Eton

[Riversiderunner]

Our son is 8 (Year 4) and quite bright - not amazingly so, but pretty good. Best reader in his class, top set of maths, quite shy though, which holds him back. And appalling handwriting, but hopefully he's getting better.

He is currently at a good state primary. And I am wondering what his chances would be of getting into Eton.

Can anyone advise? I've got the Good Schools Guide and see they take some from state schools, though not many, and understand why that may be. I also know he'll need to do a couple of years post-primary before he goes to big school anyway.

I just wondered if I was mad thinking he might be able to, or if competition is so fierce that there's no way a child who hasn't been at a prep school can get in.

(I know quite a few OEs and I've got to say they're not exactly all of them the sharpest tools in the box. They're confident, charming, at ease, blah blah, but certainly not my cleverest friends, by a long chalk.)

On another note, would we be better off putting him into a private school for years 5 and 6 before he does the test Eton puts them through? Or should we leave him in his good and lovely state primary and hope that he does well in the test I think they offer for children from state schools.

If anyone has any thoughts I'd love to hear them!

I agree with Darkling (waves) I don't live in London so am not talking from personal experience but many boys at Winchester do and they seem to get back and forth to school very easily on public transport (I would love for my DS to be able to do that) so I wouldn't personally see living in Lindon as an issue I think it's less than an hour on the train.

"I suspect the applications per acceptance/successful applicants is a a little bit more nuanced than the bald numbers would like imply"
I agree I suspect quite a few register their DS for Eton because it's Eton and who may not be academically suitable, whereas Winchester is not a famous and has a very long history of being very academic both points I suspect put some prospective parents off. Others I know don't like the admissions system; choosing a house before you have a place, and I think some are put off by the annual Winchester prospective pupil open day, the school does not ram it's ethos down people's throats and some come away not really getting what it's all about and therefore decide it's not for them.

happygardening they made it very clear that they didn't want those who came in the top 10% of their computer generated test - ahem, there is a ?typo there - I think what you (or at least they) meant to say was that they didn't want all of those who came in the top 10% of their computerised test! They certainly do accept some who do, but the other elements of assessment are important too, so someone who does very well in the test can still fail to get in. A blanket policy of rejecting all who come in the top 10% would really make the task of people who like to try to prepare for the test hard!

While I'm typing, I've seen you talk about the "ten minute" interviews at E often before, so for the record, let me say that that's not what my DS experienced. It wasn't the hour-plus that I hear of from W (and I can certainly see that that has its advantages, though we preferred the greater objectivity of E's procedures) but he reckoned he'd been in for half an hour, and even if he over-estimated, I'm pretty sure that the conversation he recounted couldn't have been done in less than twenty minutes.

Things may have changed since I listened to the man in charge of admissions talk (twice) but he drew this diagram and clearly stated that they rejected those who sat the computerised test and came out in the top 10% were rejected. We know three who were rejected and then did very very well in the KS and got in that way.
With regard to the the interview DS2's pre school head took four for interview (and test) he confirmed it was 8-10 minutes logically how can it be any a evinterviewed? Interestingly SPS only interviewed DS2 for max 10 mins I was amazed at what they fitted in such a short time.
I personally like the fact that Wnchesters selection process is not objective and that the decision is made by one person, even any testing varies from house to house (least it used too).

Definitely neither what they say nor what they do now! Interesting.

So a wave to Happy.

To OP, I would just say - give it a go. I am a mother of a Wykhamist but I would absolutely say Eton is also a fine school . I'm joking , of course it is a great school and you should give it a go IMHO.

I found a report from the Tutor for Admissions in a recent OE Association Review. It refers to the academic year 2011/12, when they would have been selecting boys for 2014 entry.

He begins by refuting the rumours that 'Eton is now an academic hothouse not interested in the all-rounder'.

I believe that there have been occasions recently when none of the top 10 scorers have been offered a place, but I think it is not entirely true to say that excluding them is an actual objective, more a happenstance. As he went on to say - 'Approximately a third of the boys who are ranked in the top 100 of the computer reasoning test are not offered conditional places: they are nudged out of the running by boys with a more convincing all-round profile and whom we judge will make a stronger contribution to the life of the school.'

He finishes by pointing out that 'There is no doubt that the school is a more diverse place now that it was thirty or forty years ago: entry to the school then was very much in the hands of a clutch of feeder schools whose products progressed comfortably to Eton, whereas now an average F Block will be drawn from around 100 schools with a growing number coming to us direct from the state sector.'

I believe that there have been occasions recently when none of the top 10 scorers have been offered a place, but I think it is not entirely true to say that this an actual objective.

I think you are right, Indrid. My understanding was that the test comes into play at the beginning and at the end of the process. Initially it identifies, and effectively reject,s those boys who would struggle at Eton academically. The interview process (and school report etc) then identify the boys with the characteristics best suited to the school ("all-round profile" etc). Lots of cases are very tight. The panel may then use the test results again as a tie-breaker.

I may be wrong.

You sound like an Eton admissions tutor, grovel. Or perhaps you are one (?). You are so convincing - I'm totally convinced anyway.

I was talking to someone a few months ago who was in charge of admissions for another over subscribed school. He was saying lots of time is spent agonising over who to accept and who not too. He admitted its inevitable that mistakes are made in terms of those they reject and accept. He also said the school is very aware that parents and children will be very disappointed by rejection and many parents repeatedly contact the admissions office after children have been rejected trying to persuade the school to change their minds.
Not a job I would want.

And then in some cases they have to go through it all again for university. A friend of mine said the course he ran at Imperial used to get 2000+ applicants for 200 places!

@Riversiderunner which school did your DS go to in the end? I spotted this thread as state educated DS wants to go to Eton. Wondering the chances. By my reckoning your DS would have joined last year if he did go