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Secondary education

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Original poster

If Winchester College don't accept DS1 what about Charterhouse?

223 replies

yotty · 14/03/2011 19:36

Probably going to apply to Winchester for DS1. If he does not get offered a place would Charterhouse be an alternative? He is bright, quirky and likes drama and music, but not good at sport or art. He would have to be a full boarder as we live a short plane ride away. I'm worried that the boys will all be busy playing sport or going home at the weekend. Should I be concerned or am I just being neurotic?

OP posts:
dottyT · 26/09/2011 22:43

good to hear that from happygardening. we didn't think the maths was especially difficult; for the english you need to familiarise yourself with the format of the papers but thereafter quite fun and ditto history -but you need to point out to ds that one needs to back up opinion with facts or examples, not just factoid. it's all about getting dss to think. the interview with the headmaster emphasises that too. btw, school ds is at is just as scruffy in terms of attire.

happygardening · 26/09/2011 22:59

Maybe I'm just a slob and I am very opposed to outdated ridiculous uniforms, no names no pack drill, but I don't think the boys look that scruffy! I thought the boys at St Paul's looked scruffy not that it bothered me.

pastoralacademia · 30/09/2011 12:52

I am considering Leighton Park for my 2 sons, any advice? I love the school, the new head and the feel of the school but I am not sure. My sons are both highly able.

Colleger · 30/09/2011 13:47

I wouldn't chose or discount a school based on uniform. If it was the best school then I would send a child there, regardless if the uniform appeared absurd!

happygardening · 30/09/2011 16:18

I know nothing Leighton Park but in my experience and opinion very bright children are much happier in very selective schools like Winchester and St Pauls. I'm sure lots will disagree!

Colleger · 30/09/2011 16:47

I think boys would be happier at Winchester than St Paul's! Wink

happygardening · 30/09/2011 19:21

St Pauls is a wonderful school but I suspect that if you like leighton park which I've discovered is a Quaker school then I suspect it's not for you a bigger contrast would be harder to imagine. I was just using it as an example of a very selective school. Winchester is much gentler.

Original poster
yotty · 30/09/2011 20:42

Ooh Happygardening, you make me feel very confident we made the right decision to register our DS1 for Winchester. Let's hope he gets in. Will have to wait until June to find out whether we need a plan 'B'. Realised 2 boys at DS's school are applying to Charterhouse. Will be interested to see if they get in. Both of them are quite bright but, neither of them as far as I know are interested in books or academic work! If they get offered places it would put me off Charterhouse as a plan 'B' for our DS. Not because I don't want my son to be with them, more to do with the fact that my DS is so different from them.

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happygardening · 30/09/2011 21:33

We never had a plan b we were just fortunate and got both wincheste and St pails before I knew I spent agonis

happygardening · 30/09/2011 21:37

Sending off iPhone so keep pressing wrong button! I spent hours agonising over a Plan b but could never come up with a viable alternative to either one suspect we would have looked at the state sector as we have an excellent comp where we live I don't think I would have been prepared to pay for any of the others!

happygardening · 30/09/2011 21:54

Thinking about it (its seems so long ago now) the only other school I looked at was Tonbridge; head at one time sir master (deputy head) at St Paul's and it has a very similar feel to it. But only a handful of full boarders mostly weekly boarders and 40% day so you have to either live locally or London (good train links) and I don't do either any more. I think you were interviewed in year 6 like Winchester. A good academic school maybe not Win Coll or St Pauls but definitely pretty selective but the downside is its very sporty, fab sporting facilities (well it might be a downside depending on your child) but it has a similar 21st century feel to it that you find at St Pauls. My DH would also say full of Kent people who he thinks are not exactly cosmopolitan and broad minded!!

Colleger · 30/09/2011 23:25

Yotty, I would not be put off a school based on whether they took two boys that you deem (where is your evidence) are not interested in academics. Schools take a wide range of pupils so that the school will be balanced. I know Winchester has even admitted a handful of slightly below par boys who have siblings at the school or are exceptional at music.

Magdalen College School and Abingdon are also very good schools. A small number leave Winchester to go to MCS each year and the boys are very similar. It has no boarding but Abingdon has and I know a number of exceptionally able boys there with the majority being very bright.

peteneras · 01/10/2011 08:34

For me, there?s no substitute for a premier school with ultra modern facilities coupled with a traditional classy uniform that most people only ever wear it once in a lifetime ? on their wedding day. But eight hours later the uniform soon morph into patched jeans and tracksuits and whatever else ultra modern teenagers wear. Floreat Etona!

happygardening · 01/10/2011 12:18

Abingdon is highly regarded I live fairly near to it and I know the last head he's very nice and charming but conservative with a small c. The school has significantly improved under his leadership but the general opinion locally is that it is very conservative. Lots have no problems with this but it is a bit of a contrast to Win Coll. There are also not that many boarders and I would have thought unsuitable if you want full boarding.

Original poster
yotty · 01/10/2011 14:00

Colleger, you are right about a school taking a range of boys. It just alarmed me slightly that the parents of those boys thought that Charterhouse was the right place for them, which made me question my choice of Charterhouse as a back up if my DS doesn't get into Winchester.
I am inclined to agree with Happygardening when she says she would have considered local school as no viable alternative to Winchester worth paying for. Don't believe in sending DS to boarding school just for the sake of boarding at £30000 a year when there is an OK grammar down the road.

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happygardening · 01/10/2011 15:25

We have the best perfoming comp in the county on our doorstep DS1 attends. It frequently out performs some of our less selective local private schools. I suspect that if DS2 hadn't got Win Coll/St Pauls we would have sent him there till 16 and then reviewed the situation again.

Colleger · 01/10/2011 15:43

Have you thought about Westminster? I found it to have a feel of Win and Eton combined. Uber academic and very quirky. It was my preference but DS wanted to go to Eton.

happygardening · 01/10/2011 15:56

Westminster is fab. but boarders are in the minority I think if my memeory serves me correct yotty doesn't live on the main land. I always think when it comes to choosing a boarding or day school with boarders you dont want to be in a minority especially if you parents aren't close by.

Original poster
yotty · 01/10/2011 17:12

Yes you're right Happygardening, really need full boarding. I want him to settle in and feel comfortable in his environment, so he is happy at the weekends as he will not be able to go home every weekend.
I asked about Marlborough because I could see from their website that there seemed to be plenty going on at the weekends. Maybe other schools do do stuff on Sundays, but just don't mention it.

OP posts:
goinggetstough · 01/10/2011 17:44

yotty do remember that if the schools you are choosing do Saturday school in the morning and sport on Saturday afternoon then Sunday is their only downtime. At prep school IMO it is vital that they are kept busy but at senior school it is less important. We too lived/live overseas and needed full boarding. Our DD (who is now at university) used Sunday to catch up on work and just relax. There were some trips but she seemed happy to chill out! Our DS is at a different school and the same is true. They seemed to be busy on Sundays when he first joined at 13/14 but since then and now in the sixth form he is happy to watch a DVD, walk to the nearby town to buy food or complete his prep. That is if he is not away doing an outdoor activity with the school.
It is of course important to have a core of full boarders regardless of the weekend activity programme.

happygardening · 01/10/2011 19:58

The only activities at Win Coll on Sunday afternoon are the DT and art rooms are open and i think the gym. But the boys are so busy the rest of the week this is the only time they have to do nothing so I don't think it's a bad thing. They can of course go into Winchester many houses have their own areas for football and games etc and their own libraries.

Colleger · 01/10/2011 20:17

Yotty, it has just occurred to me that you should consider Oundle. Fantastic academics and although there are day pupils the boarding is very strong and children do not leave at the weekend. In fact the school has no Exeats so you would not need to worry about pick-ups until half term and end of term. I know a number of prep Headmasters who have chosen the school based on it's boarding routine because they could not get away from school to pick up their children quite so regularly. It would definitely be my co-ed school of choice based on academics, music, extra-curric and nice environment.

Nearest airport would be Luton with Birmingham and Heathrow the next nearest.

happygardening · 02/10/2011 08:24

A couple of boys on my DS old prep went to Oundle I understand it has an excellent science dept. The boys who went are very happy although one found it very difficult initially. There are lots of London children there. Win coll head came from Oundle. Buy still wound not have sent my DS there if he had not got win coll or St Pauls. We sacrifice a lot to pay th school fee and will only do it if it is exactly what we want.

Colleger · 02/10/2011 22:34

Interesting view HappyGardening and in some ways I agree and disagree! Of course it is a lot of money but I do wonder if there really is a huge difference between all of these schools. I do think Winchester is unique, fantastic and a real gem, I think St Pauls is awful (sorry) and miles apart in every way from Winchester. When it became apparent that DS2 wouldn't get into Eton or Win we decided that Purcell was worth the money over any other school but if he wasn't going there then I wouldn't choose the local comp over Oundle or Harrow or Marlborough for example.

These "other" public schools must be doing something right and given that they are very oversubscribed plenty people must think they are worth the money.

dottyT · 02/10/2011 23:31

yotty, only you know your DS. if he is intellectually curious and has enough self confidence to deal with the range of the seriously able around him, Wincoll is great, although convincing non UK universities about the pre U might be interesting if one were going down that route.

But for plan b, think about how important the life of the mind is to him because if it is, you don't want to send him somewhere where he will be despised for being intellectual if he isn't in the scholar's house or whatever. Having to pretend to be stupid or incurious and being unable to find people of a similar mindset is a recipe for misery especially in a boarding school. That's more important than the Sunday question, I feel (and much more important than uniform!). Also think about whether you want co-ed or not.

Finally, we looked at both the exit destinations of schools, not just Oxbridge which can feel like a lottery these days, but the Russell group over all, and also - important then for our DS - how many boys pursued not only maths but further maths at A level or equivalent (and their results). Difficult to tell of course at pre U or IB, but you'd be surprised at how many schools failed those two hurdles and how many Heads failed to know their data. Including some of those mentioned above.

hth