Harrow School

[harrow123]

I know Harrow school is rival to Eton college

so is it correct saying eton college is first best then harrow school is next best in uk's boarding schools then may be winchester ?

can anyone provide feedback on harrow school please ?

[hermanmunster]

depends what you are looking for and what you mean by "best" in boarding schools - they are all, all-boys schools of course so can only be compared with such. Depends what you want out of education.

[Waiting_For_Godot]

Harrow thinks it's better than Eton, Winchester thinks it's better than Harrow and Eton and every school thinks it is the best school in the world, blah de blah!

Pick the school that suits your son....

[Pushy Dad]

I knew an Etonian for a brief moment in time. He was relatively 'normal' in that they 'only' had one live in servant but he was studying alongside kids from blue blood families, both foreign and domestic. I don't doubt that the networks he developed will open/have opened doors for him socially and professionally.

However, if you look at the various league tables, you will see that academically Eton and Harrow aren't among the best of the best. But then, looking at it another way, if you went to school with the son of BP's CEO or the next Earl of Whatever then I don't think that less-than-stellar A level grades is going to hold your career back

[Chelmsford mum]

But then, looking at it another way, if you went to school with the son of BP's CEO or the next Earl of Whatever then I don't think that less-than-stellar A level grades is going to hold your career back

If I said that, re advantages of indep schools - people would tell me off I agree though

[doingmybest]

I think that boarding schools are selective by bank balance first and by ability second. They are staring at £30k p.a., DS in still in Y6 and I would expect fees to be over £40kp.a. when he finishes.
I can only speak for the London area, but it is academically a lot easier to get into Harrow than it is to get into one of the top London day schools, sporty rugby type boys in the lower half of the class are looking to go. Eton and Winchester are more academic, I believe, and harder to get into, but it's not all about the results it's about finding the right school for your DC.
As to being the second best school in England, who knows? Harrow boast about the number of Prime Ministers they have produced, but lets face it Winston Churchill became PM because he was a Churchill, he could have gone to St Chavs Secondary Modern and it wouldn't have mattered.
Having said that I agree with Pushy Dad, it shouldn't open doors in these enlightened times, but it still does.

[hermanmunster]

Churchill's memories of the Harrow exam:
This was especially true of my Entrance Examination to Harrow. The Headmaster, Mr. Welldon, however, took a broad-minded view of my Latin prose: he showed discernment in judging my general ability. This was the more remarkable, because I was found unable to answer a single question in the Latin paper. I wrote my name at the top of the page. I wrote down the number of the question " I." After much reflection I put a bracket round it thus "(I)." But thereafter I could not think of anything connected with it that was either relevant or true. Incidentally there arrived from nowhere in particular a blot and several smudges. I gazed for two whole hours at this sad spectacle : and then merciful ushers collected my piece of foolscap with all the others and carried it up to the Headmaster's table. It was from these slender indications of scholarship that Mr. Welldon drew the conclusion that I was worthy to pass into Harrow. It is very much to his credit. It showed that he was a man capable of looking beneath the surface of things: a man not dependent upon paper manifestations. I have always had the greatest regard for him.

[Waiting_For_Godot]

Churchill's memories of the Harrow exam:
This was especially true of my Entrance Examination to Harrow. The Headmaster, Mr. Welldon, however, took a broad-minded view of my Latin prose: he showed discernment in judging my general ability. This was the more remarkable, because I was found unable to answer a single question in the Latin paper. I wrote my name at the top of the page. I wrote down the number of the question " I." After much reflection I put a bracket round it thus "(I)." But thereafter I could not think of anything connected with it that was either relevant or true. Incidentally there arrived from nowhere in particular a blot and several smudges. I gazed for two whole hours at this sad spectacle : and then merciful ushers collected my piece of foolscap with all the others and carried it up to the Headmaster's table. It was from these slender indications of scholarship that Mr. Welldon drew the conclusion that I was worthy to pass into Harrow. It is very much to his credit. It showed that he was a man capable of looking beneath the surface of things: a man not dependent upon paper manifestations. I have always had the greatest regard for him.

Love this quote!

So, I know the argument is that indies let in anyone if they are "connected" but on the other hand the seemingly dumbest of children should not be written off on the basis of an admissions test. There are many more dumb and successful rich people than there are clever and rich!