Why is Prince George not going to secondary school until after he turns 13?

[MinnieMounjaro]

Prince William reveals Prince George, 12, is already boarding at £10,669-a-term Lambrook School mol.im/a/15846933 via https://dailym.ai/android

I saw this article in the DM saying Prince George is currently boarding at Lambrook "ahead of moving to his secondary school in September". He turns 13 in July so the thought occurred to me - why is he still in primary school? Should he not have started secondary in 2024 when he was 11?

I must admit to being underwhelmed by today's "sensational announcement"...

Who has said it was a sensational announcement?

@ThatAvidViewer
There is a very big gap between what schools (and tutors) want you to believe and what is reality.
Many families are put off applying to Eton because they either think it’s too competitive or they think it’s too expensive. But for the ones that do apply and can afford it, the acceptance rate for prep-school educated British boys with family connections to the school is very high. Some might have to go via the wait list, but eventually (provided they are not total basket cases) they’ll get in.

That’s a bit of a simplification of how it actually works. Eton is still highly competitive, even for well-prepared prep school boys. Having a prep school background or familiarity with the system can help in terms of preparation, but it doesn’t guarantee a place.
There are far more strong applicants than there are places, so selection is still very real and based on academics, interviews and reports. Plenty of capable boys don’t get offers, and there isn’t a situation where most applicants “eventually get in” as a matter of course.

@ThatAvidViewer I wish you’d actually read what is said, rather than jumping straight in with absolutist statements.

I did read it. I’m not saying there aren’t advantages for prep-school boys with experience of the system — clearly there are.
My point is simply that it still doesn’t remove the competitive element. There are still more applicants than places, and strong candidates do miss out. So it isn’t accurate to suggest that most will “eventually get in” as a general rule.
And it’s also worth remembering they still have to meet the required academic standards and do well in their exams and assessments. It isn’t automatic.
Both things can be true: familiarity helps, but it doesn’t guarantee a place.

I teach in a school in one of the poorest parts of London. We haven’t got enough white board pens for the whole class. I have one Pritt stick.

Poor working kids don’t stand a chance.

Why is this, however? Why do some schools have such issues? Why is your school in such financial straits? There's no reason why things should be so bad.

George whether average or not was always going to get in.
He will have tutors helping him overcome any hurdles.
He was always going to follow in William's footsteps.
I know that people who might have sons in Eton like to think that all the boys must be as clever as can be and likewise for people who will bow down to George in years to come. But there was NO WAY he wasn't going to get whatever school he wanted.
And he won't be the only boy in this position either regardless of what the schools might like you to believe.

“I teach in a school in one of the poorest parts of London. We haven’t got enough white board pens for the whole class. I have one Pritt stick.

Poor working kids don’t stand a chance.”

@Treetreetreetree - stand a chance at what? Becoming a royal? Nobody does except those born into it.
London as a region gets more funding and has higher educational achievement on average than much of the rest of the country. It is a privilege to have free bus passes and museum access, for example. There is lots of cultural capital galore, which many other regions can only dream of.
I bet your school gets more funding than my DS’ grammar per head. Yet the boys at DS grammar do extremely well. All kids can get access online to good resources now, if they wish to.

I always wished I had been allowed to board - and as an adult I wish even more that I had had the chance.

There are some very public stories about the horrors of boarding. But of all the people I know who have boarded, I don’t know any who regret it. I know one who disliked his time in a particular school, so he transferred to board in a second and loved it (just as some children in the state sector do better in one school than another). Boarding in the UK offers increased independence and networking; it teaches resilience and presents a framework to know yourself at a young age, giving a better chance of developing strong self-confidence. Whilst, from what I have heard, there can be tough moments, there are better extra-curricular opportunities, stronger bonds with people of all ages and, for Prince George, easier security provision.

I would be delighted to send my children to boarding school if the opportunity was to arise. Not because I love them less, but because I really think it gives the best start.

I tend to agree that no school would turn down the future King, but of all the schools in the country, Eton is probably the most financially secure and is one of the most competitive to get into (i.e. applications > places) so, unlike say Marlborough or Oundle, I don't think it will be a particular boost to marketing for him to go there. So of all schools, I think Eton would be the most likely to say no if he didn't make the grade.

But also, Kate and Will seem like genuinely connected parents and I can't believe they'd send him there if he'd been heavily tutored and then still failed the ISEB/ List test because he would be miserable. So I hope and suspect he got through the tests on his own merits. The one part where he would have had an advantage is the interview stage. When you've met Obama/Taylor Swift/David Attenborough, it possibly makes the "who would you most like to have dinner with" question slightly easier to answer!

We will never know for sure. I just hope he is able to have a happy time at school.

Many London schools are achieving fantastic results for pupils from deprived backgrounds. These schools have focused on raising standards and likely don’t tolerate teachers with such gross attitudes towards working class pupils.

Read the piece about Michaela Communtiy School in the Times today. It gets unbelievable results and it’s got nothing to do with money or social background. The head says she only has £7k a year to educate each child, basic facilities, and there’s not a single middle class child in the school.

What they do have is high expectations and parental buy-in.

Where do people think Charlotte will go? Presumably Marlborough is out given they didn’t send George. Single sex? St Mary’s, Ascot? St George’s, Ascot? Heathfield? All destination schools for Lambrook girls.

I imagine part of choosing Eton was so that George and Charlotte would go to separate schools. It's fine when they're young as now but as teenagers she would always be "George's sister" if they went to the same school. Perhaps they think Harry might have turned out better if he hadn't followed William to Eton.

Going elsewhere will mean she can be herself in her own right. Perhaps she will go to Marlborough, Catherine was certainly very happy there.

I would wager it being Marlborough regardless.

I'm guessing Wellington. Though I have no info or intel as to why. Could equally be Marlborough.

I do wish they hadn’t chosen Eton, particularly if they’re genuine in their desire to give the children as “normal” a childhood as possible. There are plenty of public schools that aren’t quite as elite, and which admit girls-if not Marlborough, then even Westminster for example. Somewhere that isn’t quite so-as Americans say-cookie cutter.

As long as they're living at Windsor, Eton is virtually on the doorstep. Why send him further away if Eton suits him?

Plus Eton is accustomed to dealing with the security requirements.

Well there's a "normal childhood" and a "normal childhood for a royal". Remember that within Eton he will be pretty normal, just another kid from Lambrook which is a big feeder. So he'll be with lots of people he went to school with and or others he'll know through playing sport against them, parties, friends of his parents etc. He won't be treated differently as the staff and other students are used to having kids of royals, celebs, etc there and Eton can cope with the attention, full boarding means it's easier to maintain security arrangements compared to a day school, etc.

There are 1350 boys there having a perfectly "normal" time, many of them on bursaries, from around the world, etc. At Eton he probably has the best chance of having a "normal" experience that he's ever going to be able to have, given who he is.

Absolutely as @Xiaoxiong says. As public schools go he’ll be getting around ‘the best’ (as in most rounded education) the country can offer - but that best is also open to the 20% of boys in receipt of bursaries. A proportion of those will have 100% of their fees paid. Obviously if he chooses to sequester himself away with the sons of Russian oligarchs and Saudi princes, that’s up to him - but there are plenty of boys there whose home lives are damn normal. I happen to know this for a fact.

I’m not sure there are that many sons of oligarchs there nowadays though I know there used to be.
Someone said there were sons of high ranking Chinese Communist Party officials under pseudonyms - if true, is that really what Chairman Mao had in mind?😂

Remember that bursaries can be 5%! As I said, I just think there are public schools that have a more modern and forward looking ethos. Some even have girls!

Not sure a whole lot of teen girls throwing themselves at George would be such a good idea. Don’t you remember the girl hysteria over William @CurlewKate
My not even ten year old niece took one look at a photo of George and said “oooh he looks nice”. Not sure I would want that for my DS until he was more mature. It has not ended well for a lot of teen pop stars either.
I would have put George in single sex for that reason alone. He has a sister and not lacking in female company/influence otherwise.

As I said, I just think there are public schools that have a more modern and forward looking ethos

@CurlewKate i thought you hated all private education. How do you know there are public schools with a more modern and forward looking ethos?
Edited to add, why would you take an interest in something you so disapproved of?