How to make a successful DIY school application
Complicated, confusing but possible. Here’s how to DIY your way to Eton College.
As an education consultancy and tuition company in the UK, we understand that getting into top senior schools like Eton College can be a challenging and competitive process. But with the right guidance and preparation, it is possible to secure a place for your child at one of the most prestigious schools in the country. In this article, we'll share some tips and insights on how to navigate the application process for Eton College and increase your child's chances of success.
Get the dates right
The first stage of making a successful application to Eton College or any other top senior school is to understand the timeline for making an application and to make sure you know when all of the key days are in registering for tests. The top schools have little to no flexibility when it comes to these dates due to the number of applicants that they are dealing with and the deadlines being early.
Eton College starts in year 9 or F Block as the school calls it so that means boys will start at the age of 13. In order to be considered, boys need to be registered with the school by the end of year 5 at the age of 9 or 10. Miss this deadline, and the dream could be over before it began. There are however plenty of other schools that are fantastic and have more flexible registration dates. These dates are always clearly laid out on the school websites. Here is the link for Eton College’s deadlines.
Understand the tests
Every senior school has its own testing process and procedures that look for different attributes that the school believes will make for the best students. You’ll need to make sure that as you guide your son through the application cycle at Eton College, you know what they are looking for and how to make sure you meet those criteria. At Eton, the application journey is relatively simple even if it is fiendishly difficult:
1. Register by the end of Year 5.
2. Sit the ISEB pre-test in October of Year 6.
3. Sit the Eton List Test and Interview between January and March of Year 6.
4. Pass Common Entrance or Scholarship tests in the summer of Year 8.
Get to know the school
Whilst it is an amazing school, Eton isn’t the right school for everyone in the same way that other schools just might not appeal to you. Before you invest years of energy and effort to make the Eton dream come to life, just make sure it really is the right environment by visiting the school and speaking to other parents, teachers and even some current students. This will give you a great insight into what the school is like to study at. The great news here is that this effort won’t be wasted if you decide to apply. In the interview, the Housemaster will want to know whether your son knows the school and is genuinely keen on it. If he can talk about his visits and conversations that will go a long way to convincing!
Don’t accept good
At some point on the journey, your son is going to have to start working towards the entrance tests and, in reality, he’s going to have to work hard to make sure he’s at the front of the queue. The standards set by applicants are very high and so your son will need to be near-perfect on the ISEB pre-test and in the Eton List test to win a place. The best way to go about this is to use good resources in a settled routine. Atom Learning is the best in the game when it comes to ISEB and List Test preparation so make sure you have a subscription. Consider setting up regular slots in your son’s week when he focuses on preparation – perhaps two hours per week is a good starting point. As you work towards the test, make sure that you are checking his performance and seeing improvement. If you don’t see this, you might need to consider how you can help him to build his confidence, fluency and speed.
Applying to Eton College can be a daunting process, but with the right guidance and resources, it can be achieved. Make sure you stay on top of the key dates, understand the tests, get to know the school, and ensure your child is prepared to work hard towards their goal. With the right approach, your child could be on their way to one of the UK’s most prestigious schools.