Brighton College vs Eton College vs Harrow

[WaryGreenReader]

For those with any experience in any of these three, it will be very helpful to hear any input or thoughts to help us decide which school to pick for our DS for 13+. We are quite fascinated by BC due to their unbelievable academic results and they appear to offer a fully rounded education with all the facilities for sports, music and drama too, some of which is broadly comparable to what Eton and Harrow offers, we feel. Great to hear some feedback from those with any knowledge of these schools. Thank you.

BC has a reputation for asking lower performing students to leave or to take their exams “privately” ie not at the school so they don’t show up on the results. This is backed up by data I have seen where the numbers of grades they reported for compulsory GCSEs like maths and english was significantly below the total number of pupils in the year. Hence the results need to be taken with a pinch of salt.

I know people who have chosen it despite this reputation. Guess it depends how confident you are that this won’t happen to your child 🤷‍♀️

I have experience of Eton and BC. (2 at Eton, 1 at BC who joined for 6 form from an all girls boarding school).

The schools are like chalk and cheese. BC is a day school with a few boarders. Harrow and Eton are full boarding schools - that means your kids can do sport and music/drama not either/or.

At BC it's really intense. If you're not predicted A stars at A level, you get put into remedial classes. DD was delighted with her 4 A stars, but didn't really enjoy the experience as a boarder.

I would recommend Eton over Brighton College EVERY time. The experiences don't compare. Eton is incredible. Brighton College is an exam factory. My boys are very very different but they both loved Eton.

PM me if you'd like more info.

Thank you very much for sharing

I agree. You are not comparing like for like. If Eton or Harrow is a genuine option I wouldn’t hesitate to accept.

Wow! What proportion get dropped?

If only my (comprehensive) sixth form had thought of that. They could have had me, my boyfriend and our two mates and kicked everyone else out and claimed the best results in the country!

This is very insightful, thank you. I would really appreciate honest feedback on how academically self-directed boys need to be at Eton. Are there structures and support in place to help them organise their work, or is it mostly on the pupil to manage everything? I am just a bit worried that my DS might struggle with all the independence

A very interesting and insightful discussion. I’m seriously considering BC for my daughter but after reading the above, thinking that I may need to explore further. Eton and Harrow are for boys, as I understand it. What are equally good boarding options for girls? Any insights hugely appreciated.