Eton

.

Eton

College

StegalovkaResearch work

Done byRomanova Anastasiya, form 10Teacher: Terekhova L.N. 2013

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.

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.

HistoryIt 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

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.

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!

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

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).

Prince Henry of Wales , commonly known as Prince Harry, is the younger son of Charles, Prince of Wales and Diana.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Teachers also wear a uniform, consisting of a white bow-tie, black jacket and striped trousers.

SocietiesThere 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.

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.

Sports

The college is very strong in the area of sports. Students can do 30 different sports, including rugby, football, cricket, rowing, hockey, basketball, swimming and many others.

Strict disciplineUntil 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.

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.

To sum up: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.

Sources http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eton_College

http://www.etoncollege.com/

http://www.etoncollege.com/spirituality.aspx

http://www.etoncollege.com/DatesOfHalves.aspx

http://www.etoncollege.com/glossary.aspx