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

That’s not what I meant sorry. Some schools have fashion jet set type parents, showing up in supercars with a blonde in dolce gabbana. I don’t want to go further but if you had done the errands of the schools then you would know exactly which ones are awash with the fashion jet set. My impression is that although most families at Wincoll are professionals and self-made (and probably the wealthiest of the lot) they are not the in your face youtuber Lambo influencer types if you know what I mean.

Parents tend to look like serious businesspeople, academics, the kind that you would typically meet at a university only slightly older and wiser and typically very polite, articulate and down to earth. This is not a given in many schools un this pruce range, which is what meant that Wincoll has a soul that way. The majority is still made up of highly successful professionals though, and you can see the school also changing under their influence (catalyst program, etc)

“Some schools have fashion jet set type parents, showing up in supercars with a blonde in dolce gabbana.”

Hehe, that sounds quite funny. I do think though that all the top boarding schools would take the children of “well known persons” aka celebrities if the child is good enough to keep up with the pace of the school. It is good & free marketing for them.

I think, as regards WinColl, because of the way it is, evident when touring the school, it actively puts a certain type of parent and child off, even applying. I don’t think it is the school saying no to them. The same applies to Westminster. Some children are very intelligent but want to be “cool” and they may be put off by the atmosphere at certain schools and the general feel of the children already there. So there is that aspect too.

At the end of the day, a very bright child will have many options and they and their parents need to pick a school where they will fit in, thrive and be happy. And that will always be the most important thing. I think by Year 7/8 most children will be able to make their own decision in that regard. I think it is very important that parents are not swayed by cliches, other parents, rumours etc. Financial considerations are very relevant to a family, of course. However, if they are not (either because fees are easily payable or there is a substantial bursary) I would really let the child go see for themselves again (if necessary) and let them decide.

Impressionable is a word that is often associated with teenagers. I think one should listen to a child, take their views seriously into account, but the ultimate decision should always rest with the parents as ultimately responsible. Sixth form is the first stage where I would ultimately let a child drive, but not before.

No experience and naivety means that a child is vulnerable by definition, as they can be easily misled and manipulated. Candies? Praise? Zero effort? Won!

Parents would be (and should be) aware of that, and should be vigilant about potential issues (drug use, screentime, street crime, party culture, low expectations, etc)

10yos get fixated for and against schools for inappropriate reasons.
Eg

• they gave us all a chocolate biscuit on the tour
• they let us hold a snake/chameleon/puppy on the tour
• I liked the housemaster’s car
• that’s where the prep school cricket festival happens

At that age I’m happy to let them choose a boarding house but not a school.

A sentiment echoed by our prep school headmaster regarding boys at age 10. So glad to hear WinColl parents agree.

My boy has been known to dislike a school "because they were all old buildings" ... or like a school because "I want to be an architect and Sir Christopher Wren went to this school"

That is interesting because all the boys in our wider family that were offered both Eton and Winchester knew themselves exactly which school they wanted by the beginning of year 8 at the very latest.

My own DC are also very independent and argumentative and all knew which schools they wanted. Older 2 are at Oxford now so I don’t think there was any harm in letting them choose.
Maybe we are laissez faire parents! But I promise they all just knew and had extreme views on the matter.

That’s a no brainer for a 12 year old. Eton only requires 65% CE vs Wincoll’s much tougher entrance papers. Candies win!🤓

a head of admissions once told me that “first time buyer” is the more polite way of saying nouveau riche.

FTBs didn’t go to public school themselves (although most went to university), they have made good money, like everyone they want to do the best for their child, and they are particularly susceptible to being impressed by gleaming facilities and manicured grounds, as they didn’t have these when they were at school.

Canny schools targeting FTBs often put on activity programmes for parents: either continuing ed type things like book clubs, lectures, choirs, or lots of opportunities to socialise at school with other parents.

Outside the international families who are fixated on Eton/Winchester/Oxford/Stanford for the name, Winchester isn’t a natural choice for FTBs, I’d say.

Think Wincoll has plenty of those FTBs too (at least in my son’s house) but they are still the less flashy more substantial types whom you can have a fairly engaging and intelligent conversation with. Good mix of parents but still overwhelmingly highly successful professionals and more Londoners than I expected e.g. Charterhouse felt much more dominated by old money than Wincoll. You also have the multi gen families of course, but my impression is that they are the minority at least in our immediate circle.

What is the opposite of first time buyer? Downsizer?

Those who went to public school themselves, but can’t afford it for their own DC or can’t get their DC into Eton anymore. Plenty of those around too?

How many alumni applications does WinColl get? Do they get any type of soft priority? I assume they are treated like siblings? Or is there zero priority? I can’t remember.

I think it is a competitive market out there for the best students and all schools need to attract them across the board regardless of family background. If there is some sort of weird public perception of what WinColl represents they need to address it?

Eton definitely feels more welcoming to those of us who haven’t been to Public school or god forbid have a regional accent .This probably says something about those who run the schools. DS was given a place at both but Eton felt much more welcoming.

We chose what schools to apply to, taking DS's preferences into account, but the final choice was up to him (though he was in Y8 by the time he made it). Winchester was the only boarding school we applied to, and we felt the decision to opt for boarding over other day school offers had to come from him, not from us.

I'm quite surprised that so many apply to both Eton and Winchester, as they seem to me to be very different schools. Eton was never on our radar as a good fit for DS, and his classmate who is heading to Eton didn't apply to Winchester.

I think Eton works at the moment because there is a good balanced power play between the current trendy headmaster and the more old fashioned governing body. They also have a huge financial advantage and their brand is just so well known.

I can name two concrete examples of the top of my head - for example, there is a reference in the Chamber of Secrets about Hogwarts vs Eton which most school children will have read. There is the royal connection. There is a whole series of books Young Bond that idealises Eton. Young boys do read these books even those not in prep schools. So Eton has an advantage at a cultural subconscious level over Winchester.
The schools are indeed not at all similar and I don’t think prep boys will necessarily be advised to apply to both? However, very clever boys in the state school sector or through schools from non public school families may well apply to both seeking the most academic boarding education for their son, whatever that actually means. Because we can debate what “academic” means in this day and age too. I think most parents expect both top grades and an academic atmosphere (competitions, very well educated teachers). Westminster does not offer a full boarding experience so I can see why people choose between WinColl and Eton nowadays, not just internationally.

@Intergalacticcatharsis
I went to a school reunion a few years ago. This is a school which had a tradition of families sending multiple generations. They asked us who was considering sending their own children to the school, and one person raised their hand. Most people couldn’t afford it. Some weren’t happy there. Some didn’t want boarding for their own kids.

When I mentioned this to the head he smirked and said “Downward mobility” .

Winchester is culturally closer to Eton than to say the likes of Wellington or Brighton, so maybe that’s why they are often mentioned in the same sentence. It’s interesting that Harrow doesn’t get mentioned that much these days.

Yet I am inclined to agree that they feel different in terms of the level of profile, tranquility, anxiety, social pressures, camaraderie or green space.

Also agree that Eton’s advantage is obvious in its focus on humanities. Its cultural influence likely flows from there (as well as from its long association with the Tories).

Winchester also has a large number of Tory MPs.They are obviously less well known because they haven't become Prime minister until the current one.

I think it is a lot more balanced, plenty of Wykehamists in the Labour ranks too

Congratulations to those whose son got a place at Winchester College starting in September 2025! We are excited that our DS has been offered a place at Fearons. Question: now a bit worried re Winchester Entrance exam… is it more of a formality or should it be treated as another hurdle? 🙏

I don't think any Labour MPs have attended Winchester for many decades. The last notable one was Hugh Gaitskell , he was there over a hundred years ago.They did call the political society after him but I noticed when we applied the political society is called the 1922 society, which is obviously very right wing. Eton is also right wing but I think it's par for the course at these schools today. I doubt they will see another Hugh Gaitskell any time soon.

I wasn't speaking about MPs more about ethos. I have always thought that Winchester was more on the liberal and inquisitive end of the spectrum, and whether left or right entirely depends on the person and the zeitgeist. It is a very progressive school in terms of teaching, more similar to Sevenoaks than to Eton, but also more embedded in its traditions.

In my mind Eton and Harrow a fairly communal right wing with union flags all over the place, whereas Winchester feels a lot more liberal and global (bit like Sevenoaks, but with more traditions) but not as far left as Westminster if that makes any sense.

Agree that these days it is not a given for a public school boy to be a Labour MP, when the latter's manifesto actively roasts independents. Old Wykehamyst Giles Radice was a Labour MP and a member of the House of Lords until August 2022 so there's that, and Team Corbyn had plenty of Wykehamists in its ranks. Most Wykehamists don't end up in politics or media though, so they are not as visible to the public.

Probably at least as many doctors, financiers and software engineers in the ranks as political and media types.

Hi @WEEonline , I have changed username for this as it’s a little outing.DN found the student body a Winchester very conservative both Tory and Brexit supporting. This doesn’t represent most young people in the UK. He made a change to a London school for 6th form and felt far more at home. I would highly recommend St Paul’s or Westminster school if you are looking for a liberal education for DS. Our DN comes from a liberal family and Winchester was not a good fit.

My son joked that he was going to say he wanted to be ‘the first Labour PM to attend Winchester if asked at interview’, he didn’t!

We would never have considered Eton because the ideas of privilege and entitlement seem to be more obvious. I’m not kidding myself that Winchester doesn’t have this though, so much so that I haven’t shared our news with anyone as I think the will judge my leftie credentials. God knows how I’m going to keep it secret if he goes!😂

Unfortunately we aren’t based in London so Westminster etc aren’t an option, and I remain to be convinced that our other options will offer DS what he needs.

The discussion here is interesting so thanks to everyone giving insight (although I’m reminding myself to take all with a pinch of salt).

We should have moved after GCSES @Needanamechange01.DS left last year and found the 6th form stifling. I agree very Tory/Brexit supporting cohort.Eton is must more of a mix these days but very difficult to get into as is Westminster. Winchester suits a certain type of family but you only really see this after DS starts.I wouldn't have chosen the school for this and many other reasons.

• Eton is much more of a mix.