Eton College is a full boarding school for boys with 1,345 boys, situated next to the historic town of Windsor, Berkshire. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI. The school’s ethos is to take talented boys with character and give them the skills to progress through life as happy, successful and socially responsible adults. Academic results are important but so too are the skills gained from co-curricular activities including music, drama, art, sports, Combined Cadet Force, outdoor education, the many different societies and our community engagement programme. At Eton, the emphasis is on finding, nurturing and giving value to each pupil’s unique talents.
Approximately one fifth of the boys at the school currently receive financial aid. See our website www.etoncollege.com for further details.
The Tony Little Centre for Innovation and Research in Learning. The world of teaching and the way young people learn is being transformed through the advent of new technologies and a better understanding the neuroscience and psychology of learning. Our Centre for Innovation and Research in Learning puts Eton at the forefront of global teaching and learning developments.
The Centre works alongside partner schools and schools and universities around the world to exchange ideas and share best practice, carry out research and analyse new developments – with the aim of continually improving our outstanding teaching and learning experience for our boys as well as society more widely.
Academic achievement. Academic excellence is central to Eton life, with the vast majority of our boys going on to attend leading universities, as well as top universities in the United States. Our boys go on to study a range of subjects as undergraduates, for instance, the sciences (including medicine), humanities/English, modern languages and economics/business. Eton also has its own dedicated Learning Support Centre for boys with special educational needs.
Sport. Sport plays a central role in school life. There are nearly 30 different activities on offer, ranging from the more familiar football, rugby, cricket and rowing to Eton’s own unique sports – the Wall and Field Games.
We have many highly skilled Masters and professional coaches involved in our extensive sports programme. At Eton, our main goals in sport relate to participation, performance and enjoyment. Success in this respect is evident through the amount of pupils that take part in School and House teams throughout the year and the improvement seen in their time here. Achievement is evident at all ability levels including at national level, where our top teams and high-ability sportsmen regularly compete favourably and with no small degree of success.
The arts. Over 1,300 music lessons are taught each week at The Music Schools. The majority of our 78 teachers balance their work at Eton with successful performing careers in the music industry, with many holding positions at leading music colleges. Our facilities include three concert halls, a recording studio, three music technology suites, drum suites, a music library, and a large number of teaching and practice rooms. Around 50 ensembles and choirs rehearse each week. Senior boys regularly put on their own concerts – a tradition initiated by Hubert Parry during his time as a boy at Eton. Around 25 music scholarships and exhibitions are awarded each year.
Eton’s Director of Drama is Rebecca Farley MA (Acting Director of Drama until November 2024 is Hailz Osborne MA). More than 20 theatrical productions are staged at the school each year, affording boys the opportunity to take part both onstage and behind the scenes; these opportunities have seen a number of alumni forging very successful careers in the industry. Facilities include the 400-seat Farrer Theatre, a flexible auditorium with state-of-the-art lighting and sound, a scenic workshop, wardrobe, make-up studio and dressing rooms. The smaller Caccia Studio and Empty Space Theatre seat 100 and 60 people respectively. There is also a film unit and radio drama opportunities.
The Drawing Schools have opportunities for printmaking, computer graphics and digital photography, painting and drawing. There are 3D studios with facilities for sculpture (in wood, metal, plaster) and ceramics. Regular professional art exhibitions are staged and there is also an ambitious Artist-in-Residence programme. Art and design feature in the curriculum and consistently achieve high examination standards. Boys are also encouraged to use the Drawing Schools as a leisure and hobby area in their free time.
Additional activities. Eton hosts over 200 society meetings every year covering a broad range of topics from eminent speakers. A diverse programme of meetings is drawn up by boy secretaries of some 70 societies including Environment Society, Journalism Society, the African & Caribbean Society and the Psychological Society.
Eton also offers boys a choice between joining a very successful Combined Cadet Force or being part of a thriving department for community engagement, allowing boys to balance their co-curricular programme, with volunteering valued as much as individual endeavour. Boys are encouraged to develop a sense of social responsibility and give back in a number of ways, including volunteering with school children or the elderly and taking part in charity fundraising events, such as the annual Eton Action Fair.
Pastoral care. The welfare of boys at Eton College is taken extremely seriously and a robust system is in place, specifically designed to enable staff to spot problems as early as possible. The House structure, Tutor groups, our own health centre (at which boys are treated by nurses and GPs), our consultant adolescent psychiatrist, the Stephenson Centre for Wellbeing (which houses two psychologists and two counsellors) and the chaplaincy teams (with representatives of multiple faiths) all play a role within this system. Our pastoral care procedures are reviewed regularly by the Head Master, Lower Master, Deputy Head (Pastoral) and Director of Safeguarding.
Admissions. The majority of boys are admitted to the school aged 13. For entry up to and including 2026, registration is required by 30 June in UK School Year 5 (the academic year in which a boy reaches the age of 10) and related bursary applications must reach us by 15 September of UK School Year 6; please note these are strict deadlines. There are scholarships for entry aged 13 – the academic King’s Scholarship and various Music Awards. These do not come with any automatic fee remission; however, it is possible to apply for a means-tested bursary in connection with an application for a Kings or Music Scholarship. There are also a small number of places available in the Sixth Form, namely Orwell Awards (funded places for boys for whom studying at Eton would be a transformative experience) and additionally up to four fee-paying places.
The Admissions process for entry up to and including 2026 consists of two stages. The first consists of the ISEB Common Pre-Tests and a report from the boy’s current school, and the second stage, held at Eton, consists of a specially designed computer test and an interview.
A visit to the school either before registration or before assessment is recommended. Please contact the Admissions Team via www.etoncollege.com for further details.
Fees per term (2023-2024). £16,666.
Charitable status. Eton College is a Registered Charity, number 1139086.
Governors & Staff:
Provost: The Lord Waldegrave of North Hill, PC, MA
Vice-Provost: Peter McKee, MA
Leadership Team:
Head Master: Simon Henderson, MA
Lower Master: Paul Williams, BA
Bursar: Janet Walker, MA, FCA
Deputy Head (Academic): Tom Hawkins, MA
Deputy Head (Boarding): James Fulton, MA
Deputy Head (Co-Curricular): Jonathan Newton, MA
Deputy Head (Curriculum Staff): Jeanette Thorne, BSc
Deputy Head (Partnerships): Tom Arbuthnott, MA, MPhil
Deputy Head (Pastoral): Mike Grenier, MA
Director of Communications, Engagement & Development: Justin Nolan, MA
Director of Safeguarding: Alice Vicary-Stott, BA
Clerk & Legal Advisor to Provost & Fellows: Karen Neale, BA
Buildings & Facilities Director: Christopher Reeve, BSc, MRICS
Director of Admissions: Paul Smith, MA, MSt
Finance Director: Catherine Taylor, BA, ACA
HR Director: Anna Tomlinson, BA, MSc, MCIPD