Eton, Harrow, Winchester, or Westminster?

[MECC]

So our son is in prep school, and it's around the time that we begin considering which schools he should apply for.
His marks are very good and he enjoys reading. He is apathetic to sport, so we think an unashamedly academic school may be good for him. That's why we initally thought Eton and Harrow were probably not good choices, although we don't want to completely rule them out.
The issue with Westminster is that os only boards during weekends. It is also partially coeducational, and we want our son to have an all-male education.

Now you're just contradicting yourself, you claim to have walked around Eton years ago and that's the closest you've ever come into contact and know about Eton. So, how do you know so much about the people it produces and what they represent?

I suggest, the truth of the matter is that you've never been anywhere near 20 miles within the vicinity of Eton and your outdated and prejudiced view of the school is borned out of jealousy and reverse snobbery. Go get yourself a life and be open-minded. For your information, there are many at Eton today who come from a worse background than yours and the fact that they are there today is because they are open-minded and don't, unlike you, have a chip log on their shoulders.

My eldest boy was a scholar at Winchester. Back in the day when it was a 50%...
He LOVED it....there is sport but it is not pushed on boys. Surprisingly, even the most non sporty -did begin codevelop an interest !

For academically, self motivated boys- particularly classicists and linguists, it is outstanding but ALL of the boys he was there with did fantastically and most important - were very very happy.....many different boys are there not just prep school feeders . Manners Makyth Man - 100% in Wincolls case.

Eton has been around for centuries and is a big school. How silly to condemn it based on a couple of its pupils.
David Cameron’s brother went there and he was one of the youngest barristers to be appointed a QC. But he’s a twat too, I suppose?

". . .One of the schools has in the last couple of weeks won the national under 15 cricket,the youll trophy in tennis and the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup at Henley. . ."

And this particular school has the only black face rowing for the winning team in the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup (2019) I've seen anywhere in what is a predominantly elite white sport here at Henley or even The Olympics.

And they tell me about "the people the school produces"!

Lord Almighty!

So what's the joke about Harrow?

OP. Get off advice from MN. Do your own research thoroughly and visit the schools. My son goes to one of the schools mentioned. So I am wY ahead of you but I am not going to promote or advise. Do it without Mumsnet

If wanting equal opportunities for all and disliking a system which promotes a born to rule attitude means I have a chip on my shoulder I am happy to admit to that. In fact I'd happily admit to having a whole forest.

"So what's the joke about Harrow?"

Here, the 12th posting 24/05/2011timed at 14:13.

The reason why I spent the whole afternoon asking you whether you've been anywhere near Eton is to try to tell you that Eton does NOT have a system which promotes a born to rule attitude!

In my nearly two decades involvement with the school - and still involved every year - I can categorically tell you I've NEVER heard a single word or seen a single action or gesture promoting what you said above by anyone from the School starting at the top from The Provost, through to the housemasters, the teachers, the boys and even the parents right down to the groundsmen and cleaners, etc.

Yes, the school promotes good, clean and fierce competitions and unashamedly seek to achieve excellence in everything they do. They don't tell you how to lead your life; you tell them what you want/hope to achieve in life and they go out of their way within reason to help you achieve your goal.

If you turn out to be a career criminal or a twatty prime minister, that's not Eton's fault anymore than it's the fault of the comprehensive school(s) that Ian Brady and Myra Hindley attended that made them child killers.

My mother (aged 80) tells of a joke from her uni days. 4 men in a room when a women enters. The Etonian says ‘this woman should be offered a chair’, the Harrovian says ‘someone should fetch one’, the Westminster boy gets a chair and the Wykhamist sits in it.

I know this isn't the right thread for this discussion . . But for f**ks sake pete, we all of us know far too much about Eton, without having to go within 100 miles of the place. If you've worked in the media law industry or yes politics, you'll have had reams of Old Etonians as colleagues or more likely bosses. You're right, it has produced more Prime Ministers than all state schools put together since there have been state schools - and then some - and howwudu is also right in that it should feel ashamed of itself for this recent bunch of over-entitled, self-promoting (that's the only thing they are really good at) general-incompetents. The fact that Etonians predominate still demonstrates one thing only; that wealth and connections still count for far more than intelligence competence or a genuine interest in public service, which is something of which all of us - but especially that School and the others which propagate this injustice and mediocrity - just look at this bad joke of a country FFS! - should be deeply ashamed.

The fact that you have been involved with Eton for 20 years says everything you need to know about the school peteneras. You are aggressive, self-righteous and clearly always have to be right. You treat anyone who disagrees with you with contempt. No doubt you fit in so wonderfully well and it’s little wonder most of the UK hate the place.

Not RTFT but am very interested in why anyone would want their son to have an all male education. We specifically chose against private for this very reason as we want our DS's to have a mixed education! Will now RTFT

I work in the law. It is not riddled with etonians by any means. On the contrary my generation is very much the grammar school generation (although I suspect there is less social mobility lower down the profession). The etonians I have met professionally have been extremely able and delightful people. As a school it wouldn’t suit my ds but if it did I wouldn’t hesitate to send him. There is no law that says these places must continue to be successful and Eton still is, because it’s very good at what it does.

*In my nearly two decades involvement with the school - and still involved every year - I can categorically tell you I've NEVER heard a single word or seen a single action or gesture promoting what you said above by anyone from the School starting at the top from The Provost, through to the housemasters, the teachers, the boys and even the parents right down to the groundsmen and cleaners, etc.

Yes, the school promotes good, clean and fierce competitions and unashamedly seek to achieve excellence in everything they do. They don't tell you how to lead your life; you tell them what you want/hope to achieve in life and they go out of their way within reason to help you achieve your goal*

This is absolutely true.

I think it's a great shame that so many people have strong opinions about a school they've never been to, or where they've never sent their children. I don't presume to comment on schools that I know nothing about in real life, and I rather wish others wouldn't comment on my son's school.

Eton has been spectacularly brilliant in every possible way for my son. I'd sacrifice any number of goats or whatever to the gods in return for his place.

He is not the easiest boy in the universe, but the school has been faultless in all its dealings with him. It's also the very nicest, warmest, friendliest place. Pastoral care is light years better than that at my other children's day schools. I couldn't recommend it more highly.

So pleased that it’s been great for all your sons. Pity it’s been a disaster for the rest of the UK because of the PMs it’s produced. David Cameron has no worries about imposing austerity on the poorest in society probably because he believes that Olen’s don’t matter. Boris lied through his teeth to get the UK out of the EU no matter how badly this will impact ordinary people. I think it’s I coincidence they both attended Eton. They do what they want and don’t give a toss about the consequences for the so called lower classes.

Two people - two - are cited as evidence for the proposition that all the alumni of a school, which has educated thousands over centuries, are assholes.
I’m sorry but this is idiotic.

The two most recent. There have been others who are just are awful. How these men have succeeded is beyond me. No hang on. They went to the right school, got promoted beyond their actual talent and royally fucked the rest of us over. The British class system has a lot to answer for.

It's not the school on its own, Big Ball - it's the old-school system of power monopolisation, of which Eton is an absolutely integral part. Meaning that in every commanding area of activity, over-entitled, self-absorbed, wilfully ignorant mediocrity is in charge. . . . Which has got us to where we are now, a hopelessly divided nation in political crisis, on the brink of falling apart, social services crumbling on all sides; falling into self-inflicted recession about to make everything a whole lot worse.

Two people - two - are cited as evidence for the proposition that all the alumni of a school, which has educated thousands over centuries, are assholes. I’m sorry but this is idiotic

^^ This.

It really isn’t idiotic. What’s idiotic is that we have a class system which allows these fools to succeed in the first place.

I don't think there's much to be gained from engaging in a class war debate. The OP asked about schools, and some parents who have had children at the schools she mentioned have given her the benefit of their experiences.

How old is your son, @MECC ?

The plebs aren’t allowed to have an opinion. And they wonder why we hate them

To generalise about thousands of people on the basis of two absolutely is idiotic I’m afraid.
What you mean is I don’t like posh people, and they’re the only group in society who people who fancy themselves progressive are allowed to slag off, and so I’m going to indulge myself. If it affords you enjoyment go ahead, but don’t ask me to take it seriously, because I can’t.

I don’t mind posh people. I do mind people who form exclusive clubs to promote their own and keep others out. I do mind people who go into politics for their own egos rather than to help the rest of society. I also don’t like people who their money in offshore trusts rather than pay the taxes they owe. I think this sums up a lot of Etonians and I think if you were in any way honest you’d admit it’s true.