Is Westminster School the best school on Earth? STATESMOM returns

[statesmom]

I have a lot to say, don't know if anyone remembers the thread. Let me know if you want to hear from me.

How does one know if a school is "left leaning" or centrist? Where would SevenOaks fall?

@Araminta1003 I don’t think US moms are sharing details of their kids coaching with each other.
A lot of my eldest DCs friends at her Ivy went to the New York schools that are seen as feeders for the Ivies. They say you would never tell anyone who your coach is, it would be seen as giving up an advantage. It is incredibly competitive.

One of them offered to introduce my second DC to his coach which was a huge honour but we declined so I never found out how much it would cost.

New York City is out of control.

I posted a while ago a firm that has an 8 year plan for college coaching for $1.5 million.

Not a joke. It was in the New York Times. Crazy.

If you're here in the UK and can get a good US college consultant, you are in SO much better a position than someone applying from NYC, CT, LA, etc.

@Arsenal4Ever

“About Westminster School Westminster School is the perfect environment for happy and purposeful pupils. Pupils are intellectually, socially, ethically and politically engaged and our aim is to ensure that their enthusiasm for learning is developed further, allowing them to take full advantage of the opportunities presented to them in the future. While the School is one of the foremost centres of academic excellence in the country, its commitment to academic life does not make it a hothouse for passing examinations. Pupils’ success at examinations and entry to leading universities is instead a result of their enjoyment of academic enquiry, debate and search for explanation, well beyond published syllabuses. It is important also that pupils have the freedom to lead on projects outside of the classroom and embrace a whole range of extra-curricular activities and interests. A host of pupil-led Societies take place every week at the School and pupils can choose to study an additional language, play an instrument or two, volunteer in the local community, row along the Thames, take part in plays and musicals, and much more. The School’s ethos resides in the enduring values of the liberal tradition reflected in the 1560 Charter of Westminster’s Elizabethan foundation, where it is stated that: ‘the youth which is growing to manhood, as tender shoots in the wood of our state, shall be liberally instructed in good books to the greater honour of the state’. Whilst academic and cultural attainments are highly prized at Westminster, the School is fully committed also to nurture each pupil’s spiritual, moral, emotional and physical development and wellbeing – with a particular emphasis on drawing out individual talent wherever it lies – and to prepare young people for fulfilled private and public lives.”

https://teacheroo.io/employer/company/901/Westminster-School

I could put the same paragraph to a local secondary school in Clacton-on-Sea, except for the Elizabeth foudation part. But that’s not very left-leaning, is it?

Definitely this. In my DC year at Westminster one kid (who wasn’t at the top of his year) and was tutored in History for both the HAT for Oxford and for his History A level, He was forever known as the kid who couldn’t make the cut under his own steam. Being able to make the cut untutored at Westminster is seen as a badge of honour between the students.

From the Sevenoaks School website: “Continued success also depends on maintaining and articulating our particular spirit of liberal internationalism; a curriculum built around the International Baccalaureate and our own Middle School programme, a powerful service ethos, a distinctive educational influence and a truly cosmopolitan student body.”

@ConfusedBrit it’s called “spirit of liberal internationalism”.

@Arsenal4Ever has told me off for bringing politics into it. Of course, schools are supposedly apolitical but they all have a distinct ethos which is closely related to a type of politics. It is quite difficult to understand that if you don’t have loads of friends with kids already attending these institutions.

Anyone wishing to know more start researching the governing bodies. Tells you a thing or two about state academies as well, by the way.

I bet those of you who have been to different Ivies and other schools will tell a similar story on “ethos” and particular affiliations.

Of course, schools are supposedly apolitical but they all have a distinct ethos which is closely related to a type of politics. It is quite difficult to understand that if you don’t have loads of friends with kids already attending these institutions.

This is like claiming there’s a unicorn in the house that only you can see.

Having been to Westminster, the idea that it’s some leftie cabal is laughable, it’s true it’s not a Sloaney home counties place at all, the vibe in my day anyway was cool and intellectual, but it is still a place of immense privilege. my friend who went there to have all sorts of different political leanings.

Hrtft - sorry! Just thought I’d pop on to say that I know a few kids who’ve received varying sports scholarships to Ivies in the US…. There is admittedly one that is very good & has huge potential…. The others are really not that brilliant….i thought it was incredibly difficult to get these scholarships but apparently not….🤷🏼‍♀️. My kid was offered the opportunity to apply for one but has chosen to stay in the UK…sadly no scholarship system…but they’re happy with civilisation here. You know what happened to the Romans OP?😂

The path to power flows through the Ivy League.

But just one British university has educated 9 current monarchs, 18 international PMs/Presidents from the C21st alone - including one Bill Clinton - and every UK Prime Minister this century. I'm inclined to think that if you want a career in politics PPE at Oxford is just as useful.

“I'm inclined to think that if you want a career in politics PPE at Oxford is just as useful.“

I used to think that, but given the rhetoric has gone “anti elite”, who knows? Might be better to go to Warwick. Nobody knows.

For someone who has allegedly worked in the City you seem a bit financially illiterate - Eton's endowment of (£611 odd million I believe) is capital the PP clearly states that the £33m is the INCOME from the endowment - the former is in the balance sheet the latter in the P&L - accountancy 101 in your beloved American terms....

I hope for Citi's sake your son is a bit less clueless than you are.

@Blinkingbonkers No Ivy League schools give sports scholarships.
You may be more likely to be accepted or indeed be recruited if you are an exceptional sportsperson or indeed exceptional in another field but finance for all students is based on a means test.
All Ivies work on 100% needs met for all admitted students. Once you get in they look at your family income/wealth, determine how much you can afford and how much financial aid you should get. In DCs schools this is grant aid rather than loans but I don’t know if some of them still use loans.

There are no sports scholarships in the Ivy League.

Yes, I misread the post. I do make mistakes, you know. But there is no way Westminster has that level of income from its endowment.

Why are people on this website so nasty? Is it necessary to say "I hope for Citi's sake your son is a bit less clueless than you are." ?

Lady, I can almost guarantee you that my family is more successful than yours. I don't know if that makes us clueless or not.

I deliberately haven’t listed the sports for which they have received scholarships….. a bit outing no? Genuinely op - you’ve put quite a lot of info in here and public schools are small places - I’d be a bit more vague about your son’s achievements.

Well, they haven't received any sports scholarships.

THERE ARE NO SPORTS SCHOLARSHIPS IN THE IVY LEAGUE.

sportsrecruits.com/athletic-scholarships/womens-rowing/massachusetts/harvard_university#:~:text=Harvard%20University%20does%20offer%20athletic,student%2Dathletes%20receive%20athletic%20scholarships.

I'm sorry but this post seems to be completely made up out of whole cloth.

There are no sports scholarships (nor academic) in the Ivies and one is not "invited" to apply for a scholarship.

And yes, I do know what happened to the Romans, thank you. What does that have to do with the next hundred years in the United States?

There seems to be so much self-justification on this thread, goodness. People trying to make themselves feel better with random posts about irrelevant issues.

That is not a Harvard website. (you should not trust everything you read on the internet)

The entire formation of the Ivy League was around sports; in actual fact it IS A SPORTS LEAGUE.

The 8 members have agreed to give no scholarships outside of demonstrated financial need.

Yet, they’re still scholarships op - because, believe it or not, there are a huge number of people who can’t drop 400k on a uni education.

The Ivy League is a sports league:

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/standings

I don't begrudge the complete ignorance I find over here regarding US colleges; why should anyone in the UK be intimately familiar with them?

The time I decided to engage our college consultant was at a US university meeting up school and one parent asked: "You keep talking about college. Is that different from a university?"

I was like: these people need help.

THERE ARE NO SPORTS SCHOLARSHIPS.

THERE ARE NO DRAMA SCHOLARSHIPS.

THERE ARE NO ACADEMIC SCHOLARSHIPS.

In the Ivy League, not Stanford, not Chicago et al, there are only scholarships for demonstrated financial need.

The number is on Westminster schools annual report.