Marlborough College - views?

[nightrider]

Does anyone have a DC at Marlborough College? We are considering it for our DC and I'm interested in views on academic rigour, pastoral care etc. The March 2012 ISI report is very good but there are negative comments in the Good Schools Guide which contradict the ISI report. Who to believe?? DC is a good all rounder (gr5 music, county sport, average academically) who is pretty laid back and sociable. Thanks in advance for any help.

It's quite strong academically so im not sure an avergae boy would get in. Wardens list at Radley may be better as they have lots of county and national sportsmen currently at the school.

We live and work fairly near by. The school has a reputation for being very "smart" and full of wealthy London parents. We have some friends who are well know hereditary peers, wealthy but very down to earth they felt they weren't smart enough for it!
On the other hand I do come into contact with the children through work they are all very polite and the staff always seem genuinely concerned about them.

"which contradict the ISI report."
Those aren't worth the a paper they're written on! The organisation isn't independent its inspecting independent schools there's a big difference.

Isi reports should be ignored. Taller should not even be opened and snippets of GSG can be taken at face value!

It was many years ago, but I had a black friend who went there who found it racist and intolerant. Things may of course have changed.

I've come to the conclusion that Tatler is more truthful than the ISI reports!

I have a friend whose eldest DS is in his second year at Marlborough. She would be the first to admit DS is not particularly academic or indeed particularly sporty , musical etc. He seems to thrive at the school, he also successfully got a place at Wellington. Her only one criticism is that communication between school and parents is poor.

Thank you for the comments.

Timmytoes - does your friend get regular updates as to academic progress? Would she say it is academically rigorous? Does she think the girls are a distraction for her DS?

Colleger I would have thought the warden's list at Radley would be harder as they need to get c10% above CE passmark, so currently c65% rising to c70% in 2014?

Will stop reading ISI, Tatler and GSG !!!

As an ISI inspector I can tell you that the reports are indeed independent and comprehensive in scope. They are well worth reading as a starting point for collecting information about the school.

My dd is currently in lower 6th at Marlborough. She isn't particularly academic and we don't expect top of the range grades at A level. However the school has done the best it can and she is very happy and has made loads of friends. She has got first rate teachers for piano and flute and her house mistress is kind and conscientious and takes endless trouble with the children in her care.

Tatler's pay for entry isn't it? They certainly don't visit the school themselves.

Im sure the schools pay for entry into Tatler.
IME the ISI report for my DS prep was actually untrue not here-say gossip but one part a very important part was lies. Others on MN have said the same thing. Thats why the ISI report is no better than Tatlers good school guide.

nightrider, in answer to your specific questions - academically " rigorous" is probably not the right word, my friend's son is probably about average academically, at prep school he was not bottom but nowhere near the top , probably 3rd quartile. His prep school were keen for him to go to Marlborough , I guess they thought it would suit him and they have been proved right. It was also the boy's choice. For what its worth Marlborough comes 91st in the top 100 schools (independent, comp and grammar) entry to top universities (ie top 13 unis plus Oxbridge). The figures are for a 5 year period whereas Radley and others such as Lancing, Malvern, Rugby etc come much higher up.

As to girls, the boy is 15 and has no interest in girls so far. Not a distraction at the moment.

I think finally her comments re communication may be in comparison to the previous prep school (boarding also) where communication was excellent with the ability to email teachers and housemasters upon any matter and crucially receive a swift response. I know she has "complained" but it still seems to be an issue , could be house specific.

I keep thinking about putting Marlborough on our back up list. I know 2 families who visited recently, none of the parents are public school educated and they loved it and did not feel it was too 'posh'! One of the parents was a housemistress in the prep of a public school and she was very impressed with the head of boarding whom she felt had a good hold on the pastoral care. She was told that there were plenty of the 'London set' there, but there was also plenty of kids from the surrounding area. However, I too have read the bit in the GSG about needing to be quite a resilient boy to enjoy it, which is why I am holding back at the moment.

yotty I think you should seriously consider it. I was surprised by GSG comment too, but talking to people with kids there can't find any evidence of boys needing to be robust. That has been a comment made to me about certain single sex boys schools. I think the presence of girls dilutes the testosterone. My DS also spotted that there were fewer boys in the year group than at the single sex so he would get in a higher sports team!!! I take these educational guides with a pinch of salt. Have you seen it? Go and visit and see what you and your DS think. That's all that matters.

Milkshake, no I have not visited yet. Waiting on outcome of WinColl interview. We should hear next month. DS is a bit geeky and not a sportsman, so finding the right place for him may be tricky. He does love fencing, so I am trying to find a school that will suit him.
Anyone know of full boarding schools that are keen on fencing?

yotty do you know roughly when the results come out for Win Coll?

Colleger, I was told we should hear by the end of half term. Not sure whether they meant the end of their half term or most schools half term as theirs ends on the Wednesday 6th June. The waiting is killing me as I am the worlds most impatient person and can't see when we will have time to go on any visits until September. I feel quite tempted to phone the housemaster and just ask if DS is a definate 'no', in which case we can move on and start thinking about plan B.

NOOOO, don't call! I know exactly how you feel as I too am the most impatient person in the world. I'm awaiting news for both my boys but at least the Win Coll wait for me will only be around a month. I'm not hopeful, there seems to have been a large increase in applicants to all schools at the moment. :(

When my son heard they were definitely at school ie not during half term in fact the brain has just dusted off the diary for key dates for 2009 and they definitely didn't come out till after 1/2 term! I think everyone is on 1/2 from the 1st of June but Win Coll goes back on the 6th. We were told at the end of the interview exactly when we would be informed and the letters duly arrived on that day.You could ring the admissions office there's a very helpful lady or send the housemasters secretary an email and ask when you are informed. By the way your prep school does not find out before you.

Yes, I remember too that my son was also at school and was told by the Headmaster. We had until the 28th June to accept if I remember. Eton results come out around 13/14th July so their are decent parents out there who give up a Win place straight away and some movement goes on after the summer holiday.

Thats right you do have to accept before the second round of Eton places come out although I don't think we had to pay a large deposit when we accepted the place.
In know this is revolutionary but why don't they all come out on the same day and this would stop all this shenanigans? By all I mean the schools that offer places in yr 6 for yr 9 entry there must be quite a few.

I think it's easier for some schools to get their results out sooner because they have less applicants so the process is quicker. I also think some schools send results out in the holidays as it gives parents time to calm down, otherwise they'd be on the phone but no admissions staff will be in. On the other hand, Win Coll want to know the acceptance number before they break up.

I also think that two places shouldn't be held at certain schools. Winchester and Eton require a similar entrance/CE score, are all boys and boarding so you shouldn't be allowed to accept both places. They also run their scholarships at the same time to avoid multiple applicants. Obviously keeping a less selective option open is wise unless your child is clearly very able. We turned down two out of three schools immediately and didn't bother with a non-selective school but we will be for our other son as he is an unknown quantity!