Prep or free state/grammar school before year 9 in ETON

[InduSub]

Hello Mums,

Are the kids who study in state/grammar schools before joining ETON in year 9, massively disadvantaged compare to the one from Prep?

Would greatly appreciate your valuable insight based on your experience and knowledge please.

I wouldn't call anyone joining Eton 'massively disadvantaged' whenever their starting point!

Once you have a conditional offer, article will advise if the proposed school will be suitable.

Going via scholarship, unless from a prep with a track record with the exam would be challenging

DYAC! Article was of course meant to be 'Eton'

You need to speak to the school and ask their advise re where your ds should attend for years 7-8.

We know a Kings Scholar who did years 7-8 in a super selective Grammar but I'm sure Eton will advise.

Thank you all!

Currently, DS is in a state school until year 6 and offered a place in Eton with New Foundation scholarship.
Eton is suggesting that DS has a high chance for Kings Scholarship (KS) and strongly recommending that we consider a prep school for year 7 and 8 which will not only prepare him for the KS but also in general for transition to Eton.
So, we have a decision to take – prep school or a top grammar school (which DS has already secured before Eton confirmation) for these next 2 years.

Possible top pros and cons for a Prep school, based on my limited idea and assumption:
Pros:
Proven KS preparation (even if he does not attain KS, still the preparation will be invaluable) considering he is from a state school until now, easy transition to Eton.
Cons:
Immediate Boarding (We were mentally prepared for him to go boarding from year 9, but not immediately now from year 7), what-if he is not able to self-organise (and distracted) to prepare for the very reasons he is sent to the prep at the first place – where he will lack the close care and monitoring from the parents.

On the other side, what is the realistic chances for him for KS from the Grammar school? I read in the earlier post by Lightsabre, it can be done. But considering Grammar school’s objectives are totally different, and kids are already under lots of work pressure, realistically what are the chances, and what kind of additional preparation it may need?

Many thanks again.

Who would be paying for the prep?

The prep advantage - assuming it's one with a scholarship set - is that it would make preparing for the KS much more fun amidst a like minded cohort. The ideas, concepts and discussions are significantly outside the normal yr 7/8 school curriculum.

As regards boarding - plenty of boys start at yr 9 with no disadvantage; but boarding for the two top years of prep is quite a lot of (this word again) fun. (If you're able to make friends quickly.)

I'm a little confused as to why a boy who has a Foundation Scholarship would need to pursue the KS ...

I'd imagine they would be equally capable of preparing for the KS independently at a state school - but it would be quite lonely.

Sorry, scratch my last paragraph - was conflating two things. Mostly because, as I said, I can't understand why you'd pursue the JS when you already have a FS.

KS, not JS ...

At some point he will need to learn to self organise and be independent, I would suggest that would be easier and less of a shock at the prep alongside others in similar situation. However more importantly what does he want to do? Are there really no day prep options for year 7 & 8?

I would think that some experience of boarding, even weekly or flexi a couple of days a week would only help prepare him. Eton is a big place and better for him to learn to organise himself with homework and as a self-starter without your support as early as possible. He won't have close care and attention from parents, he needs to use the systems of the school and go directly to his housemaster, tutor or beak rather than having his parents have any involvement. It's often more of a shift for the parents coming from day schools than it is for the boys so I would think some boarding experience now is good for you as well to get your head round it.

To add to what Xiaoxiong says, OP - you do need to be aware of just how often you will be picking your son up for days off, exeats, etc, etc, on top of expected holidays. Be prepared to be doing this roughly every other week at a full boarding prep. As well as turning up for sports, concerts, plays, and innumerable other events. You may find all this quite disruptive to family life if you're not used to it. In other words - if you opt for boarding prep choose one you can get to relatively easily: two hours distance is ok, three might be arduous, more might mean missing school events - but you will still have to collect him for all compulsory leave.

Hi all, thanks for taking your time out to share some thoughtful comments. Really appreciate it.
@MayIDestroyYou, the FS used to be a route for year 9 direct entry for the state school kids, but this year onwards it’s awarded at the time of selection from year 7 onwards. So essentially, one can still appear for KS which takes place by April in the admission year (year 9). Though it’s quite ceremonial, as I understand, it’s highly revered and also the preparation helps the kids immensely no matter what’s the outcome.
Re: the prep cost, as per Eton, since DS already cracked the FS, the prep school will be more than happy to offer him a place with financial support. We are already invited by one school to visit them.
Your point on KS preparation through prep school is extremely useful i.e. having a cohort vs preparing lonely (in state school). A cohort can undoubtedly encourage kids and keep them motivated.
@LizS and @Xiaoxiong, thanks for the insight on child’s readiness – it’s very much reassuring to hear since Boarding has been a complete unknown territory so far (even to think). Otherwise, DS is very much mentally prepared and excited with the prospect that he may land up in boarding soon this year itself should we decide on the prep-school route.
@MayIDestroyYou, fortunately we live in Berks, majority of the boarding schools are within 30 mins one way. So that’s a big relief. We are not considering the ones in Oxford.
@LIZS, what I have gathered so far that all the prep school (outside London) has got te mandatory boarding for year 7 and 8. I may be wrong, and I’m continuing to find more.
I will keep looking forward hearing your suggestions, and once we visit the schools around, we will be able to decide – hopefully. In parallel, I am also trying to find any parents who went through the similar processes and willing to share their experience over phone (if possible).
Many thanks again.

and also the preparation helps the kids immensely no matter what’s the outcome.

Hmm - you might want to ask a boy or two what they think about this ...

I suggest you do not seek phone conversations with strangers on the Internet. There are countless threads and comments on KS prep, boarding and this particular senior school on MN - people with experience of the process are often extremely generous with their knowledge. And once you've settled on a particular prep (if you do) you will have endless conversations with other parents of boys preparing for public school scholarships, as well as with relevant staff. (This is a more or less obvious advantage I forgot to mention before.)

Have you swerved Oxford because of the traffic?

There are plenty of preps that are not mandatory boarding for Year 7 & 8, but I think actually you should look for ones that are and take up a boarding place for these two years. I really do think that you getting your head around it now, in the gentler environment of a prep, will be better than going cold-turkey into the huge bustling environment of Eton where previously very involved parents are suddenly very much at arm's length. The boys usually are fine and quickly learn to organise themselves, do their own homework/music practice/find their own gear for sport and get straight on with it - it's the parents that sometimes have more difficulty adjusting to the difference between day and boarding and trusting their son to be independent!! Prep school teachers will be more tolerant as you learn the boundaries and where you must step back from the day to day.

At the same time, it will help you figure out exactly how much (or how little!) your son will be away - don't forget that boarding school holidays are long compared to day and especially compared to state schools (eg. my kids have 4 weeks at christmas, 4 full weeks for easter, 8 weeks in the summer) and you will also have the usual half terms plus exeats where you have to be there to pick him up at noon on a Thursday.

The final advantage is that the preps you're likely looking at for boarding in Years 7 & 8 will probably have other boys going to Eton too. It's no bad thing to bolster your son's confidence when he arrives at Eton to know that he already knows others who are going there and they're not all brilliant or super posh or super wealthy. It's unquestionably an easier transition if he knows he's heading to Eton from the Dragon or Sunningdale or Ludgrove or Papplewick with others who he knows are just like him and nothing to be intimidated by.

What did your DS have to do to be offered the FD this heat? As I have heard there has been no Eton test? Was it just the ISEB and the interview?

@bilbo , yes, at the end they conducted Eton List test as well this year!

@InduSub well done him!! Did he have to go to Eton to do the Eton List test or was that done online as well? What an amazing achievement

@BilboBagginsoftheShire, thanks for you kind words. It was conducted at Eton

@InduSub, The Eton list test is schedule in sept till early Oct for 2023 Y9 entry, your son need to take the list test before offering u a FS?