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Secondary education

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Original poster

Harrow v eton

161 replies

nokissymum · 05/06/2011 20:51

i started a thread before about people's experiences with Harrow and got a few responses but felt maybe I needed to word it differently.

I am hoping their are mners here who have more insight into both schools, what are the differences and why one and not the other. Thank you.

OP posts:
BelovedCunt · 06/06/2011 19:35

roar @ cat
or 'destroying your childs life with the sheer weight of your expectations'

regina12 · 06/06/2011 19:38

I think your statement about numbers of A levels at MCS is misleading. Average A Level core entries per student at Eton, according to the FT was 3.4 in 2009 and 3.5 for all entries, while at MCS it was 3.7 and 3.9 respectively. The less selective part of Eton's large intake would bring their average down a bit but the figures stand.

Anyway, except for Science inclined students where maths and further maths are a good idea on top of at least 2 sciences, 3 A Levels are fine and the fashion for 4, especially in essay heavy humanities subjects with little overlap in content, puts a burden on teenagers that is not required by universities and is onerous for all but the most able.

No doubt there are a fair few students of that calibre at both schools, including your high ability son, and their teachers will judge the workload they can happily bear, but it is simplistic and wrong from an educational perspective to imply that more A Levels=better.

Colleger · 06/06/2011 19:39

roar@cat too!

Most people that send their kids to Eton ar so lazy that they want the school to do it, so no expectations.

regina12 · 06/06/2011 19:41

Indeed. It could be called "vicarious living through offspring

  • that saddest of female occupations.
pointissima · 06/06/2011 19:46

But sending DS to boarding school STOPS me helicoptering and obsessing and generally living through him, my precious one and only. He has to get on with his life and I with mine, then we catch up with huge hugs on exeats

Colleger · 06/06/2011 19:47

My sentiments exactly pointissima.

Jajas · 06/06/2011 20:02

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Yellowstone · 06/06/2011 20:08

Colleger 30% go to Oxford/ Cabridge from both Eton and MCS, so no difference at all.

As an ex-London day school girl who was never as a child aware of pressure, I'm horrified at the pressure I see now from London parents. Well, perhaps not pressure , but huge and quite vicious competitiveness. The N. London parents who frequently post on this forum are scary in this respect and deeply so. They could be atypical I suppose but my RL connections suggest not.

I'd hate mine to board even if I could afford the £240,000 pa after tax that I'd have to find out of excess income (haha), but there are plenty of boarding school kids at my elder DD's uni who really do seem to have the edge in terms of confidence and ability to adjust (perhaps Paulinas are in the same range). But that is certainly of value, beyond the academics.

Yellowstone · 06/06/2011 20:09

Cambridge, obv.

Colleger · 06/06/2011 20:15

Your spelling is atrocious Yellow Wink

MCS is more selective though and has introduced girls. So, spill, where did your three (is it 3) amazing girls go to?

Xenia · 06/06/2011 20:17

There is a different way of being from those who had to bond with their peers and hide their real emotions which seems to come for some many frmo boarding school. Now that might be the type of adult you wish to produce of course and I've been lauding the fact parents have choices int he UK (those of us sensible enough as women to pick well paid careers that is - some women choose to earn nothing much so deny their children choices). Not all feel that or emerge like that but I cannot see the point in taking that risk.

As I and someone else said above heaps of children will say everything is well because it's their personality to say that but it isn't well so you can't really just go by what they say.

I don't think criticism of day schools is anything to do with the boarding or day choice though. Plenty of day schools aren't "pushy" and I have incredibly laid back children and we certainly never had tutoring and all that stuff but we're not right in central London. I think children can be as confident at day schools and certainly my daughter mentioned a state/private school divide at her university in terms of ability to debate, verbal coherence and the like.

As for cost I've always thought it was fairly marginal. Some of mine has a choice to board had they particularly wanted it. Some of them still could if they chose to later. If they board they aren't daily asking for money for things as teenagers. I don't think the difference between day and boarding fees once you take account of that is particularly large so it wasn't really a fee issue for us..

Most of us want to have about us those whom we love. Those who love can find it hard to understand those sending away those they love for their own good, as if that depirvation of day to day interaction and love were somehow going to stand that person in good stead in future. It is a weird concept.

(I don't like to connect myself on different fora)

Yellowstone · 06/06/2011 22:06

No Colleger, it's eight (four of each).

It's actually the fault of the much over-used sticky keyed computer: my spelling is beyond reproach (with a few late night exceptions) :)

Colleger · 06/06/2011 22:43

EIGHT!!! AND THREE AT OXBRIDGE!!!

Yellowstone · 06/06/2011 23:16

Thank you for the capitals Colleger, I'll try to take that as a compliment of sorts.

Poor DS1, it's his turn at UCAS in Sept.

Yes eight. And stupidly close together, hence the hypothetical £240,000 pa in fees.

peteneras · 07/06/2011 02:30

.
Harrow v Eton
?. . what are the differences and why one and not the other.?

One nobody knows, the other everybody tries to emulate: Eton of Japan; Eton of India; Eton of Malaysia; Eton of Africa; Eton of Sri Lanka; etc.

And this is certainly my favourite, Eton of The Middle East Grin

meditrina · 07/06/2011 07:21

Xenia: the people on this thread have already decided about boarding, and want views on these two boarding schools.

As I pointed out above, there is a separate and current thread about whether or not to board. If you actually want to influence or persuade those who are not yet decided, that is likely to have a greater effect.

If on the other hand you just want to scribble on this thread (as anyone can, on open forum), as you were.

TheMead · 07/06/2011 09:18

As I often meet parents who are opposed to the idea of boarding, everyone respect each other's opinion. First of all, they want to watch their DC growing closely, and second, parents know if their kids can cope with boarding life.

In my case, boarding was the only option but went out pretty well so far. Didn't notice any damage yet. In fact, DS is enjoying his boarding life. I have to admit it took him

sharedplanet · 07/06/2011 10:34

A bit flippant, but ?. Churchill (Harrow) Cameron (Eton) Clegg (Westminster) on that basis I'd look at Westminster Lib Dem's in Government now that?s clever! Also Westminster Oxbridge entry embarrasses the other two.

meditrina · 07/06/2011 11:02

Hmm - what about Byron (Harrow)?

sharedplanet · 07/06/2011 11:24

Whilst I admire his cat contempt and Dionyisian lifestyle choices......

Colleger · 07/06/2011 11:59

Firstly the OP does not want to send DS to Westminster so why is it being mentioned?

Secondly, anyone that compares the Oxbridge results of these schools should be embarrassed as that is what you would expect from the Most selective school, a partially selective school, and a fairly non-selective school. Hmm

sharedplanet · 07/06/2011 12:19

oh dear, was being flippant .... as mentioned earlier re living vicariously through your children (of course "colleger" I wouldn't dream of accusing you of such a thing!) I suppose if someone was in this mode, they wouldn't quite see the humour in it. which one of these schools is "fairly non-selective" by the way?

Colleger · 07/06/2011 12:34

If I were living through my kids then they would be at ballet school just now! How is sending a boy to Eton, living through one's child? Confused.

Academically, Harrow is the least selective and Eton only selects 30% based on high academic ability.

sharedplanet · 07/06/2011 13:08

I meant that at least on this forum your identity is that of your child - I assume that he is at Eton and a Colleger. Again it was a throw away flippant remark, but in terms of living vicariously quite apt. - I'll depart this thread now, thankfully I don't think I'm serious enough

Colleger · 07/06/2011 13:26

I still don't get it. Confused DS education and lifestyle does not mirror mine, nor would I want it to. In fact by him boarding I have no control or can dictate what he does. I've only posted so prolificlally on these threads because I have views and opinions on them based on experience. I don't spend all of my waking hours thinking about Eton as I have more important things to fill my time. Mumsnet is my extended half-term coffee break!