Can boys go home every weekend from Winchester College?

[Katenet]

Hello, my DS will go to Winchester this September. I'd like to know can boys come back home every weekend and go to school on Monday morning? Thanks

It tells you what’s allowed, on their website.

If the boys are in JP there isn’t an option to take them in Monday early - they have to be at their house by 9pm on Sundays.

Most weekends you can see the boys on Sunday from around 10.30 until 9pm. Every circa three weekends there is an exeat where you pick them up/they get the train etc at 1pm on Fridays and return to house by 9pm on Sundays. Then once a term they get a “flexi” where you pick them up after Saturday sport/lessons/clubs and return them Sunday evening by 9pm. Add in visits to watch matches, plays, recitals etc.

Thank you !

Can I pick him from school on Saturday afternoon or evening?

Depends when they finish - if they are in a match that finishes at 5, it would be 5….

Perfect ！ That is quite like Pilgrims' school

@WinchOne do most boys actually see their parents every Sunday then, or would it be considered unusual?

I have heard from several quarters than Winchester is going to the dogs, but coed sixth appeals to us. What are your thoughts on the direction the school is heading in, if I may ask?

On the visiting, some do see their parents every Sunday, some don’t. Many boys seem to like staying in on Sundays and not having parents turn up. Or that their parents just turn up for a quick pub lunch. They also seem to go to each other’s houses quite a bit as they go up the school.

On the going to the dogs comment, that is the reason I started posting on here. There seemed to be some posters with negative comments which did not give an accurate reflection of WC parents we know who are largely seem very happy. I think Covid created a few issues, as did the headmaster change and communication of the girls arriving, but overall we’ve been very happy. We have many friends with children who are at the leaving end/have left from most of the other large public schools and I’d say we are amongst the most confident in our choice being the right one for our sons. We’ve had a few friend’s daughters apply for sixth form and the girls are doing well and are happy too. We think it is a special place, but no where is perfect.

WC is a great school.

I know people at Wincoll now that are loving it too... It will take time to bed in co-education and there will be teething problems Im sure, but they are v happy with it.

My son is in his fourth year now and loving it. The new Head is very popular and makes every effort to know the students individually. The teaching is inspirational and really goes above and beyond the pretty prescriptive demands of public exams. In the last fortnight our son has been in the school play, an inter house sports competition, and a recital competition - all while meeting his girlfriend secretly in town!

How can your son be starting in September and you not know this?
When our son when through the Winchester process I was very much aware that it’s a full boarding experience which is ultimately (after much thought) why we turned down his place.

Which Prep schools will be girls' feeder schools if Win Coll becomes Co-ed?

St Swithuns?

Totally agreed. Location wise, many sisters of Wincoll boys are attending St Swithuns now. It's very predictable that SS will be a feeding school to Wincoll at Y9, I think.

I don’t think WC will go co-ed all the way through. There is a natural point at which many girls want to leave their all girls schools and branch into a fairly safe environment of co-ed, which seems to be after GCSEs. Or sometimes at that age the girls want to try boarding for the first time. I may be proved wrong, but so doubt WC will mess with the boys only until 16 ethos.

As a side note, we have found that from the boys perspective, sixth form was the ideal time to introduce girls. It has worked surprisingly well in practice.

@WinchOne I have a little girl, and I’m starting to think about the right school for her. If I’d like her to go to Winchester College, which school do you think would suit her best—Wycombe Abbey, Cheltenham Ladies’ College, or St Swithun’s? Thanks so much for your advice!

Your son is going there in a matter of weeks. Surely you make a point of finding out before handing over £££ - or ask the school? Presumably you have a contact there? Why ask randomers on the internet?

Hi Katenet, apologies, but I don’t think I can help much on this one. How old is your daughter? I think WC will continue to only accept girls at sixth form (which seems to work surprisingly well for both the girls and the boys), and you and your daughter will probably have strong views about what works for her if she is coming up to secondary school age.

I do know that my boys have female friends from a pretty wide variety of schools though so I don’t think it is that big a call for you as long as she is happy and thriving. Maybe ask the registrar who is very open and helpful for their view?

I would check this . I thought the boys had to be at chapel on Sunday morning so it is basically ( apart from expats) Sunday afternoon they can come home. But I may not be up to date

Er... above I meant Exeats not expats 😊

To clarify, as detailed above in the longer post, the 5pm type pick up in a Saturday would be on a “flexi” which can be taken once a term.

Exeats (one every half term) are usually Friday afternoon to Sunday evening, or Saturday afternoon until Monday if there is a bank holiday.

Normal weekends are indeed after chapel on a Sunday, usually circa 10.30am until 9ish.

My daughter is considering Winchester college for 6th form for 2026 - does anyone have any experience of joining Winchester for A'Levels?
Is anyone able to tell me what number of new students join for 6th form? And if anyone has any knowledge of the online admission tests? And suggestions for how to prep for these? I did ask admissions but they were a bit vague.
Thank you.

Thank you ~ I just check the parents handbook. The flexi seems twide a term now.

From The Winchester Code online it seems the flexis are only twice a term for Uppper Sixth pupils. Is this right, Winchester parents? Or is the school more flexible in real life than on paper?
Can pupils whose parents live abroad leave for exeats on Thursdays instead of Friday's? Anyone know if there is any flexiblity on this?
Thank you

www.winchestercollege.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/winchester-code-school-rules-september-2024.pdf

Chat GPT's summary:

⭐ How many weekends off do Winchester boys get per term?
(Referring to boarding pupils)

1) Flexible Weekend Leave — ONCE per term
For boys in JP, MP, V Book or VI Book 2 (Years 9–12):
“Housemasters may give leave to a boarding pupil … to be at home with their parents from 17:00 Saturday to Preces on Sunday. This flexible weekend leave may happen once a term only.”
🔹 = 1 Saturday–Sunday at home per term (if academic work is up to date)

2) Prefect’s Leave — TWICE per term
For VI Book 1 (Year 13):
“Housemasters may give similar (Prefect’s) leave … twice a term, usually either side of Leave-out.”
🔹 = 2 weekends per term for Upper Sixth

3) Sunday leave (not overnight) — every Sunday if approved
“Boarding pupils may go out on any Sunday … provided they have their Housemaster’s permission … and return in time for Preces."
🔹 This is day leave only, not overnight.
🔹 Many boys use this weekly to see family locally, go to lunch, etc.

4) Leave-out weekend (whole school)
This is the official exeat weekend each term when all boys leave:

• All pupils go home
• No academic obligations
• Dates fixed in the school calendar

🔹 This is separate from flexible weekend leave.

⭐ Summary — weekends at home per term

For a typical Winchester boy (Years 9–12):

• 1× Flexible weekend per term
• 1× Leave-out weekend per term
• Sunday day-leave most weeks (if granted, but not overnight)

For Year 13:

• 2× Prefect’s weekends per term
• 1× Leave-out weekend per term
• Sunday day-leave most weeks