Founded by Henry VI in 1440, Eton is one of Britain’s best-known boys’ boarding schools, with a distinctive house-based culture and a historic setting beside Windsor. Each boy belongs to a boarding house that provides a close pastoral community, while the wider College offers exceptional scope for music, sport, debating, academic societies and independent interests. Its King’s Scholarships and expanding financial-aid programmes are important features of its educational tradition.

Eton’s normal intake is at 13+ into Year 9, with approximately 260 boys joining each year; it has no standard 11+ entry. Families normally register by the end of Year 5. In Year 6, applicants sit the ISEB Common Pre-tests, and those shortlisted take an Eton assessment and individual interview. Successful boys receive conditional places, confirmed after the relevant Year 8 examination route, such as Common Entrance, King’s Scholarship or Eton Entrance. Separate scholarship routes have different application timings.