WINCHESTER Scholarship examination

[A1mums]

Hi all, can anyone kindly share their experiences with top boarding schools Scholarship examinations?
What is the success rate for year 9 entry?

The number of scholarships available at any school will probably be made plain on their website.

You can find out the average number of candidates by phoning the school and asking, if that information is not also on the website.

There was this thread a few months ago. It was about Westminster, but there is some useful information about other schools as well.

Your question is rather vague, if you don't mind me saying so!

Many thanks for both the posts.

Are you asking with regard to a particular boy? If so, what stage is he currently at?

If you are asking for a general overview you can probably find that from reading some of the more recent independent school threads here.

Thanks again Grauch. My little boy is taking the Election 2016. He is not in any prep schools so bit concerned about securing the place. He has been very good with his academics until now and we did go through the websites and the past papers. He is very interested in Wimchester college.

You've not had much response here; let me bump and maybe HappyGardening can help. I fear, though, that the answer might be that the success rate for getting a scholarship at Winchester not from a school used to preparing boys for Election might be "as near zero as makes no difference". Winchester doesn't seem to publish the Election Roll, but I'm pretty sure all boys to get scholarships at Eton in recent years have been at prep school or international school. I'd be surprised (and interested) if Winchester were much different in that regard, despite the differences in their exams.

As far as I understand about 14 scholars are admitted each year, I'm not sure how many actually sit the election but I do know quite a few in my DS's year who sat it and weren't successful. I would suggest you ask the admissions dept they always seem very helpful.
Do you have a place already or is your DS on the waiting list for a place? As far as I'm aware most sitting the election already have a definite place. The school used to publish on line a list of those who were successful and what preps they were at, but now for some reason they don't but from what I remember nearly all came from preps with a long history of success in the election e.g. Dragon Summer Field.
A few years ago a mum PMd me whose DS was not at a prep but was studying for it at home I don't think he was successful.
The obvious questions are: where is your DS now? You don't need to name it but is it a state school or independent? What help are they giving him?
Why is your DS doing it? It's purely a status thing there is no financial reward and bursaries (if you need one) are available to all. There is no difference between what is offered to college men and commoners, my DS sits in the same classes as many from college, and the school in a recent report said the differences between many scholars and commoners is now is very small if it exists at all, many commoners do as well if not better, some refuse to even sit the Election (my DS wouldn't even consider it) as they don't want to live in College.
College I believe is dorms all the way because the building is so old and space is at a premium and I think it doesn't have its own garden, although of course it's next to the schools grounds, apparently the food is good, although in fairness food seems to be improving across the board.

College does have single bedrooms for 6th formers (6th Book?), but the younger boys sleep in dorms. I think the dorms get smaller as they get older. They are arranged in 4 Chambers and they change round each term so they all get to know each other.
No garden: as Happygardening says, they are in the main grounds and have access to the playing fields and School gardens.
I'm not sure why DS insisted on trying for College. He did have a place at one of the other houses following his interview, subject to passing the entrance exam. I know that he loved Election and came home absolutely full of it - you'd have thought he'd been on a holiday
He's very happy and settled in College. Food is very good - he's a boy that appreciates his food and the meals we've attended have been excellent.
He attended a prep that had sent boys to Winchester before: there were a couple from DS's year that went to other houses. They're still friends.
However, I don't think they're looking for what the boys know, more the way they think and approach problems.

Tanith is right. I know of several boys who were successful without having being prepared by their schools. Unlike Eton KS which is mainly about how fast tracked academically a bright boy has been the Election papers seem more open to showing ability to think through complex problems and show originality and wide reading. The only exception really is for the languages where to do well a boy must have a very good level which is more easily acquired in some schools. If a boy is an outstanding natural mathematician or writer then they have as good a chance as boys prepared by the well known preps.