Eton King's Scholorship

[motherrye]

Hello

I'm new here, but have read many of the threads relating to Eton and found them extremely informative. I have some more specific questions which I hope you knowledgable lot can assist with.

I have applied for a King's scholarship for my 12 year old son and he is going to Eton a week on Tuesday to sit an initial test. He has never been before. I understand this test to be verbal and non verbal reasoning, maths and a short essay. Can anyone confirm that? Whilst I'm not particularly concerned about this (he scored full marks in his CAT test at his current senior school) however, when I discussed the requirements with the admissions department they indicated that as he has had no preparation for the final 3 days of exams in April/May he is very likely to be unsuccessful. He has had no coaching in any of these papers, although is bright.

Without preparation what would you say, in your experience his chances are? I've downloaded the previous papers and we still have a bit of time to look over them so he is used to the type of questions he will face.

Any practical advice would be most welcome. He's currently at a public school (as a day boy) but it's not very high achieving and he wants to leave to go somewhere 'more challenging'

I look forward to hearing your responses. Please be honest. I want to be realistic!

Thanks you all.

[foggyuplands]

You judge a kitchen by the food it sends out. My dc currently go to a private school so I'm not totally against them.
That said the current Etonians I could name wouldn't fill me with much confidence in the school!

[peteneras]

The current Etonians are not only David Cameron and Boris Johnson. You are limiting your field of vision to a tiny spot on earth - the Westminster village - and even then, you have missed the likes of Zac Goldsmith, Oliver Letwin, Kwasi Kwarteng to name but a few. OEs are everywhere on earth in all fields, including many currently saving lives and limbs e.g. like my DS, even as I type this note. . .

[LovingLola]

I’m well aware there are many past pupils who are doing great things with their lives. It’s just a pity for Eton that it will be forever linked with the architects of Brexit.

[cakeisalwaystheanswer]

Zac Goldsmith was expelled from Eton. There is not a shortage of old Es in the public eye, no need to pick on someone who would rather forget their time there.

[peteneras]

If truth be known, I can't thank David Cameron enough for giving us the chance for Brexit (though he's a Remainer himself) and I can't wait for Jacob Rees-Mogg to deliver errh. . . No Deal, please, Jacob!

[peteneras]

So he was...expelled! Rightly or wrongly.

But it seems wrongly in this particular case.

And well done, Eton! No nonsense, no excuse of any kind. That's what makes you Great!!!

[ScholarshipHopeful]

I think politicians are politicians, it takes a certain type of personality to go into running for Prime Minister, I don’t think you can blame Eton for that!
Eton will work on & improve on what they are given (the child) the vision and career path will more often come from the family & the individual.
MPs are going to be hated by half the country whatever choices they make, be it Leave or Remain,

[ScholarshipHopeful]

Thank you spellingtest!
He’ll love the experience, but the more I research, the more I see it as impossible. His current school aren’t showing much support which I find strange. He was sent to the library to do practice papers, but then no-one was interested in marking. He’s back for half term now with nothing to work on except practice papers (which I have printed for him) But if they aren’t marked & gone over with him by a teacher he isn’t going to progress

[spellingtest]

@ScholarshipHopeful if my son had been successful I was going to get him to do the past papers then get a tutor (or a teacher at school, although I would have had to pay) to mark them. My eldest son is a maths teacher. He was more than happy to coach his brother with the maths aspect. I will ask him, and I'm very sure he would be more than happy to mark the maths papers for you and possibly have a Skype to go over corrections. Can you PM on here? No idea and I'm new.
Happy to help! I will now live vicariously through your sons journey.

[spellingtest]

@FourRedShoes -wonderful reply!

[foggyuplands]

I've nothing particularly against Eton but it is worth pointing out that while a school has the opportunity to select as vigorously as this one must to end up with such a collection of alumni is at best a touch careless.
It would suggest either they select dc with these traits or they develop these traits in the dc they select.
I'm sure there are dc who attend Eton and have more developed critical thinking for example, a basic law of averages would suggest this.
Different schools promote different values and competencies. As I know nothing about what Eton states it promotes I can only judge what they might be on the people it produces.

[peteneras]

In my many, many years experience with Eton - I'm still involved with the School today in a certain aspect of school life - I can, hand on heart, say the School promotes Everything and Nothing iyswim.

The only thing it strenuously promotes is EXCELLENCE ! The rest is up to the boy himself - a villain or a hero - your call!

[QuaterMiss]

foggyuplands the selection processes (and possibly the selection criteria) for this particular school are very different now to those that pertained thirty or forty years ago. (I can say this with some confidence as I've been rather closely involved with different generations of people who attended in the past or are there now.)

And both in the past and present there exist numerous alumni and future alumni who are nothing like those whose unsavoury reputations cause such dismay and despair.

[MartyBaron]

My DS’s father was a KS. He says it’s not all that much fun - huge pressure to be top of everything all the time, which is almost impossible to live up to.

He thinks it’s better to go in as an oppidan and then (if you are any good) get elected an OS “on the job” so to speak, which is what his eldest DS did.