Chapters
- 01. Clifton College
- 02. Charterhouse School
- 03. Westminster School
- 04. Marlborough College
- 05. Rugby School
Despite rising inflation and stressed personal finance, parents want the best for their children. That's why, year after year, caregivers keenly sign up to pay thousands of pounds for the best education their money can buy. That's not saying there's anything wrong with public education, though.
Many see paying public school tuition fees as an investment in their children's future. And, by extension, their own future financial security. How well we know today about the costs of housing adult children unable to afford living on their own! Securing quality education now means less of a chance of future unemployability. That is, if the schools in question provide the type of education tomorrow's workforce needs. That's what so great about Clifton College and the other schools we discuss in this article. Besides teaching those necessary skills, they all:
- are coeducational schools
- offer a choice between boarding and day-only service
- include Sixth Form
- accept transfer students.
We know that private education can be costly but, as you've surely realised, is well worth your money. We also know that scouting schools can be difficult and time-consuming. And admissions can be overwhelming. We aim to make your search easier with this fundamentals guide.
Clifton College
Clifton College is an independent coeducational day and boarding school located in Bristol, England. The school was founded by Reverend John Percival in 1862, and today welcomes over 1,250 pupils from across the world. Clifton’s mission is to “produce pupils that are the ‘best possible versions of themselves’”. They aim to promote intellectual agility, social confidence, leadership, adventurousness, and decency in all ‘Cliftonians.’
The school’s massive campus is a major selling point. It's surrounded by 400 acres of protected parkland. Also, it backs the Bristol Zoo. Clifton offers an excellent atmosphere for your child’s studies and leisure.
What to Expect from Clifton College
For pupils joining Clifton in Years 4 - 8, you will be asked to provide a record of your child’s previous academic performance before they sit papers in English, Mathematics and General Ability. Your child’s results will then be assessed based on the national average for their age group’s SAT level. Please note that students are generally only admitted at 11+ if they show exceptional potential.
Students entering in Year 9 from other schools will sit the Common Entrance or Common Academic Scholarship examination the summer before entry. If your child would like to enter Clifton in any other year, they will sit Clifton’s own exams in English, Maths and Science. If your child is entering Sixth Form, they will need to have received at least 3 A grades and 3 B grades at GCSE. They will also test and interview in 2 proposed A-Level subjects.
Registration Policy
Ahead of registration, Clifton College suggests that you contact a member of their Admissions team. They have staff on hand who would be more than happy to walk you through the application process. You and your child will have had the opportunity to visit the school. You may decide if you’d like to pay the registration fee and book your child’s entry examinations (for Upper and Sixth Form) at that time.
Charterhouse School
Thomas Sutton (1532 - 1611) was a military man. More specifically, he was a gentleman who had a lot to do with war machinery. To this day, it's rumoured that he owned and perhaps commanded a barque named The Sutton. He spent most of his working life as Master of the Ordinance of the North. He was responsible for both military supplies and the region's fortifications.
Eton-educated Sutton founded Charterhouse School in 1611. Today, Charterhouse is considered one of the historic schools of England. Currently, there are about 800 boarders at the school, plus around 20 day boarders.
What to Expect from Charterhouse School
As of 2021, this school is fully coeducational. Boys and girls aged 13-18 are welcome. Prospective Year 6 students are tested before they receive an invitation to enrol. They are also invited to spend time at the school for an interview day before that invitation is extended.
If your child is in Year 7, you will choose three houses to visit ahead of your scheduled 'house selection day'. On that day, you will visit the campus and tour those dorms, after which housing will be assigned. Sixth Form sees 30 boys and 75 girls admitted to the school. They must all sit an entrance exam to qualify for enrolment. Be sure to pick up on all the details about Charterhouse School before planning your visit.
Westminster School
If you're looking for tradition in education, Westminster is the school for you. It's the oldest school in London. It remains on its original site by Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament. The school's origins date back to before the Norman Conquest. Proof of its continued use dates back to the early 14th Century.
Like Charterhouse School, boys may enrol at 13 years of age but girls may only enrol in Sixth Form. The school boasts a student body of 750. Roughly one-fourth of the students are boarders who go home on weekends after Saturday morning school.
What to Expect from Westminster School
Thanks to Westminster School's reputation and popularity, the waiting list is long. Registrars recommend signing up two years before the student will be eligible to attend (or before you'd like them to attend). For instance, if you want your son to enrol for Year 8, you should sign up at the start of Year 6. Every student who enrols must sit an entrance examination.
Sixth Form students have to be the sharpest of the sharp to get accepted into Westminster. Again due to this school's enormous popularity, admissions are highly competitive. Only the top students (based on exam scores) are accepted. Learn more about Westminster's admission guidelines and criteria.
Marlborough College
Unlike the two just-mentioned schools, Marlborough College admits boys and girls starting at age 13. Indeed, Marlborough was the first Boys' School to enrol girls for Sixth Form. Perhaps it's because this school, though, stellar, is far younger than the previous two.
Marlborough was established in 1843 to educate sons of the Church of England clergy. It occupies 286 acres in a small Wiltshire market town. Marlborough is known as a famous 'designer label', coeducational boarding school. It strives to meld fast-paced academic life with a sense of social responsibility and community.
What to Expect From Marlborough College
Like Westminster, this school's reputation precedes it. Thus, registrars recommend registering up to four years before the intended year of enrolment. To begin the process, you should request a prospectus and a registration form. Alternatively, you may contact the school for a tour, after which you may request the necessary paperwork.
Every student who enrols must take an assessment exam as well as an entrance examination. Satisfactory performance on that exam will lead to an interview. To shine in that meeting, the school has put together a resources package. It introduces students to the Marlborough spirit and prompts candidates to think about how they will contribute to the school's good name.
Rugby School
Rugby School is one of England's oldest independent schools. It was founded in 1567, initially as a grammar school for boys only. It operated in relative obscurity until the late 1820s. Then, Headmaster Thomas Arnold revamped the school's entire concept from the curriculum to school governance. Soon, other schools around the country were copying Rugby School's ethos and teaching methods.
More than four hundred years later, the school admitted its first three female students. Thus began the coeducational trickle which soon turned into a flood. Today, Rugby School welcomes students aged 11 to 18 pending successful completion of entrance examinations.
What to Expect from Rugby School
Besides exams in creative writing, verbal reasoning and numeracy, prospective 11+ students will undergo two interviews to determine their applications' viability. Thirteen+ students will need to submit their current school report in addition to exams and interviews. Sixth Form applicants will also take exams and participate in interviews. There is no distinction made in the process for gender.
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