Schools in Eton: Windsor, Slough and the Eton College question

Eton is a small town on the north bank of the Thames, facing Windsor across the river and part of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. Slough lies just to the north. For school planning, treat Eton, Windsor and Old Windsor as one area: they share a state-school system, and most daily journeys run through Windsor or Slough.

Eton College dominates the town, but it only takes boys aged 13 to 18 and every pupil boards. For a family actually moving here, the more important question is usually which local state school or day school fits the child.

Getting here and getting away

The town has no station of its own. The college’s rail directions name two Windsor stations within walking distance:

• Windsor & Eton Central, at the end of a short branch line from Slough. At Slough you join main-line services towards London Paddington and Reading.
• Windsor & Eton Riverside, with direct South Western Railway trains to London Waterloo.

Heathrow is the nearest major airport. For a boarding family flying in, the practical questions are who meets the boy, how he reaches school at the start and end of each term and where he stays at short notice. Ask Eton directly about its arrangements rather than assuming a school coach. Check current timetables with National Rail for the exact travel day.

How the local state system works

In England, a child must be in full-time education from the term after their fifth birthday, and must stay in some form of education or training until 18. You apply for state school places through your home council. The national deadlines are 31 October for secondary and 15 January for primary.

Windsor and Eton are unusual. Most of England moves children to secondary school at 11, but Windsor keeps a three-tier structure: first schools to Year 4, middle schools from Year 5 and upper schools from Year 9. The Royal Borough’s schools directory lists the first schools in Eton and Eton Wick and the Windsor middle and upper schools. A family arriving from abroad should check which tier the child’s age falls into, because each transfer year has its own application round.

Slough, just north of Eton, has selective grammar schools. Their 11+ entrance test is run by the Slough Consortium of Grammar Schools, independently of the council, and a child must reach the required mark before a grammar place can be offered. Registration for the test is separate from the council application and comes well before the October deadline, so check the consortium’s dates early. It is not a route to discover late.

The school in Eton

Eton College suits a boy who wants, and is ready for, full boarding from 13, with a family prepared for registration years in advance. It is the wrong school for daughters, for day education, or for a family that wants a child home every evening. The profile covers the entry routes, the registration deadline, fees and bursaries.

Alternatives to compare

• Wellington College, at Crowthorne in south Berkshire, is co-educational and has day places as well as boarding. See the Crowthorne guide.
• Harrow School is the other boys’ full-boarding school close to London. The Harrow guide compares it with John Lyon, its day-school neighbour.
• For international, independent day and state options across the capital, start with the London school search.
• If you are still deciding between residential and day schooling, read boarding or day first.

Choose Eton as a place to live if work is in the Thames Valley or west London and the children suit Windsor’s three-tier state schools. Look elsewhere if you want an ordinary move to secondary school at 11, which most of England, including Slough, provides. The United Kingdom guide explains the wider system.

Friendly orientation, not formal admissions advice. Always confirm dates with the school.