Basic Information & Location
Eton College is an elite public boarding school for boys in Berkshire, the South East region of England. The nearest airport is London Heathrow Airport which is approximately ten miles from the school. It is founded in 1440 to provide free education to 70 poor boys. The school continued to grow and flourished particularly under the long reign of George III (1760-1820) and it has around 1,300 pupils now.
Eton College is not just a Top-10 school in the UK, but a part of English culture. It is one of the top ten school. In 1970s and 1980s, the word Eton always appeared. The Duke of Wellington is often incorrectly quoted as saying that “The Battle of Waterloo was won on the playing-fields of Eton”. According to Nevill, what Wellington said was, “There grows the stuff that won Waterloo”, a remark Nevill construes as a reference to “the manly character induced by games and sport” among English youth generally, not a comment about Eton specifically. Eton College emphasizes the importance of soft-skills which makes it a place to breed leaders. The school will train up the confidence of the students and their public speaking skills. There are sayings showing how popular Eton is, that is the applicants will have to apply for the school at birth. But from 2002, all boys had to win their places through the current procedure of an interview, reasoning test and reference from their previous school. Eton College still provides different scholarships and bursaries now, one of them is the highly selective King’s Scholar for very bright students. When comparing to Harrow School, Eton College is a more traditional school as it would not change its traditions over time.
Academic Development
Eton College is a modern, forward-thinking school which embraces new opportunities within teaching and learning, it is a willingness to innovate which has seen the school thrive for almost six centuries. Tradition remains important and still shapes some of their guiding principles. It has been a leading school in the UK throughout its history. The academic results of their students are excellent. In 2017, 93% of the A-Level grades are A*-B and over 95% of GCSE grades are A*-A. Nearly all of their leavers will pursue higher education and are accepted by top universities in the UK which is almost one-third of the graduates. Over the past thirty years some 60-100 students have made successful applications to Oxbridge each year. The school publishes the Eton College Higher Education Guide which gives information and advice to boys about universities and other institutions of higher education and there are Universities Officers talking to the universities applicants on the procedures to follow as well as providing consulting services. The career department provides work experience or work shadowing and advises boys about their Gap year or university decisions with the help from parents, alumni and other well-wishers. The strong bonding between alumni could be a useful resource for the students as they are very willing to help the junior at school or at work.
Pastoral Care & Boarding
Eton College is a full boarding school. Typically there are about 50 boys in a boarding house, ten in each year group. Each house is under the care of a house master, who will look after and support the students. The house master is supported by a dame who looks after a boarder’s health runs the domestic side of the house. In addition to the house master and dame, each house has a deputy house master, an assistant master and dame’s assistant attached as well as domestic staff. There will also be a personal tutor to guide the students developing their learning habits. The physical health of the boys is monitored by the three school doctors and they are well supported by five fully qualified nurses.
Extracurricular & persol development
Games plays a big part in the school life both as part of the structured timetable and as a leisure activity. There is a vast range of sports available, from the familiar like soccer, rugby, hockey, cricket, rowing, athletics, squash, to the less familiar like rackets. There are some traditional games which can only be played at Eton College, namely the Fives. Its seemingly unlimited sports provision now includes the Thames Valley Athletics Stadium, which is shared with external clubs and organisations. Eton also has a rowing lake at Dorney, venue for the 2012 Olympics.
Although games are central to the school’s curriculum, there are also other activities provided, such as music, drama, art, computing, design and clubs that cater for the interests of the students. To ensure all round development of the student, the school offers community service and combined cadet force as well. Eton College is well known for its beautiful castle. It is well-equipped with facilities such as libraries, laboratories, purpose-built teaching rooms and it even owns house in Florence to be a study centre for school parties.
