A bit of disinformation in the press this week as it was announced that the Prince and Princess of Wales had ‘finally made a decision’ to send Prince George to Eton. Those of us in the prep school world knew of course that any decision would have been made years ago, the significance of the timing for this week was simply that George had evidently passed his Common Entrance exams. Well done to him, and I have no doubt he did very well, though he would have had to go some to beat the remarkable scores of his classmate-to-be in September, our own Henry B, who produced an outstanding set of outcomes. Harry A and Archie K-G also did brilliantly in their Common Entrance exams to Harrow; in fact Archie did so well he was a ‘starred pass’. If Harry and Archie want a role model at Harrow they need look no further than Colville Wood (OB 2022) who we were delighted to hear has been appointed as Head Boy at Harrow for September. Congratulations to those boys and all of our Year 8s, to whom I was delighted to present their PSB Certificates to this morning. The culmination of two years of hard work and a significant milestone for many of these boys who have been with us since Reception – what a Beacon journey they have had.
Our exit results this year are, yet again, indicative of our approach when it comes to senior school transition. As a standalone school, we do not channel any child into a particular setting, rather, our aim is to present choice. Great that they leave for Grammar School at 11, equally great that they stay on with us and transition to a wide variety of day and boarding schools at 13+. Prospective parents often ask about our point of difference and, whilst there are many, arguably the most compelling is the presence of older children in Years 7 and 8, who act as role models with their level of maturity dictating the narrative for all children in the school to follow. Our strength and identity is very much that we are a 3-13 school and whether a child leaves at 11, 12 or 13, everyone benefits. Well done, Class of 2026 – one of our best ever in every respect.
Nick Baker