Wellington College vs King's School, Canterbury

[pupsi]

My DS was offered a place at both schools. He will be a full boarder. He is outgoing, clever but a bit lazy. He is also very young as he is doing his GCSE a yearly. So I am worried that he will be the youngest in the sixth form. Any advise?

I am sorry I don't know about the schools you haven mentioned - but am I to understand that your son will be skipping a year and do his GCSEs early and thus also his A-levels early? And he will be joining in the sixth form?
If so, I really think it depends on how mature he is. My sister did the same and I think that she suffered for it - being the very youngest and less mature than her fellow class mates she did not feel like she belonged when they started partying etc. etc.
When it came to my turn, my parents refused to do the same again.
That said, if he is mature and he is in a caring and nurturing environment, there is nothing to say that he won't be very successful indeed.
Sorry, not much help at all am I?

I know boys who have successfully completed 6th form a year early at boys' boarding schools. It really depends on maturity and self confidence. The ones I know who did it were super bright with strong personalities. They did not seem young. Once you have set out on this course of action, it is difficult to reverse it. However, delayed entrance to university can help if you feel he needs a year to mature.

I know two boys who were a year ahead, both scholars into top boarding schools at yr 9, in both cases the parents regretted it but it sounds like you don't have a lot of choice.

My son had to jump a year when we moved overseas last year as the small international school thought he would be completely bored otherwise. He doesn't find the igcse material hard but is still bored but that, I now know, is because the school does not offer anything interesting with no good teaching or facilities. Lucky for him he is born at the end of October so in the U.K. he used to be on the older side.

Both are excellent schools and both will deliver on the academic side. We have/had DC at Kings and have been very happy with it. There are a few out of year students in every year - older and younger. Those who are younger have usually come from systems where school year groups are determined by calendar year. So for 6th form entry next September in addition to the September 99 to August 2000 cohort, there will be a few born between September and December 2000. These few months make no big difference at that age. I think if your DS had been entering younger you might have been given the option of repeating a year. Some families do this, some do not. But at 16 this is not a choice. This will be the same at Kings and Wellington.
All of these schools have top facilities and top teaching. For us, the big selling point of Kings is that it is full boarding or day. It does not empty out at the weekend - 80% plus of the students will be there. It also has a unique campus and is in a town - particularly important as they get older. One of my DCs was a musician - Kings strong in this area.

MsMArgaretHale thank you for the information. We are leaning toward Kings because it is full boarding and ds prefers Kings to Wellington. He thinks it will be more fun which makes me a bit worried as I know Wellington will push him. i hope Kings will too.

Pupsi - I do not think you should have any worries on that score. He will definitely be pushed - by teachers, peers and himself!