Winchester College School for Boys

• Location - Winchester, Hampshire;
• Age - 13-18 years;
• Programs - (I) GCSE, Pre-U;
• Quantity Pupils - 700;
• Foundation year - 1382;
• Type of education - separate, school for boys.

Winchester College is an integral part of the British history of education. Private School for Boys Winchester College is one of the oldest in the country and is considered to be one of the most beautiful. The school teaches boys more than 620 years. The school works like a full board. In total, there are 4 such schools in the UK.

The school was founded by the Royal Chancellor, Bishop of Winchester, Wilhelm Wyckham. In the XVI century, the structure of the educational institution was approved. It included a leader, a college board (10 people), teachers, chaplains, singers and scholarship students (70 boys). The structure is preserved today. But in addition to 70 students studying for free (due to scholarship funds), more than 600 boys receive paid education in the prestigious college.

During the creation of the school, its unique studying system was developed. The author of this system was all the same outstanding Wykhem. The educational institution that he founded prepares and continues to teach the intellectual elite, people who can later manage large corporations and states.

The school is proud of its outstanding graduates. This school was completed by famous inventors, scientists, archbishops, Olympic champions, teachers, philosophers, artists and mathematicians. Within the walls of Winchester College studied the famous reformer of the British education system Thomas Arnold. Here, the education was given to historian Anthony Biewor, politician William Whitelow, writer Anthony Trollop, actor Hugh Dancy, art critic with knight title Kenneth Clark, grandson of the first Russian president Boris Yeltsin.

Today the contingent of pupils is represented mainly by the natives of London, Hampshire, other regions of Great Britain. Foreign students in the school are not more than 20%.

Winchester College attracts attention not only by the history and high quality of educational services, but also by location. The city in which it is located, once had the status of the capital. The Winchester Castle was the meeting place of the Knights of the Round Table, led by King Arthur. Other attractions are quite a lot in the city. For example, the longest Gothic cathedral in Europe, the Cretaceous hills of Downs Down. Learning in Winchester is not only prestigious, but also very interesting. Here you can learn many facts of English history, which you will not find in textbooks.

The school is also valued for academic rank. The pace of the development of the educational institution is set by the fellows. Each student of the school is intellectually developed, curious, has an interesting hobby. Many graduates take a decision to receive higher education in England. Priority is Oxford University. Also yesterday's students of the school easily enter the universities of the Ivy League. Successful results of entrance examinations are often due not so much to the actual level of academic training, but to the sincere love of young men for learning, a passion for studying.

Graduates of the school subsequently work in many fields of activity. Among them there are politicians, businessmen, creative personalities, experts in the field of medicine, psychology, pedagogy. Graduates obtained all necessary knowledge and skills to work with people from different classes and groups, to show professionalism, and to take responsibility for decisions made.

Admission requirements

The college belongs to the category of highly selective British boarding schools. It's very difficult to enter into it. Especially it concerns foreign applicants.

For admission to school at age 13, the boy must be registered as a candidate for a place at Winchester College at the age of eight. Selection is carried out on a competitive basis. It takes place in May of each year. The results are announced the same week.

Every candidate has to pass a complex comprehensive examination, which includes two blocks. The first involves passing tests in English, mathematics, natural sciences, evaluating logical thinking. The second block includes 3 exams. Disciplines are chosen by the entrant. The list includes mathematics, a test for logic, geography, history, Spanish, German, French, Ancient Greek, Latin. To increase the chances of admission foreign student should  pass the exam on music, or provide the admission committee with a portfolio of artwork.

The complex system of admission is the tradition of the school. It allows you to select fellows. In total, 70 Scholars study at the school. Each year, about 14 newcomers enter their ranks. Fellows are studying for free. Also, the examination program allows you to identify several exhibitioners, applicants who are guaranteed a place in the boarding school. They are offered paid training.

Several students are admitted to school at the age of 16 each year. Preliminary, they pass a one-year preparation course for exams. Entrants who have at least 6 A * - A GCSE assessments are eligible to participate in the competition. Interviews with candidates are held in January-February.

Academic Programs

Winchester College is the impeccable quality of academic studying. All graduates of the school enter prestigious universities. A third of yesterday's Winchester College students are educated in Oxbridge. 42% of graduates study in Princeton, Yale and Harvard.

The average academic results of Winchester College are impressive. More than 20% of international students receive D1 for Pre-U (equivalent to A*+ for A-level), more than 50% pass exams with the result of D2 or A*, 79% have A - A* and 90% - B-A*.

The school year is traditionally divided into trimesters. Study begins in September, ends in early July. In the year there are 3 vacations for 1-2 weeks.

The academic feature of the school is the lack of specialization. At school, boys receive a fundamental humanities education. Here international students study languages ​​(ancient, modern), art, economics, history, mathematics, natural sciences. Many students become winners of regional, national olympiads. Particular attention is paid to the vocal and musical preparation of boys. Most students play 3 musical instruments.

In school since the XIX century, the basis of the educational system is Division, or Div. It is a program of general cultural development. It is taught all 5 years, but does not provide for an examination. Div lessons are held daily. Themes are chosen by the teacher. This choice is limited solely to the interests of the teacher and his students. Various topics are discussed in the classroom, from the history of civilizations to the work of Shakespeare. Division is an intensive program. It provides for the writing of essays, presentation of reports, participation in discussions. Due to the study of topics Division, boys at school do not take final exams in English literature and history at the GCSE. These disciplines are fully considered within the framework of Div.

The academic program itself includes GCSE or IGCSE, Pre-U. The first three years of studying of a young man he is taught, as a rule, 9 subjects.

All students are accommodated in residences. Fellows are living on campus. The remaining students host in 10 residences scattered around the historic Winchester district. Each hostel occupies an ancient building in which modern renovation is made. The buildings have play areas, self-training rooms, music and TV rooms, libraries, computer centers. Also, the residences have their own sports infrastructure: gyms, tennis courts, billiards. Each hostel is calculated for 60 residents. Younger boys live in 8-bed rooms. Senior are accommodated in single rooms or share apartments with one student.

The residences have 24-hour adult control. In each of them there is always a senior educator, 5-6 teachers, housekeeper.

The complex nutrition is offered. Residents of each of the hostels eat on site.

Subject list: biology, business, chemistry, design, economics, ethics, history, maths, music, philosophy, physics, Religious studies
Activity list: aikido, badminton, basketball, Chorus, cricket, cross, fencing, football, golf, hockey, judo, karate, Musical visit, Rifle shooting, rowing, sailing, Squash, swimming, tennis, track-and-field athletics, water polo

Extensive extracurricular program includes sports, visits to circles, recreational activities. Also, in the process of training at the boarding school, boys undergo military training. It starts at the second year of study and lasts 2.5 trimester. In the United Cadet Corps, boys choose the priority direction: Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy. The program for each of them allows foreign students to learn the necessary military skills, extreme sports (canoeing, mountain biking, mountaineering). Cadets are studying in two field camps. In the third year of training, military training becomes voluntary.

The sports program is flexible. Students can choose priority types of physical activity. For each age group, profile and additional sports are offered. So, for younger students of the boarding school, the priority is "Winchester football" and football. In the second year of training, playing in a team is possible on the conditions of elective (optional). In this case, one type of sport is chosen as the main (within the mandatory level of physical activity). Students are available both strenuous workouts and physical training. The list of sports destinations is wide. It includes football, water polo, tennis, swimming, squash, rowing, scuba diving (with qualification and without), shooting, sailing, karate, judo, hockey, golf, fencing, racquets, five, cross- country, cricket, basketball, badminton, athletics, aikido.

There are many circles for international students at school. Boys can practice art, study bells (the college has a chapel with 6 bells), fishing, metalworking, carpentry, web design, jewelry, stand shooting, automodeling, robotics, bookbinding. The school also has a theater, several ensembles and choral groups. Invited boys in their ranks and a club of young entrepreneurs, astronomical, chess, dance, poetry, Russian, film club. Many pupils of the school will be able to discover many interesting things in the club "Ideas", the political society of Geithskell, the historical society. The academic clubs are also very popular among boys: mathematics, economics, philosophy, theology, science, and language.

The entertainment program will not allow students to miss their leisure time on study days and weekends. The performances of local choirs are offered to the attention of the pupils. The traditions of choral singing have been preserved for more than 600 years. The most famous choir is Quiristers. It involves 16 young men with high voices. In their repertoire there is secular, spiritual music. Boys not only sing great, but they can also play on 2 musical instruments. Quiristers is not only in school. The collective toured the world, writes CDs. In general, the traditions of choral singing are one of the business cards of the school. Everyone sing here, from pupils to attendants.

The entertainment program includes not only musicals, operas, operettas. Annually students put about 20 performances. Also at school there are 2 rock concerts.

Students are given the opportunity to travel. The program "Expeditions" meets the requirements of the most demanding young men. They plan their own trips, including budget and route. Members of the program work in groups. Cooperation provides for a competent distribution of responsibilities. Expedition projects are focused primarily on the development of teamwork skills. The purpose of travel is not just rest. Each expedition is of a humanitarian nature. Students go to this or that country with a specific mission. Among the realized by the boys from Winchester College of Projects is the restoration of the village club destroyed by the elements in Brazil.

Publicly beneficial activities are an integral part of the life of the boarding school. Senior schoolchildren conduct classes in mugs for the younger ones. Together, students help disabled people and the elderly, they supervise schoolchildren from the state educational institutions of the city. On the college account there are many charitable projects. Among them, the most significant are the ecoexpedition in Borneo, the construction of a monastic shelter and a school in India.

• The prestigious school has a suitable location. It is located in the most attractive and expensive region of Britain. Winchester is famous for its ancient architecture, magnificent nature, rich history.
• Winchester College is a unique school for boys. In its image, the famous Eton was created all over the world. Also the school is a prototype of the Royal Cambridge College.
• Students have to live and study at school in a special atmosphere. Winchester College is an integral part of British history. The school is considered the property of the country. Here there is a language, centuries-old traditions are revered.
• Educational services have earned international recognition. The school can boast a high level of student satisfaction with the educational process.
• Foreign students of the school can receive a scholarship for academic, musical, other achievements. It allows you to partially cover the costs of optional education.
• The school is distinguished by strong social connections. The close contact of teachers and students determines the effectiveness of the educational process. A flexible approach to learning and control of achievements gives a lot of academic freedom to highly intelligent students.
• Students are studying in small classes (an average of 12 people). Everyone receives the necessary amount of teaching attention.
• The staff of the school are not just teachers. They work as mentors, scientific and career consultants. Every employee is dedicated to his work.
• There is a career department at the school. International students are not only consulting career-counseling services. Specialists of the department help boys prepare for interviews, Morrisby testing, select profile, language courses, etc.
• The college is open to boys of any religion. Everyone has the opportunity to visit the services. On the campus there is a Christian chapel. There is a Catholic temple nearby. Also, several "Circles of Faith" were opened in the school.
• The prestigious boarding school is sure that manners play an important role in student's life. The education of boys is given almost no more time than their studying. Young people are growing highly educated intellectuals with impeccable manners and social skills that open their doors to the world of the international professional elite.

Winchester College is an area of ​​250 acres with many historical, modern, natural and sports facilities. The College owns 3 branches: St. Catherine's Hill, Twyford Down, Fallest. In its territory are also created 11 gardens. Play areas and playgrounds are occupied by 52 acres of area.

The campus itself unites 93 structures built in the XIV-XX centuries in the architectural ensemble, which are surrounded by an old stone fence. Alleys between buildings shade 200-year-old plane trees. The historical complex is adjacent to the modern buildings belonging to the school.

The prestigious boarding house for boys is rightfully proud of its resources. In the chapel on the campus created a unique archive of the history of the school. Here are stored documents, photographs, artifacts, since the XVII century. Also in the archive is a collection of instruments, plants, insects, minerals. Most of the exhibits dated  the 18th century.

The school has three libraries. Scientific library is known for its five thousandth profile fund and a rich collection of periodicals (18 types of magazines). Literature is offered to international students in Moberly. Also in the library there is a computer classroom, a games room, a periodical hall. In the library for the scholarship holders are kept ancient folios, manuscripts. The pride of the collection is a plate made of clay, created more than 2500 years ago. Also among the treasures of the library are folios, read by Louis XII and Elizabeth I, the first edition of the Newtonian "Origins".

The auditorium of the boarding school also has something to be proud of. Each class in Winchester College is equipped with a multimedia projector, an interactive whiteboard. In the academic buildings there are also computer classes, scientific centers. On the campus there is an art school, a music school. Since 2003, the observatory is equipped with a six-inch Meade telescope.

The sports infrastructure of the prestigious boarding school is extensive and modern. On the campus there is a martial arts hall, a physical education center, a fitness and a gym. The school also has a 25-meter swimming pool. The sports infrastructure includes a shooting gallery with 6 fire strips 25 meters in length, a squash club with two glazed areas and 4 classic courts, 7 cricket grounds, fields for "fives", "rackets", tennis courts, a dozen football fields. The school also has 40 miles of coastal territory on Itchena. Students are given the opportunity to train in a natural pond for rowing, fishing, sailing.

The Winchester College also has its own medical center. It is versatile. In the center work pediatricians, therapists, allergists, orthopedists, pulmonologists. The complex includes a polyclinic department and a hospital.

The school year is divided into terms. The first starts in September, the second in January and the third in April. The study ends in early July. In the year there are 3 vacations for 1-2 weeks.

Additional fees:

• registration fee - 200 pounds;
• entrance fee - 500 pounds;
• deposit - 5000 feet (1000 pounds returned to the field of the first semester, the rest after school);
• pocket money;
• flight.

Extras:

• Registration fee (for a programme/course) 375 GBP
• Application fee 500 GBP
• Deposit for a course/programme 5000 GBP

• Guardianship services during the studies
• Student supervision