Winchester college v canford?

[yotty]

My DS1 is pretty bright but not a genius, not sporty, but loves drama. Can't decide whether he would be better off at Winchester, as he is a bit of a quirky character. Or go to canford and know that he would be in the top 30 percent of the year group, so could feel he could excel in something. Anybody got any thoughts/knowledge of these schools.

Was trying to narrow area to be near family in UK. But the other one I like the look of is The King's school Canterbury. Anyone got any thoughts on that one?

Kings Canterbury is a good school.

i do think that if your son can get into somewhere like winchester or eton and you can afford it and they do not want co-ed then there is not a lot of point in not sending him.

the advantages from contacts, education etc are so much higher than most schools it makes a lot of sense. if he wanted co-ed then try westminster.

there are a lot of other good schools but it has always seemed to me that winchester and eton are like oxford and cambridge in that there are a lot of other very good universities but there is something extra that you get from them that is more than just the day to day education.

obviously this is just my opinion....

My DH is inclined to agree with you Hanselk. He doesn't want to spend £30 grand a year on any old boarding school. He wants something special. That being said, I want DS to feel top of the tree in something. I think he has the intellect to get into Winchester but what I don't know is where he will be in the pecking order when he gets there. Of course, he is only in year 5 and every year he seems to do better at school, so it is difficult to tell at this stage where he will be intellectually by the time he is 13. He is a deep thinker, an avid reader and has a very enquiring mind. So maybe Winchester is the place for him.

there is always the consideration that he will probably be stronger in one or more of arts, sciences or humanities than others so might be top of some sets and bottom of others which i cannot see being a problem.

i would put him down for winchester anyway and think of the registration fee spread over the years until he goes or does not go and so perhaps "losing" £50 per year over 4 years is easier to swallow for keeping the option of going open.

my friends' sons all seem to change in many different ways over the years between say 8 and 13 so there is no foolproof way of knowing!

sounds to me that if he is a deep thinker, an avid reader, a bit quirky and with an enquiring mind winchester would be perfect for him. but to be honest the school will tell you if he is right for it - let him take the pretest and that will tell you a lot

good luck!

yotty, I'm having the same thoughts at the moment for my sons (the eldest is in yr4, but there are a few schools that require registration by this May for him to enter at 13).

I agree that going to ultra-prestigious schools is definitely worth it if you can get in. Universities too. You are then a member of an exclusive club for the rest of your life.

Thanks for all your input. I think we will take him to visit Winchester and if he is not completely phased by its very academic atmosphere then we will pay for the registration and revisit the situation next year when he actually has to do the pretest.

Surely your sons Headmaster is advising you what school(s) to consider for your son?
I"m very suprised that Canford is seen as alternative to Winchester,they are chalk and cheese.

Is there any chance that you could send him to pilgrims for year 7 and 8, therefore he'd get a feel of how he is within the Winchester ethos, and if it's not for him he can make the natural transition to an alternative school for year 9, rather than in year 9 or even worse year 10 you realise Winchester is not the place for him, but he would have to stick it out then regardless.

Seeing headmaster next week. Considering canford as I am quite keen on coed as we only have boys. Also DS is quite quirky, but do not want to cocoon him in a world of quirky people so that when he goes out into the big bad world he doesn't know how to fit in with the whole spectrum of people he will come across.

If you want anyone to convince you your child should be at Canford, I will put you in touch with my mother

Almost every conversation I've had with her over the last 5 years, consists of 'why isn't one of them at canford?' even 'why didn't you (as in me) go to canford?' 'when am I going to see one of them go to canford?' I'm sure she is on the school's marketing board.

It is a good school, it does have every check box ticked that one would look for in a private school, the children do get the results, the children do turn out (for the vast majority) as lovely grounded/rounded adults.

Have you considered Bryanston?

yotty

if its any help I have a lot of experience of meeting young lads either at winchester or having left it and they come out pretty well rounded individuals generally - able to hold a normal conversation and not lost in a bubble :)

If you want a good co-ed school and don't care where it is (because you are abroad) then the best is almost certainly Rugby.

Streets ahead of Canford which is in a nicer bit of the world and produces perfectly nice kids but isn't top notch academically (or even top quarter, really).

Other obvious co-ed one is Marlborough which I don't rate enormously highly but lots do. I wouldn't send a girl there in a million years (treated like second class citizens and window dressing) but it is pretty good for boys. And again better than Canford.

Also to add another one into the mix - Wells Cathedral School - and I'm trying to rack my brain of the boarding over Tunbridge Wells way that was on a documentary not so long ago. Argh name escapes me.

A very wide range of schools being rec here,and hardly any are comparable or likely to attract the same type of child,Winchester or Bryanston,a odd pairing both excellent for certain types of child(and parent) but not an either or choice in any way.
Rugby and Marlborough again attract very different children and parents,like fresh I wouldnt send a girl to Marlborough in a million years..mind you I wouldnt send a boy either but for different reasons..

I suggested Bryanston, as IMO is a unique educational experience, as it is very pupil led. My children are too rigid and want structure in place, however, a lot of free thinkers work better without the constraints that a formal private school place on them.

However, from my point of view and I wonder if the case for others, reason for suggesting such diverse schools is that Canford and Winchester are diverse in themselves, and again would not naturally lend themselves to being comparable.

It is difficult in a couple of posts from the OP to ascertain what her child is like, and therefore, I am making suggestions based on the minimal information I have, for her to google or reject as she sees fit.

one of my brothers went to bryanston and one to winchester - i would never have considered the bryanston brother to be winchester material but would consider him canford material. my winchester brother would have probably strolled through canford but was properly stretched at winchester.

horses for courses!

perhaps we need to build a giant venn-diagram of public schools and their general characteristics to try and help people place their children! for example a sports circle, academic circle, culture circle etc....

the point about pilgrims being good preparation is true it seems half go to winchester and half eton and you are physically by winchester college so not such a huge shift. otherwise the dragon is a good feeder if more convenient.

The venn diagram idea is an excellent one, would certainly help first time buyers and those who dont have a lot of experience/connections.

I agree that Rugby is certainly one to seriously consider if you want a well-rounded co-ed experience surrounded by children who might temper your son's "quirkiness" somewhat. I think it's an excellent place for girls and boys alike.

I was recently talking to a former Winchester teacher who said that the aforementioned quirkiness definitely runs strong in pupils there - actually the word he used was "odd", but that doesn't sound very nice. I believe it's quite an academic hothouse, no?

What pleases me about this discussion is that no one has said the children who come out of these schools are 'stuck up' or closed minded. I would hate my boys to be is that. I want them to be intellectually challenged and be able to look at things from all angles. I couldn't stand it if they became public school clones. Eg. Living in fulham, wearing mole skin trousers and a hacking jacket! Unless of course they really wanted to, as opposed to just following the crowd.

One point re the co-ed/single sex debate - what does your son want?

I went to an all girls independent school - I was adament that no child of mine was going to a single sex school.

My children have chosen to go to single sex schools, despite my best attempts at intervention, yes I could of said no to the school, but if they weren't in agreement with a place then forcing the issue I feel would of been detrimental. Therefore they are at single sex establishments.

But they do have opposite siblings at home, and their friends, unlike your child.

lol yotty
if we thought you wanted that (fulham, moleskin and hacking jacket) we'd have said Radley or Wellington...

I know a lot of wykehamists (and am closely related to one) and they are all interesting intelligent people doing things not in the normal way (and quite a lot of them writers, thinking about it...) and all have a very strong and nice sense of self. Absolutely no arrogance or judging... can't be said for many public schools. Great place for the right child.

If you think he is bright but not winchester type, and/or want to look at co-ed, I say Rugby - sends out children without a misplaced sense of entitlement as well.

If you are only going to look at 2, those would be my choice.

We went to see DS's headmaster today. The first school he suggested was Winchester. So will be taking DS to have a look and see what he thinks. The question is, if he likes it, should we bother taking him to see alternatives or would that just confuse the poor child?

I would be considering Winchester over Canford any day. If you're not sure about Winchester then there are far more superior schools than Canford. Marlborough for one!