Harrow School - what are the alternatives if the Waiting List doesn't clear??

[Trix2323]

Hi everyone, DS is on the Waiting List for admission to Harrow. I need to find an alternative school just in case. Any suggestions and infomation about alternatives would help. Schools that have been suggested are Shrewsbury, Uppingham, St. Edwards, Kings Cantebury and Stowe. I cannot visit them all and need to get an offer of a place before March. How can I choose between them?

You need to tell us about your son and what you look for in a school before we can answer that.

Hi Trix - I think you need to call round these schools and see if they have spaces. There is a deadline for CE entries (?March) and in reality schools only know where they stand then. I know of one boy in yr8 at our prep still sitting on 3 places, but he will obviously only sit CE for one. Think about what you will say to these schools. They want bums on seats not "backup in case he doesn't move up the Harrow waiting list". What advice is your prep school giving you?

Those are very different schools,and not just in a geographical sense,what advice is your Prep Head giving,thats what you pay for...

The prep school (and Harrow) are saying that we need to find a back-up plan in case the Waiting List doesn?t clear. We have been given to believe that DS is fairly high up on the WL and will be one of the first to be called forward, once the exact numbers are known in March. I discovered just a couple of days ago that I need to have a firm offer in order to be entered for CE.

I am not sure whether I am supposed to be looking mainly for a school that has spare places so that DS can be registered for CE; or whether I am looking for an alternative school.

In terms of what I am looking for in a school, here are a couple of important factors:

1. Full boarding. We are currently overseas, so I want there to be lots going on at the weekend so that there is plenty to do; everyone else around, so that he doesn?t have to feel envious, as could happen if there are weekly boarders that leave.

1. Good academics. DS is academic, probably of scholarship calibre but hasn't been in the system long enough to be adequately prepared for an academic scholarship (or so we have been advised by the HM). I am still toying with the idea of trying for KS at Eton ? after reading on here that one boy who was advised against trying came in 5th.

1. Plenty of sport. DS is sporty, but has given up a previous sport where he was performing at a high level to do school sports. It is a small prep school so he got into the first teams for football and rugby. The main sport he plays that will be of interest to UK schools is cricket, which he hasn't had a chance to do yet. The sport that he quit recently is not one that is of interest to schools at competition level.

1. Reasonable logistics for getting to an airport for half-term, etc.

1. Being close to Oxford so that Grandad could get to watch matches would be an advantage.

Colleger and others (I have read through several older threads and start to recognise names), your wise thoughts on which schools best match these criteria would be appreciated. Schools that have been mentioned to us recently are Uppingham and Shrewsbury; schools mentioned earlier ? before his academic level was correctly identified - are Stowe and St Edwards.

Also ? and perhaps you can really advise me here ? I am not sure whether I am supposed to be looking for a school with spare places so that we can enter for CE and jump to Harrow assuming a firm offer comes in; or whether I am supposed to look for an alternative school that DS will be happy to go to (he has been dead keen on Harrow for some time now). Some of the questions going round in my mind are:

1. Does anyone else have experience of being kept hanging on by Harrow, and when do those on the WL finally get told one way or another?

1. If I register at another school and get a firm offer before 1st March, are they going to make me pay the first term?s fees if we then decline the place? (one registrar told me that this is the case). How does it work with deposits once a firm offer is accepted, and by when would one need to decline such an offer?

And a final set of thoughts: if DS were to get to Harrow, are there social aspects that would prevent him from fitting in and feeling at home? Would it be even worse at Eton? Would we not be more comfortable somewhere more modest? The prep school ? a ?leading, UK boarding prep school? recommended by Harrow ? has been great, but that may be because it is a small school with a great HM. I am a little apprehensive about the larger, senior schools but I am keen to get him to a very good school if I can.

Thanks for reading this far, I look forward to your comments.

Not bothered if its single sex ,I presume?
Really think your head should be helping you on this,if you are abroad put pressure on him to help.
First thoughts,strike Stowe off the list,add Oundle(have no idea if they have vacancies) will try to post a fuller reply later.
Social aspects etc,please,please dont be put off,both schools have a very wide range of parents,as is clear from various posters there is no such thing as an Eton or Harrow parent,dont have negative thoughts on this,he will make pals (for life)

Sorry if you've said but is your son going into Year 9 in September? If not, you will only need to give one terms notice before the summer term starts. The deposit will be forfeited.

You have a couple of options: I believe Harrows scholarship is in the Spring term so if he still hasn't moved up you could try him out for an academic and all-rounder scholarship as means of entry. If he has a couple of years of prep left I suggest you look at what you could do to up his chances of an all-rounder award. The only problem with sitting the Harrow or any other scholarship is that it will preclude him from sitting for Eton, as Eton generally do not allow a student to sit a scholarship if they have a scholarship offer elsewhere.

Your son does sound talented, could the Headmaster ask for him to be placed on the Warden's list at Radley?

For Oxford, although not full boarding, a good academic option may be Abingdon. The Cheltenham Schools are not renowned for being academic, although they have scholar streams, but they are easy to get to from Oxford. It's also worth checking if boarding is full at the selective London schools such as Westminster and St Paul's. These schools are very oversubscribed but as the boarding is small it may not be full.

I have also heard from various sources that Winchester may have places. I know of one boy who missed the registration but was offered a place in Year 8 when he went to see them.

I am a big fan of Oundle too although it's not airport friendly!

Thank you Propatria for the encouragement and reassurance. Single sex or mixed - either is fine.

Stowe is now off the list. It looked rather nice to me, but DH didn't like it for DS either.

I'm getting on the phone....

My son will be going in to Year 9 in September

Thank you Colleger for the considered list - it seems that different schools best satisfy different criteria of mine. I suppose it is a question of balancing which are the most important for us and which can be got around.

Was the Winchester late offer you heard of this academic year to start in September? I am now investigating Radley - and Winchester - regarding Warden's and Headmaster's lists. Thank you for the suggestion, I recall reading about such lists but hadn't thought of those.

What do you know about Oundle? I haven't heard much about it.

Radley would be very convenient for Oxford. Full boarding. Sporty. Very high value-added (hate that word) in terms of academics - not particularly demanding at CE but great GCSE/A Level results. Does your DS's prep send many there?

Ten to Radley over the past five years. It seems to be one of the major destinations for boys, just behind Eton, Harrow, Winchester and Stowe.

Trix your headmaster had better work some magic. Entries for the Radley wardens list for 2013 entry have closed and candidates were notified in December 2011. They also over sold their seats last year and turned some boys away after CE in June so I would talk to them ASAP. Abingdon is a good suggestion but the % of boarders is not that high. What about Millfield? I know someone who got an offer around this time last year for entry the following Sept. full boarding. Amazing facilities and opportunities for all not just elite athletes. Can't comment on academics. Would obviously need a train to an airport and not too handy for Grandad but it is genuinely full boarding! Marlborough? No idea if they have spaces and how you would jump their wait list. Will keep thinking...... But kick your Headmaster into action. He should be calling up....!!!!

What about Malvern College?

Sounds like Radley is out if the list is closed. Abingdon doesn't have enough boarders. I would prefer "all-boarding" as well as "full-boarding".

I'm looking at the Millfield web site.... there are so many nice schools!

Re the social aspects of Eton and Harrow I second what Propatria says. I only have first hand experience of Eton and all the parents I met were really nice. Also, as Propatria says, he will make a close knit bunch of friends for a lifetime.

I just looked at the Malvern College website - 14 Oxbridge offers! Are those all for this year? That seems very good for a school of 650 students. A higher proportion than Harrow... Or is the VIth Form very big? Or are they very selective?? Impressive by any standard.

Dapplegray, I am at a prep school now, and all the parents are really nice too. I had expected them to be - as a bunch - really snooty. Its nothing like that at all, I have been made very welcome.

The other cars are rather impressive, though.

And what about all the "Extras"? The fees are fixed, but is it true that there are lots of "Extras" added every term at some schools? And what about pocket money and expensive things? To what extent can that a problem for a student who has a bit less?

Yes, the Oxbridge offers are all for this year. The school offers A Level and IB so is an attractive option in that sense: the school attracts a number of international students (because of the IB) so it is very much focused on the boarding (school life revolves around the boarding house structure).

I wouldn't say it is rigorously selective but the bright students are certainly well catered for and there is no shortage of stretch and challenge opportunities.

Sport is very important and there is a vast range of sporting opportunities offered (unless he's a rower...).

It's not that far from Oxford, i don't think (shows hazy knowledge of geography...) Direct train to London or Birmingham for airports.

Trix - our dc's school fees are paid by their grandparents. Our car is old and our house is scruffy, but I don't think the other parents care or even notice. I don't notice what sort of car someone has got.
Anyway, I hope wherever your ds goes he is happy - that's the main thing.

Malvern is an excellent school - but OP has asked for all boarding. I thought (may be wrong) that Malvern has day pupils too?
Trix2323, I really wouldn't worry too much about the "snob" aspect anywhere. Even if there are some uber-posh/rich parents who can be aloof, the kids don't care at that age. They either like each other or they don't but that that choice will not be decided by money/possessions. I speak as an ex (just) Eton parent. I liked all the parents of my DS's year group in his house. 3 of the 10 boys were on some kind of scholarship / bursary. As far as I know none of the boys were on huge pocket money/allowances.

Strike Uppingham, and look at Oakham. Slightly easier logistically, on a par (or slightly better) academically, great sport, Goid drama and art too.

Co-ed, about 50% of the school is full boarding, so the community at the weekends is fine.

And do look at St Edwards - it ticks so many of your boxes, and although the academic reputation as been in a bit of a dip, it's meant to be on the up again and there's no reason to think it cannot do well by an academic boy.

Eton KS papers are on line. Have you had a look at them?

Trix, what grovel says is right - the boys don't choose their friends on material grounds. They are living in close quarters in their boarding houses and personality not wealth determines friendship.
As regards pocket money, our ds didn't have that much, in fact the only boy in ds's house who did was a Russian.

OP: if you want full boarding, then my suggestions weren't exactly useful, as both have day pupils too. But so do all the schools in OP.

Might it be worth getting on to someone like Gabbitas and Thring, as you have firm criteria and a short time frame?

Edith, why "strike Uppingham"?

Yes, I have looked at the KS papers. The maths questions were at a level that is far above the GCSE questions just taken by a cousin.

The history/geo questions are certainly tough. For example, how to respond to, "Define 'globalisation' and discuss how it has affected industries you have studied" in 30 minutes? I would be impressed with anyone who can even begin to answer some of them.

I can only suppose that the ability to concentrate in the test, to not panic and to put something sensible down on the paper for three of the 18 questions counts for quite a bit.

I presume a Prep School would have ways of coaching to do essays where you say something that seems profound even when you know little of the subject.

I'll look again as St. Edwards. I have the idea that it would be relatively easy to get a place there. Does anyone know?

Thank you dapplegrey and grovel for the helpful thoughts. I'm going to stop worrying about that aspect of such such schools - DS is generally well-liked and would be just fine with the other boys.

I suggested strike Uppingham, because IMHO Oakham is currently the better school, is closer to the A1 and has a train station. But, like the others, it accepts day pupils as well as boarders, so you might want to strike both off, plus all those mentioned in OP.