Eaton is a college that has the status of Britain's most prestigious secondary school. Guys from 13 to 18 years old are accepted for training here. According to the rules of the educational institution, all students are required to live in a boarding house, which is located in a fenced area. Throughout the year, an average of about 1,300 students are constantly here.
Eaton (college) and its history
A specialized school for boys was founded back in 1440 by a special decree of King Henry VI. Initially, the goal of opening an educational institution was to prepare guys from noble families to study at Cambridge University.
In the medieval period, the college was known as a place where Spartan methods of education were practiced. Students were required to observe the strictest rules of conduct. Currently, the attitude towards students here has significantly softened. However, the maintenance of self-discipline is still considered a mandatory feature that a real gentleman possesses.
Eaton College in England is famous for its famous graduates. At one time, the institution successfully graduated from the numerous offspring of royal families, the nobility, public and statesmen. In particular, in the entire history of the institution's existence, 20 future British prime ministers came out of it, including the most recent - David Cameron. Other notable personalities who attended college include the writers Ian Fleming, Aldous Huxley and George Orwell, the famous actor Hugh Laurie, composer Thomas Arn, naturalist and researcher Lawrence Oates.
Eaton (College): Where is it located?
The educational institution is located in the county of Berkshire, at a distance of 30 kilometers from the center of London. The main buildings are located on the banks of the River Thames. Windsor Castle is located nearby the college.
Equipment
Today Eaton British College is equipped to the latest standards. There are upscale laboratories of chemistry, physics, biology. The center for the development of innovative technologies works in the educational institution. The institution has a design center, a recording studio. On the territory of the institution there is a theater, the hall of which is able to accommodate about 400 people.
Eaton is a college where all the conditions for playing sports are created. Pupils have access to numerous playgrounds, green fields, a large indoor pool, as well as a whole host of specialized equipment. Near the Thames are concentrated docks, where students come to row in boats and canoes.
Accommodation
As noted above, Eaton is a college where exclusively male students are enrolled. For them, accommodation is organized in a boarding house format. In other words, students are not allowed to be accommodated outside of college.
On the territory of the educational institution there are more than 20 residential buildings. Each student receives a separate room. In this case, the guys are resettled according to age categories. Students' behavior and living conditions in residential buildings are constantly monitored by the so-called housemaster.
Admission Terms
What are the conditions for admission to Eton (college)? Admission here is possible when an applicant reaches 13 years of age. Until the middle of the last century, parents registered children at the educational institution from birth. Today, this opportunity is canceled. This allowed everyone to get a chance at college.
Eaton is a college that is known for fairly high competition. On average, there are 3-4 entrants per place here.
The college entry process is different from other educational institutions in the country. First of all, an application in which the student expresses a desire to be here in the future is submitted at the age of 11. After 2 years, if the request is approved by the leadership of the institution, the guys are interviewed, and then pass the entrance exam. Moreover, boys who apply for a place in college are required to give the rector a positive characterization from a previous school.
Only a third of the total number of applicants succeed in going to Eton College. Arrival may take place with some delay. So, the best applicants who did not pass the contest are on the waiting list. Subject to vacancy, such applicants will receive a corresponding email notification of their invitation to college.
Extracurricular activities
The college pays special attention to the organization of exciting and useful leisure for students. Each student takes an individual approach aimed at developing inclinations and talents. From the widest list of various circles, clubs and sections, guys have the opportunity to choose something for themselves to their liking.
So, Eaton College in England offers students attendance at the circles:
- archeology;
- astronomy;
- singing;
- Cooking
- chess;
- computer science and electronics;
- business;
- foreign languages;
- applied arts;
- oratory.
Among the available sports sections it is worth noting athletics, basketball, football, volleyball, tennis, badminton, martial arts, horse riding, rowing, rock climbing, swimming, fencing.
Cost of education
The tuition fee per year here is $ 55,600, which corresponds to 35,700 British pounds. Eaton also has enough students who don’t pay a cent for their education. All of them are holders of royal scholarships.
Upon admission to the educational institution, students may be charged an additional fee, which goes to registration, confirmation of a place in the housing for living. Separate amounts may be paid by parents of students for additional lessons, organization of excursions and leisure activities, appointment of a guardian, medical insurance.
Scholarship
You can get to Eaton, a college, photos of which are presented in the material, by musical or royal scholarship. In both cases, there is serious competition between the applicants.
Students who wish a royal scholarship are required to receive the highest marks in math and English exams, as well as have good grades in science. In particular, in order to be enrolled in free education, applicants must pass history, theology, geography, and Latin. If a young man has successfully passed all these tests, he is exempted from the general exam upon admission.
As for the musical scholarship, applicants who have extraordinary talent can receive it. At the same time, the academic achievements of the student are also taken into account.
School Structure
How is Eton (college) organized? The structure of the institution is based on a special coefficient at which one teacher must be assigned to 8 students. In the first year, up to 25 students can be in one class. By the last course, their number is reduced to 10 or even less. The remaining students are eliminated due to non-compliance with the requirements of the institution, poor discipline, unsatisfactory learning outcomes.
The college is headed by its head. Assistants to senior management are tutors who contact students directly and report on performance and any incidents.
A uniform
What clothes are allowed to attend Eaton (college)? The uniform of the institution consists of a strict vest over which a black jacket is put on. In addition, each student must wear pinstriped pants. This suit is complemented by a white tie. An alternative to the latter is a white butterfly. However, only senior students receive the right to use it in combination with a uniform.
Incentives and sanctions for students
Eton College is known for its well-established student reward system. The work done perfectly, noted by the tutor. High performance in a particular subject is awarded with a special diploma to the head of the college.
If a student has presented an outstanding work to a teacher, the latter may be sent to the institution's archive by decision of the highest council. Thus, in the future, new students of Eton may become acquainted with him. The indicated form of promoting success has been operating here since the beginning of the 18th century. However, works that are surrendered to teachers are recognized as outstanding extremely rarely. In order for the work to be awarded and sent to the archive, teachers are required to receive an appropriate decree from the leadership of the college.
Guys who come to classes late must put a list in the register. With the systematic nature of such violations of discipline, students are subject to certain sanctions by decision of the tutors. In the case of serious misconduct, students are absent from classes and called in for a personal conversation with the head of the college.
However, the requirement for timely attendance of classes applies not only to students, but also to teachers. For example, if a teacher is delayed for 15 minutes, those present in the classroom get the right to go about their business for the duration of the lesson.
Physical punishment
From the very beginning of his existence, Eaton was known for applying corporal sanctions to students for both specific offenses and without objective reason. For example, in the Middle Ages, teachers organized selective beatings of students in order to intimidate and maintain discipline. Such events were traditionally organized on Friday, just before the weekend, and were known as “spanking day”.
Corporal punishment was practiced for Eton's students until the 80s of the last century. Previously, rods were used for this, which beat students on the bare buttocks. The former head of the school, Anthony Trench, who managed the college from 1964 to 1970, decided to replace the rods with a cane. Since that time, the punishments were brought into effect not in front of the audience, but in the classrooms of teachers. The last demonstrative beating of a student in college with a cane dates back to January 1984.
How realistic is it for a student from another country to enter Eaton?
Due to the presentation of numerous requirements for the applicant and the length of the admission procedure, it is not so easy for a foreigner to do this. An applicant for a place in a college from another country must be fluent in English both in colloquial speech and in writing tests. The same goes for knowledge of British history and literature.
The only real chance for a foreigner to enter Eton is to move to live in England no later than he reaches the age of nine. To learn how to think like a British, the boy will have to undergo training at one of the local boarding schools. In this case, you will need to study according to a special program aimed at entering college.