2. The aim of my work
- to know more about education in Britain,
- to find out some interesting facts about
the school where Prince William and
Prince Harry studied.
3. Eton College is probably the
most famous school in the
world. It has educated boys
(there are no girls at Eton) for
nearly six centuries! It`s
located in the small town of
Eton, next to Windsor which is
famous for Windsor Castle.
4. History
It was founded by King
Henry VI in 1440 (who was
only 18 at that time).
Henry’s aim was to give
education to 70 poor boys so
that they could then go to
Cambridge University
(which was founded at the
same time).
It was founded by King Henry VI in 1440
(who was only 18 at that time). Henry’s
aim was to give education to 70 poor boys
so that they could then go to Cambridge
University (which was founded at the
same time).
History
5. Life in the early days of Eton was hard. The boys had
to get up at 5 o`clock in the morning and wash outside
with cold water , rats ran free about the college , and
all the lessons were in Latin. Today , Eton College has
1,290 boys aged 13-18.
6. It has become the largest and most prestigious public school in
Britain. It`s a very expensive school, too. You have to pay more than
£25,000 a year to study there, so Eton`s students are mainly from
rich families. But you don`t automatically get into Eton even if you
have money. You have to pass entrance exams first!
7. A lot of famous people have been
to Eton, including the novelists
Henry Fielding, George
Orwell, Aldous Huxley, Percy
Shelley and Ian Fleming, 18
British prime ministers, and, in
resent years, Prince William and
Prince Harry.
Two important Etonians in
British politics today are
David Cameron, the leader of
the Conservative Party, and
Boris Johnson, the Mayor of
London.
EtoniansFamous
8. Prince William, Duke of
Cambridge KG KT (William
Arthur Philip Louis, is the
elder son of Charles, Prince
of Wales, and Diana,
Princess of Wales).
9. Prince Henry of Wales ,
commonly known as
Prince Harry, is the
younger son of
Charles, Prince of
Wales and Diana.
10. Eton is a boarding school where boys live and study
away from home.When a boy comes to Eton he joins a
house of 50 boys. This house will be the hub of his
life for the next five years. Having your own room from
the first day at school is central to Eton’s philosophy.
The teachers want their students to think
independently, organise their own lives and take
responsibility for themselves.
Eton is a very old school.
11. Languages are very important at Eton. Every boy takes
at least two modern languages chosen from French,
German, Japanese, Russian and Spanish. Students also
study Latin for at least one year and many choose to
study Greek as well. Outside the main timetable they
may choose Chinese or Arabic.
12. Dress Code
Eton students wear a strange old-
fashioned school uniform. It
consists of a black tailcoat (or
morning coat), black pin-striped
trousers, a black waistcoat, well-
polished black shoes, a false-collar
and a white tie.
13. There are some variations in the school dress of important senior
boys with responsibilities. The members of Pop (a small group of
21 elected prefects)are allowed to wear any colourful waistcoat
and a white bow-tie.
Prince William, for example, liked to wear a
waistcoat made from the British flag.
14. Teachers also wear a
uniform, consisting of a white
bow-tie, black jacket and striped
trousers.
15. Societies
There are about fifty societies and
clubs at Eton. Whatever your interest –
music, photography, design, astronomy
, computing, electronics, Scottish
dancing, stamp collecting, cinema –
there`ll be a club for you.
16. The college has a fantastic art
school , a music school with
many bands, orchestras and
even its own recording studio.
Eton is also famous for its
theatre.
17. Sports
The college is very strong in
the area of sports. Students
can do 30 different
sports, including
rugby, football, cricket, rowin
g, hockey, basketball, swimmi
ng and many others.
18. Strict discipline
Until 1983 Eton was renowned for Flogging and fagging. You can see
the birches and canes used by the teachers at the Museum of Eton
Life. It was a public ceremony which usually took place in the
library. One headmaster, John Keate, managed to beat 80 boys
publicly on one day! All Flogging and fagging is now forbidden but
discipline is still very strict at Eton.
19. Did you know?
One confusing thing about British schools is that public
schools are really private schools. They are not run by
the government and parents pay for their children to
attend these schools. Only 7% of children go to public
schools.
The most famous British public schools are
Eton, Harrow and Winchester.
Eton is a very old school but it is not the oldest school in
British. That honour belong to Winchester, founded 60
years earlier. There are no girls at Eton but some other
boys` public schools in the UK accept some girls in the
upper school, after the age of 16.
Henry 6, the founder of Eton College, became King of
England at the age of nine months.
20. With its combination of excellent
teachers and small classes, Eton
gives its students a very good
education. A personal tutor looks
after the progress of every boy.
When students leave Eton, they
usually go to top
universities, such as Oxford or
Cambridge.
