So how do you try for Eton then?

[Newyearchanger]

I read that you can try common entrance at 13, but I also saw comments about putting a child's name down.... What does that mean?

You're obviously not just a pretty face.

Oh, I don't know Shayne - I should think that particular boy would be one that any school would want to rescue.....

OP forget all the rubbish. If your DS is the kind of child who looks at a KS Latin paper with relish then it really would be worthwhile to at least investigate entering him.

There are obviously other schools you might consider as well. Particularly as you say he enjoys learning and has a record of academic achievement.

I guess the big question is whether his current school would prepare him. Is he the penultimate year of prep or the first year of an 11+ senior school? Although I've heard lots of stories of KS tutors I can't imagine how one would cover everything necessary without current school help.

As far as I understand things they would want a boy who was awarded a KS to actually take up his place - so would probably do everything possible to make that happen.

”The Kings Scholarship or KS as it is known is notoriously difficult but anyone can enter their DS for it I believe.”

Not true.

There are some eligibility criteria to meet, amongst others, a candidate must have taken the computerised Eton List Conditional Place Test and achieved a score satisfactory to Eton; and the boy’s current head teacher must write a report to demonstrate to Eton’s satisfaction that the boy is sufficiently strong academically to sit the Scholarship examination.

Not all prep school head teachers are prepared to do this to risk making a fool of themselves if the boy is not up to par and worse still to the detriment of the prep school’s future candidates!

This is what you want OP.

He would have to take and pass the computerised test to gain access to the KS exams but not until the KS year.

The only disadvantage of this route, ie not already being in possession of a conditional place, is that if he doesn't get a KS he doesn't get in.

We know several boys who are on bursaries at Eton, and I believe that most of them are 50% of the fees, if that helps. It's still an eye watering amount of money...

From Zerosum's link, it looks as if you will also need your DSs current school to be on board with your plans, as your son already has a scholarship. Do call the Admissions office for more info, though, as they are the experts - they are very helpful. And best of luck to you if you do decide to go ahead. Nothing ventured nothing gained .

Silly question at the end of the thread but any parents o sons actually there... Is it an excellent school?

Believe me NewYear the Eton parents who post here regularly are extremely enthusiastic about their school, I am certainly convinced of its perfection

That's great summerends :)

I live far away so it really would be "sending him away to school " Difficult to know if that will feel right in a year and a half.

He is yr 7 first year of secondary school

I'm sure what you actually meant is

" Would it be an excellent school for your DS? "

Sorry, should have emphasised that I have never been to Eton but those enthusiastic parents will come along to give you their viewpoints.

summerends

Norty

Eton has a very loyal following and IME the vast majority of parens there are very happy with it. Other parents look at it and feel its just not their cup of tea and choose to send their DS's to what are in their view at the very least as good and at the very least as selective boarding/day schools because they just feels its not the right place for their individual DS.

”Although I've heard lots of stories of KS tutors I can't imagine how one would cover everything necessary without current school help.”

That’s precisely it, Zero, . . . they are stories, nothing more than stories! I’ve also heard claims of ultra expensive private tutors in central London ‘specialising’ in KS exams. But so far, I do not know of one single King’s Scholar who’d made it to College because of his private tuition from private tutors. At least not in the last 10 years.

Let’s face it, a boy who needs extra private tuition from private tutors has no place at College. He would be sunk in no time at all! This is the official word from Eton about the kind of boys they are admitting to College, ”. . . the examiners are keen to reward boys who show real ability. . .”

Even the Master-in-College (Housemaster of College) is very carefully screened and selected. To take on the combined brain power of 70 King’s Scholars under one roof (often at the same time) requires the calibre of someone related to Superman! That’s why the current incumbent is truly amazing, not least because she’d beaten a few well qualified men to the post but also the first ever female housemaster to be appointed at Eton.

So, don’t waste your money on private tutors hoping to become a KS.

Newyearchanger - my ds left Eton 2 years ago. It was the best thing that ever happened to him and he loved it. He has got a great bunch of mates from there who I think and hope will be friends forever.

summerends, generally speaking, Eton parents are extremely enthusiastic about their school because they have first-hand experiences and involvements with the school and therefore, know what the school is really like - quite unlike the casual observers who get all worked up because of the ‘ETON’ word and who know nothing about the School except their own prejudices.

Newyearchanger, is it an excellent school, you asked. That must be the understatement of the year!

Eton produces† and knows of nothing but excellence!

† Like in all production lines, there may be a dud or two that emerges at the end of the process every now and again.

They get away with called a minor fee reduction a 'scholarship' because it gets them Charitable Status and all the tax loopholes that go with it. Its that cynical.

Spawn of Toffs indeed. If you want you child to look down on most other people for the rest if his life, and think that money is everything, then a posh private school is probably the best way to achieve it.

MrsBright

No most schools now give smaller scholarships so they can channel the funds into larger means tested bursaries. That way if you are talented and rich you don't get much money off but if you are talented and not so rich you are likely to get a much bigger reduction.

I have to say 10 % doesn't sound like a heck of a reduction for a Kings Scholar

Mrs Bright - my ds doesn't look down on anyone and nor does he, or any of my family, think money is everything.
You sound as if you have got a big chip on your shoulder

”. . .quite unlike the casual observers who get all worked up because of the ‘ETON’ word and who know nothing about the School except their own prejudices.”

Inevitably, they are bound to show up. Some people just will not learn or simply don’t want to learn. Next, they’ll complain how life has dealt them a bad hand.

Newyearchanger, take it from me, if your DS is good enough to get a King’s Scholarship from Eton (or any academic scholarship), Money is the last thing you should worry about sending him to Eton. Never mind about 10% reduction, depending on your family circumstances, your son can and will get even 110% reduction. Yes, that’s one hundred and ten percent I’m talking about, no typo here!

The overs being free sets of new uniform and even pocket money to boot. Eton is on record to say it does not want money to be the cause of preventing a deserving boy from going to Eton.

Floreat Etona!

Thanks for that, I will look at the KS application

My son's at Eton, so here's our experience in case that might be helpful.

Regarding the pre-test for which Eton advises you can't prepare - you can prepare.
He was already highly advanced in Maths - I had to find an outstanding Math tutor, because the dull, standardised forms embedded in resources like Bond are useless as prep for Eton.

Having taken that on board, we decided to have him tutored in Logic, and he learned a lot about that per se, but also about Lateral Thinking. This was to prove more than useful, possibly instrumental toward his success - both in the math's paper and at interview, when he was presented with a passage to discuss.

In prep for English, we tutored him in Composition and Comprehension from 8.5 yrs. Perhaps it helped having him at a good prep school,
but I think Eton just liked his enthusiasm and activity level. Eg: he plays a lot of tennis, he always has two or three books on the go. Also they seemed very interested when he told them he could calculate his position at sea (he comes sailing with me ) using only a watch and an old fashioned sextant - which he explained.

He isn't musical, but we've since discovered that a lot of the successful boys were very advanced.

Main points: your boy will probably need to show more than typified thought processes in maths ( even if he has an outstanding average calculated at 2 or 3 years ahead of his year group) and be highly interested and engaged at interview. (If not a sport, then music.)

GOOD LUCK

My stepson is also at Eton - you simply need to prepare by working bloody hard at logic papers, and as we did at GCSE papers. That helped, but his dad went there too so maybe that helped too....

We heard back from Eton last week with the news that our DS has been offered a place for 2016. We were all surprised, including him, as he felt that his interview didn't go very well. Clearly, they liked the fact that when they asked him what activities he liked to do during the holidays (we live in Spain), he struggled to find anything to say apart from "playing football and wrestling with my younger brother". Refreshingly normal and boyish for a 10 year old. He has not been tutored and is a naturally bright, hard-working boy who thrives on competition. He told us that the computerised test was fine and that he seemed to do well on that.

I feel extraordinarily lucky that I don't live in an environment where coaching/tutoring is the norm. That would really stress me out, as well as my son who would hate that pressure.

Maybe they liked him because he was unaffected and behaved like a "real" 10 year boy should behave.

BTW, we have no links whatsoever with Eton. His dad is Spanish and went to the local school in a village in Northern Spain. I'm a North London girl with a dad who left school at 14. Normal folks.

Wow! Congulaturations Yogadeeva. Congs and best wishes to your DS too.