obviously when we need to fully commit it will come up. Do you also have an offer for Winchester? It will be difficult to move if DS is thriving at QEB , you will probably find it the same. We also received an offer from Eton on Friday so we are just going to wait an see how he gets on in September.

Yes we have a house place and bursary confirmed, and would expect him to sit election.

A school like Wincol is totally outside of our normal lexicon.

We only applied out of desperation for academic challenge. We reluctantly moved him to indie when I saw how distressing it was for him to work at the expected level in state during lockdown. It’s still a problem at prep but less so because of a wider breadth of subjects and opportunities.

The grammar should alleviate some of this but I worry that it’s a bit of an exam factory, and the parents make even Winchester and Eton wannabe parents look laidback!

I am hoping for a good mix of parents but I do know what to mean. I didn’t grow up in this this country and it has become a little crazy. My DS will also sit the scholarship exam if we take the boarding route. I worry about how he will turn out in that environment. These schools do produce some shockers ! I don’t want to live to regret my choice.

Which Grammar school is your son starting at ?

These schools do produce some shockers ! I don’t want to live to regret my choice.

Underthelavender surely all schools produce ‘some shockers’? In a school as large as Winchester the students will be above average intelligence but other than than there will be a range of characteristics as in any group of that size.

You’re absolutely right @Barbadossunset.

@WEEonline - when you say “nouveau riche” do you mean self made wealth as opposed to inheriting money? Or do you mean flaunting money or a bit of both?

I am interested on a purely intellectual level. Because I have a lot of respect for people who make it off their own accord, in an honest way and then pay for a top education for their DC. I probably have more respect for them than anyone who has merely inherited, hence the question. And I fully admit that I myself am in the inherited category (somewhat at least).

And what about U.K. or foreign celebrities Ange journalists etc? Honestly, would you not rather any day your DC went to school with kids with clever influential parents than those who merely inherited a trust fund and have old titles but don’t actually contribute much to public life or thought?