Eton pre-assesment. When would it be for a ds born in Feb 2004? Will it be in 2014 or 2015? Thank u in advance.

[Immenselygrateful]

On the eton website, it is stated that the assessment "takes place during Year 6 (in UK school years), close to the boy’s 11th birthday. Boys born September to February are assessed in the autumn term, and boys with March to August birthdays in the summer term."

I need your help with interpreting this for me. My ds was born in Feb 2004. Would he then be assessed in the autumn term of 2014 or 2015?

He will does? Where did that come from? Or do I mean, 'He still does'?

Thank you ZeroSome and Peteneras, for the reality check and guidance. Clearly ds and I both have a lot to do if he is to stand a chance.

Zero I wasn't interviewed when DS got his second major Eton scholarship, the King's Scholarship. I suppose Eton knew who we were by now on the basis of the JS three years prior.

Makes sense I suppose...

OP I'm glad you brought your query here - because you may now see that you were far from exploiting the opportunities available on your own doorstep. And thus being a little unfair in writing off the work ethic of an entire continent.

There are hundreds of thousands of children in Africa playing sport and learning instruments and being pushed by their parents to be the best they can be. If your current school is not facilitating these things might you consider - since you have the financial capability - finding a much better school for him to attend right now?

It's a long time till your DS is 13. In the meantime you might find he thrives in a more ambitious school closer to hand. I know nothing about where you are or what the possible schools might be but I don't believe there isn't one. Perhaps you'd decide he really doesn't need Eton? Or he'll decide that he needs to try much harder to get there....

As regards other UK schools - I suggest you look up the feeder schools to Eton and see which other senior schools the children leave for. Or start another thread!

Thank youZeroSome.

Immensely an alternative plan would be to consider somewhere like Westminster for sixth form boarding. That will allow him to mature into his own interests. Dreaminess allows space for imagination and thinking but unfortunately to benefit from full time boarding schools time for dreaminess is a scarce commodity. Boarding in the wrong environment for him may be counter effective. I say that as some one who thinks boarding is extremely positive for the right child.
Personally I would n't push your DS into activities to tick boxes if it goes against his character although obviously sport and music are great pastimes. I would try to find what might interest him. You say chess, does he perhaps like art or writing stories or computer programming or something else?

summer I also would be unwilling to go down the box-ticking route. But I do have experience of wanting to be somewhere - and then being completely lost when I got there because I simply hadn't experienced the stuff the other people had.

I know I omitted to point out, as I had intended, that these activities help to build qualities that can enrich academic work and social life. And I think it would be cruel to throw a child into that sort of environment with no mainstream personal resources. But on the other hand the cleverest ex-Etonian I know was scrupulous about avoiding all sport at school.

Zero I completely agree with you. Part of what I was trying to say is really what you and Peteneras have already voiced that however excellent a school Eton is, I would hesitate to send a boy who likes/ needs time to dream and with no inclination for sport. Similarly Harrow or any similar boarding school.

I also know of quite a few very impressive people who daydreamed their way through childhood and for them it gave them time to be creative.

OP, I’m sorry if I sounded harsh in my earlier post. What I did was just the prelude and an introduction to an Eton education. Believe me, Eton don’t mince their words when it comes to business. I don’t mean the commercial kind but in an educational sense which is what the School does best. You just have to read some of the school reports that are sent out every end of term to parents/guardians to see what I mean. Please do not be discouraged from what you have heard so far. Like I said, your boy is only 10 years old now and is behaving perfectly normally in everything you said about him. When my DS was 10, he spent anything between 4 and 6 hours playing Nintendo games EACH day and I’d always regretted the Playstation Console that I bought him. This was finally confiscated and was never to be seen again till this day.

Your son has the basic normal ingredients in him that can make him a strong candidate for Eton. Start working on him NOW to bring his dreamy world into reality focus. You have to take the lead, plan things for him, e.g. introduce him to music, take him to the museum, talk about current affairs, ask him questions and his opinions on anything you come across - really there is no end. Listen to his answers and opinions and respect them no matter how ridiculous. Challenge him kindly (even if you agree with his answers) to make him think outside the box. In time, he will change. That’s what I meant when I said his character needs to change. i.e. from lazy idleness to an alert mind. And two years is plenty of time for a 10-year-old to change. The football and swimming plans are a good start. Also, there are many Africans currently in Eton so it can be done!

Got to go now and I will reply your PM in due course.

If he is bright but not sporty how about Winchester - they can practically drop it after the first year. And it is full boarding.
I haven't found anyone who has any idea how one would cram or tutor for the Eton pre selection, although the country preps I can't help suspecting have some method. Getting through common entrance is another matter - you definitely need to talk tithe schools to see if your local schools can cover the syllabus and if not whether your bit would be able to do the reduced entrance exam option, where there is one.

You mention Whitgift are you aware that it's primarily a day school? I don't know it very well although a friend taught there but I think you'll find it' has a completely different ethos/style to Eton and Harrow.
Winchester is not as sporty as either Eton or Harrow and it's true that there are boys who do very little sport after the first half a term after starting and there is also very little compulsory major team sports. But Winchester will be looking for a boy who can offer other things instead of sport, music is big at Winchester but the standard is very high and intermediate players, basically (according to my DS's music scholar friend) anyone below grade 8 doesn't get much of a look in, the school runs lots of cultural extra curricular activities when other schools are doing compulsory sport and 4-5 plays a term. So what Im trying to say is that your DS would have to be interested/passionate about something although it doesn't have to be sport.