Eton College UK Boarding School Review, Results And Fees

Eton College stands as a globally acclaimed institution, celebrated for its exceptional, comprehensive education, extensive array of extracurricular pursuits, and a warm, inclusive community. This independent full boarding school caters exclusively to young gentlemen aged 13 to 18, and its distinguished track record includes sending a significant number of its graduates to esteemed universities like Cambridge and Oxford in the UK and renowned institutions in the United States.

Eton College Review
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Table of Contents

Summary Of School

  • Type of school: Boys
  • Age range: 13-18
  • Pupils: 1,340; sixth formers: 540
  • Boarders: 100%
  • Fees: Full boarding – £49,998 per annum
  • 2023 A Level Results: 80.1% A*/A
  • 2023 GCSE Results: 93.7% A*/A

Overview

Admission to Eton College begins at age 10. The entire curriculum is composed of one year of foundation programme, two years of GCSE, and two years of A-Levels or Pre-U (sixth form). Admission to Eton College at age 16 is possible for a small number of candidates through the Orwell Award or Sixth Form Entry (fee-paying).

The history and influence of Eton College is prominent, beginning with its foundation in 1440 by King Henry VI. The institution was built to provide education to 70 poor boys and today it houses over 1300 students. Eton College has educated generations of British and foreign aristocracy, including prime ministers and members of the British royal family in direct line succession.

Eton College Courses & Programmes

The academic structure at Eton College is divided into five year-groups called blocks, from Block F (Year 9) to Block B (Year 13). There are 35 formal schools (lessons) a week and every single student have some reading schools (free periods). The students are taught in divisions (sets, classes, or forms), with each division containing about 20 for Blocks F to D (non-specialist), and about 10 to 12 students for Blocks C and D (specialists/sixth form).

    • Block F (Year 9) – Foundation programme 
    • Block E (Year 10) – GCSE Year 1
    • Block D (Year 11) – GCSE Year 2
    • Block C (Year 12) – Sixth Form Year 1 (A-Levels/Pre-U)
    • Block B (Year 13) – Sixth Form Year 2 (A-Levels/Pre-U)

Eton College Entry Requirements And Application Deadline

Year 9 (13+) Entry

A student can be registered at any time up to 30th June in UK School Year 5 (the UK academic year in which the student reached the age of 10 years), for example:

  • For 2023 entry a student needs to be registered by 30th June 2020
  • For 2024 entry a student needs to be registered by 30th June 2021

These are strict deadlines unless a student is specifically applying for one of he following, which eligible boys can apply for in UK School Year 8 up to the age of 13: King’s Scholarships and Music Awards: highly competitive academic and music scholarships.

Year 9 (13+) Registration

Please click on the following link to complete the online registration form: https://application.etoncollege.com/

Please see the application form for each year’s specific dates.

As part of the registration, you will need to upload a copy of the student’s unabridged birth certificate (showing parental details; this is titled ‘Certified Copy of an Entry’ on a UK certificate) and pay the non-refundable registration (currently £400 but is subject to change).

Please note that Eton College cannot process incomplete applications and reserve the right to discard them after a month. All applications for registration must be completed and received by the deadline.

Sixth Form (16+) Entry

Students who are studying at a UK independent school, state school, or overseas school may apply for Sixth Form Entry, for which there is no financial assistance available. Up to four places may be available each year.

Any available places will be offered to students of a high academic standard who are also likely to make a notable contribution to school life in sport or in the arts. The minimum qualifying standard is six GCSEs (or overseas equivalent) at A/7 grade.

Sixth Form (16+) Registration

Please click on the following link to complete the online registration form: https://www.etoncollege.com/AdmissionsDownloads.aspx

Please see the application form for each year’s specific dates.

The candidate must submit a completed application form, personal statement and a copy of his unabridged birth certificate and passport in order to be considered. A full report from his current school must also be submitted. 

Short-listed candidates will be notified in October and invited to Eton in November for interviews and assessment over 2-3 days. Places will be offered in December; a candidate may be asked if he is willing to go on a waiting list in case places become available at a later date (as late as during the summer break).

Parents/guardians must sign an agreement in the application form to pay all due fees and charges (the school fee is likely to be approximately £42,500 for the 2019-2020 academic year).

An acceptance fee is only payable by those candidates who are offered a Conditional Place.

For more information on scholarships at Eton College please visit: https://www.etoncollege.com/Scholarships.aspx

For more information please see the Eton College Contact Information section.

Eton College Rankings and Results

While not formally in the A-levels league table, Eton College reported stellar academic results for A levels in 2023 with 80.1% achieving A*/As.

Students also achieved an outstanding performance for their GCSEs, with 93.7% scoring within 9-7 in the 2023 exams.

Eton College Fees

The following information listed is the school fees for the academic year 2023/24.

Preliminary Fees

Registration Fee from September 1, 2021

£400

Acceptance Fee

Boys joining in Michaelmas 2022 & 2023: £3,200 (£500 of this will be refunded when the boy leaves the school, subject to settlement of his final fees and other charges).

School Fee (payable on the first day of term by direct debit)

Current school fee

£16,666 per half [i.e. term; there are three terms in a year]. Bursaries are awarded by the Bursaries Committee as soon as a boy has been offered a conditional place at the school, which is approximately 18 months prior to his joining the school. All bursaries are means-tested.

  


Extras

Music

£340 per half for lessons totalling 30 minutes per week.

 

£510 per half for lessons totalling 45 minutes per week.

 

£680 per half for lessons totalling 60 minutes per week.

Other extras

School extras are billed in arrears and the level of charges varies depending on the activities a boy does while at Eton. Extras can vary greatly but are usually between £500-£1,000 per half. A full list of possible additional charges is sent to parents at the start of the academic year.

For more information please get in touch with Eton College Fees and Bursaries Accountant.

Eton College Reviews

Vladimir
5/5
Most will enrol their children at Eton purely for the prestige, but I think the school should not be overlooked for its performance. The teaching here is well above excellent. The class sizes are good for learning and I’ve heard nothing but good comments about Eton. I am confident in the school and that my son is well taken care of here.
William R.
5/5

Had a great time at school here. The teachers were fantastic and the education is exemplary.

Jayme C.
5/5

A wonderful environment – so full of charm and character. The town is a breath of fresh air from big box stores and chains.

Draco A.
5/5
Had a fantastic time here when I was a pupil, the teachers were all amazing..
Seth
5/5
Eton College concentrates on striking a balance between ensuring students achieve good exam results and providing a stimulating curriculum for them to explore their interests. They do this very successfully in my opinion. I think the Classics department is incredibly strong, as well as the Russian department. But there are definitely no departments that could ever be described as weak. Class sizes at Eton become progressively smaller as you progress as people begin to specialise for A Levels.
Andrea
5/5
There’s no school better than Eton. Academics, extracurriculars, the reputation, I think Eton is well worth the investment for your children. I’m sure that my son will go very far at Eton.
Jake P.
5/5
Had an extravagant experience being a pupil of the school. Full of amazing, supportive class mates who helped each other strive for greatness!
Andy
5/5
This school has been great for my son. He has improved dramatically not only in terms of his studies, but also in terms of his health. He’s become more outgoing since he’s enrolled at Eton and he’s become more motivated about his studies.

Eton College Accommodation

Eton College is a full boarding school committed to:

  • Promoting the best habits of independent thought and learning in the pursuit of excellence;
  • Providing a broadly-based education designed to enable all boys to discover their strengths, and to make the most of their talents within Eton and beyond;
  • Engendering respect for individuality, difference, the importance of teamwork and the contribution that each boy makes to the life of the school and the community;
  • Supporting pastoral care that nurtures physical health, emotional maturity and spiritual richness;
  • Fostering self-confidence, enthusiasm, perseverance, tolerance and integrity.

When a student comes to Eton, he will join a house of just over 50 boys (70 for Colleger), aged between 13 and 18, which will be his home for the next five years. Each house is managed by a house master who is the main point of contact with the school for every student’s parent.

The house master is supported by a dame, a dame’s assistant and a full domestic staff. The dame manages the domestic side – health and cleanliness – in the house. Each house also has a deputy house master and two assistants.

Outstanding senior students are given responsibilities in the house. The house captain is in charge of encouraging the others to engage in various curricular and co-curricular activities in the school such as concerts, plays, musicals and debating competitions to name a few. The captain of games is in charge of encouraging the others to participate in various games and join the house teams.

Every student at Eton College has his own study-bedroom. This is his own private space where he can entertain friends. About half of the houses eat breakfast, lunch, and supper in Bekynton, a large central dining complex; the other half has their own chefs and their own house dining-rooms. Every house provides a mid-morning Chambers snack and a mid-afternoon boy’s tea, which is an informal affair called ‘messing’. In addition, there are Rowlands that serves snacks of any request.

Every student is allowed to go home for Long Leave every half and for Short Leave twice in the Michaelmas and once in the Lent and Summer halves. Students can also go home after formal commitments have finished on a Saturday for one other weekend each (when Chapel is on a Sunday evening). Students can also go home or go out with their parents, with their house master’s permission, whenever they are free from school or house commitments.

Here is a list of all the houses:

House Master

 

Building Name

*Bekynton

 Deputy

 

 Dame

 

 J A G Fulton

 College

 S-J Bentley, J Greenwood

 Sue Watkinson

 J C A Jackson

 Walpole House

 G B Gundle

 Marie Hayward

I R Gray

 Hawtrey House*

 D P Cornell

 Louise Teo

 Dr J M Gibbons

 Warre House*

 D W B Anderson

 Heather Masterson

 N Adams

 Wotton House

 N J Mortimer

 Donna Parks

H W T Adams

 Godolphin House*

R C Hardy

 Gillian Stobie

 A B Henshilwood

 Jourdelay’s*

 T G Settle

Nicola Reed

 S P Hermes

 Baldwin’s Bec

 I R Swan

 Linda Rickard

 A M Miles

 Mustians*

 J M Stone

 Ros Fernee

 N P T Leathers

 Penn House

 N W Flanaghan

 Sallie Rangeley

 J D Macartney

 Angelo’s*

 C D N Paterson

 Jenny Lolliot

 M G H Mowbray

 Evans’s*

 D J Barker and P F M Herbommez

 Julie Mills

 J D Newton

 Common Lane House*

 M Bruna

 Lesley Loftus

 P E P Walsh

 Manor House

 E C Yeo

 Wendy Cottam

 J M O’Brien

 Waynflete*

 T M Foster

 Jane Stevens

 R D Oliphant-Callum

 Durnford House*

 A K Copsey

 Andi Williams

J Dangerfield

 Farrer House 

A G D Furnival

 Sue Young

 B J Holdsworth

 South Lawn

 J W F Stanforth

Sarah Bush

 W I N Griffith

 The Timbralls

 D M Bond

 Susan Glover

 J R B Scragg

 The Hopgarden

H J P Jones

 Patricia Morrison-Jones

P R K Bird

 Westbury

 M T Holdcroft

 Sue Jones

 Dr E J N Russell

 Keate House*

T A Day

 Alexandra Burnham

 Revd P A Hess

 Cotton Hall House

 A Powles

 Hazel Nash

 Dr A Warnes

 Villiers House

 H G C Clarke

 Hermione Holt

 P G Williams

 Holland House

 K M Allott

 Annabel Casey

Eton College has a total of about 800 staff. 

The academic staff consists of about 155 full-time house masters, part-time teachers, sports coaches, and music teachers.

The academic staff are supported by assistants who prepare laboratories, look after libraries, print and distribute documents, build sets in and maintain theatres, look after gardens and grounds, maintain and repair the ancient and modern buildings, ensure a safe and secure environment, clean rooms, cook meals, launder uniforms, and so forth.

Eton College Student Services And Extra-Curricular Activities

Life at Eton College is exciting and challenging, sometimes even exhausting but greatly rewarding. The school prides itself in the various opportunities it has created for its students. Graduates of Eton College will leave with five years worth of academic, sporting, dramatic, artistic, musical, and personal growth, with his built friendships and connections as the centre. 

Art

The Drawing Schools are very well-equipped and the departmental staff are always present to facilitate individual or team projects. The Drawing Schools have facilities for painting, drawing, printmaking, computer graphics and digital photography. 

The facilities include two purpose-built 3D studios that have equipment for ceramics and sculpture in wood, metal, and plaster. Within the Drawing Schools’ timetable, there are various opportunities for art projects.

The Drawing Schools stage regular exhibitions and a library that serves as a lecture room. The students are encouraged to use the studios in their free time and the Drawing Schools are open at weekends.

Drama

Curricular Drama

Drama is available in the curriculum throughout Eton College. An introductory course is open for all students in block F and students in block E and D can also choose drama in their GCSE. Students in block C and B can choose to study a joint course in English with Theatre Studies on an increased time allocation which leads to two full A levels, one in English Literature and the other in Theatre Studies.

Co-curricular Drama

Eton College stages more than 20 theatrical productions every year. This includes School and House Plays, a Lower Boy Play for students in E and F, and plays mounted independently by students. Productions have frequently gone to the Edinburgh Fringe. The whole repertoire is covered from classics, musicals and comedies to the latest contemporary plays. Every third year there is a School Play Festival for the performance of new plays written by students and staff.

Students can explore the world of acting, writing, and directing. In addition the students build the sets, provide lighting and sound for all shows, and run the stage and front-of-house management, under the guidance and with the training of specialist theatre staff.

Technical Theatre

The Farrer Theatre seats 401 people in a flexible auditorium and is staffed by 5 full time theatre professionals led by an Artistic Director. The theatre is fully equipped to a high standard including a full counterweight flying system with truss and motors as well as a large orchestra pit.  There is a comprehensive stock of lanterns, state of the art lighting control system and excellent 7.1 surround sound capabilities supported by a digital sound desk. Backstage there is a scenic workshop and set storage, a well-stocked wardrobe, a make-up studio, Green Room and spacious dressing rooms. 

The Caccia Studio and Empty Space seats 100 and 60 people respectively. These theatres offer flexible, fully equipped alternative theatre spaces. Other venues around the College are often turned into temporary theatre spaces.

Games

Games are vital at Eton College. The school believes in the values that the concept of games provide. According to Eton, “Learning to win and lose, to lead and be led, to push oneself to and perhaps beyond one’s limits, to think as part of a team, to know when to strive for more and when to acknowledge defeat; these are all part of learning to be human.”

Every student is given the chance to benefit from learning through sport by playing and being taught the sport of his choice at the level appropriate to his abilities and interest. There are over 40 teams on some match days and each of the 25 houses fields a number of teams at senior and junior levels in the majority of sports.

Some of the sports available include:

  • Soccer
  • Rugby
  • Hockey
  • Cricket
  • Rowing
  • Athletics
  • Squash
  • Rackets
  • Fives

Wall and Field Games are some of the games that can be exclusively played at Eton. There are nearly 30 different games on offer, all coached by Eton College masters and professional coaches.

There is a school team for just about every boy who wants to play – this amounts to more than 40 teams on some match days – and each of the 25 houses fields a number of teams at senior and junior levels in the majority of sports.

At the highest level of expertise, Eton College sportsmen consistently challenge against the strongest school opponents in the UK and overseas.

Music

The Music Schools at Eton College are also very well equipped and fully staffed. The facilities at the new building consists of a purpose-built orchestral rehearsal room, recording studio, computer room with twelve PC workstations, a pre/post-production suite, rock band studio, electric guitar teaching room, and twelve other teaching and practice rooms. While the facilities at the old building has been rebuilt and consists of three floors of teaching, rehearsal and practice rooms, together with a 250-seater Concert Hall, academic teaching rooms, a library and an organ room. 

Currently, there are 122 Music Scholars and Music Exhibitioners at Eton College. Between six and eight Music Scholarships and up to six Music Exhibitions at 13+ are offered each year. Many Sixth Form Scholarship applicants also offer music.

Over 1,000 music lessons are taught each week by a music staff of seven full-time masters and over seventy visiting teachers; instruments range from sitar and tabla to the full range of orchestral and solo instruments.

Senior students put on their own concerts; orchestrasbands (jazz bands, wind band, pipe band), chamber ensembles, choirs, choral society, and music technology. The orchestras and choirs conduct concerts outside of the school occasionally; the College Chapel Choir goes on a two-week concert tour every Easter Holidays.

Societies

At Eton College there are about fifty societies and clubs in existence at any one time.

Some of the societies at present include:

  • African
  • Alexander Cozens (Art)
  • Amnesty
  • Archeological
  • Architectural
  • Astronomy
  • Banks (conservation)
  • Caledonian
  • Cheese
  • Classical
  • Comedy
  • Cosmopolitan
  • Debating
  • Design
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Geographical
  • Henry Fielding
  • Hispanic
  • History
  • Keynes (economics)
  • Law
  • Literary
  • Mathematical
  • Medical
  • Middle Eastern
  • Model United Nations
  • Modern Languages
  • Oriental
  • Orwell (left-wing)
  • Simeon (Christian)
  • Parry (music)
  • Photographic
  • Political
  • Praed (poetry)
  • Rock (music)
  • Rous (equestrian)
  • Salisbury (diplomatic)
  • Scientific
  • Sports
  • Tech Club
  • Theatre
  • Wellington (military)
  • Wine and Wotton’s (philosophy)

Meetings are usually held after supper, starting at 8:45pm. Reports of recent society meetings can be found in the news pages. Some society meetings are open to students from other schools. 

Community Engagement

Eton College organises a rich programme of community engagement activities both independently and in partnership with local organisations and initiatives. These voluntary activities form an integral part of the extra-curricular timetable of many sixth-formers at Eton, with about 180 students currently involved. 

Students typically engage in community service once or twice a week, in any one of the following activities:

Local Schools

Students volunteer to read with younger children of all ages at a range of local schools, including the Eton Porny First School, Datchet Church of England Combined School and Eton Wick First School. Arbour Vale is the furthest school visited by the students (a 20-minute bicycle ride) where they take part in classroom and sports activities with disabled children and children with learning difficulties. New ventures have included helping with physical education at the James Elliman School in Slough and assisting in modern language classes at the Eton and Slough Community School.

The Elderly

Students visit elderly people in their homes, in Eton Wick and Eton itself: they go along for a cup of tea and a chat, or perhaps to help in the garden. Some students visit the Charteris Day Centre in Eton, while others go to the Upton Hospital in Slough where they spend time with the elderly patients.

Charity Shops

Eton College has established ties with a number of local charity shops in Slough and Windsor. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays the students help other volunteers ‘behind the scenes’ with the sorting and display of donated goods.

Other Work

Students help at Riding for the Disabled in Fulmer, Bucks. For the last two years, students at Eton College have tended the grave of a young soldier from Eton Wick who was killed in action during the World War II. Others belong to the Friendly Club and visit the local Mencap centre in Langley, and there is also a ‘Monday Run’, in which students take food, clothing and other essentials to the homeless people of Slough. Recent one-off activities have included helping with the Windsor Festival.

Eton Action

Eton Action is a fund-raising organisation which supports local, national, and international appeals. Every year in September Eton College hosts a fair which attracts a healthy crowd and raises many thousands of pounds. Students vote on the use of funds raised by the yearly Eton Action Fair and other charitable events organised by students.

Eton College actively participates in helping other charitable and voluntary schemes as long as the timetable and manpower permits. For more information please contact the master in charge of Community Service at Eton College.

Eton College Contact Information

Apply For Eton College

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