1. Eton College
Eton College, usually referred to as Eton, is a British independent boarding school located in Eton, near
Windsor in England. It educates over 1,300 pupils, aged between 13 to 18 years and was founded in 1440 by
King Henry VI.
Eton is one of nine English independent schools, commonly referred to as "public schools", included in the
original Public Schools Act 1868. Following the public school tradition, Eton is a full boarding school, which
means all pupils live at the school, and is one of four such remaining single-sex boys' public schools (the others
being Winchester College, Harrow School and Radley College) to continue this practice.
Eton has traditionally been referred to as "the chief nurse of England's statesmen", and has been described as
the most famous public school in the world.
Eton's Aims
Eton is a full boarding school committed to:
- promoting the best habits of independent thought and learning in the pursuit погоня of excellence;
- providing a broadly-based education designed to enable all boys to discover their strengths, and to make the
most of their talents within Eton and beyond;
- engendering respect for individuality, difference, the importance of teamwork and the contribution that each
boy makes to the life of the school and the community;
- supporting pastoral care that nurtures physical health and spiritual richness;
- fostering воспитывать self-confidence, enthusiasm, perseverance, tolerance and integrity
History
Eton College was founded by Henry VI as a charity school to provide free education to seventy poor boys who
would then go on to King's College, Cambridge, founded by the same King in 1441. Henry took Winchester
College as his model, visiting on many occasions, borrowing its Statutes and removing its Headmaster and
some of the Scholars to start his new school.
Boys' houses
King's Scholars
One boarding house, College, is reserved for seventy King's Scholars, who attend Eton on scholarships provided
by the original foundation and awarded by examination each year; King's Scholars pay up to 90% of full fees,
depending on their means. Of the other pupils, up to a third receive some kind of bursary or scholarship. The
original school consisted of only seventy scholars, half of whom had previously been educated at Winchester
College, and all of these boys were educated at the king's expense.
King's Scholars are entitled to use the letters "KS" after their name and they can be identified by a black gown
worn over the top of their tailcoats, giving them the nickname tugs.
Oppidans
As the school grew, more students were allowed to attend provided that they paid their own fees and lived in
the town, outside the college's original buildings. These students became known as Oppidans, from the Latin

2. word oppidum, meaning town. The Houses developed over time as a means of providing residence for the
Oppidans in a more congenial manner, and during the 18th and 19th centuries were mostly run by women
known as "dames". They typically contain about fifty boys. Although classes are organised on a school basis,
most boys spend a large proportion of their time in their House. Each House has a formal name, mainly used
for post and people outside the Eton community. It is generally known by the boys by the initials or surname of
the House Master, the teacher who lives in the house and manages the pupils in it.
Not all boys who pass the College election examination choose to become King's Scholars. If they choose
instead to belong to one of the 24 Oppidan Houses, they are known as Oppidan Scholars. Oppidan scholarships
may also be awarded for consistently performing with distinction in school and external examinations. To gain
an Oppidan Scholarship, a boy must have either three distinctions in a row or four throughout his career.
Within the school, an Oppidan Scholar is entitled to use the letters OS after his name.
House Structure
In addition to the housemaster, each house has a House Captain and a House Captain of Games. Some Houses
choose to elect more than one. House prefects were once elected from the oldest year, but this no longer
happens. The old term, Library, survives in the name of the room set aside for the oldest year's use, where boys
have their own kitchen. The situation is similar with the boys in their penultimate year, who have a similar
room known as Debate.
There are entire house gatherings every evening, usually around 8:05-8:30 p.m. These are known as Prayers,
due to their original nature. The housemaster and boys have an opportunity to make announcements, and
sometimes the boys provide light entertainment. Many inter-house competitions occur, mostly in the field of
sport.
For much of Eton's history, junior boys had to act as "fags", or servants, to older boys. Their duties included
cleaning, cooking, and running errands поручение. A Library member was entitled to yell at any time and
without notice, "Boy, Up!" or "Boy, Queue!", and all first-year boys had to come running. The last boy to arrive
was given the task. These practices, known as fagging, were partially phased out of most houses in 1970s.
Captains of House and Games still sometimes give tasks to first-year boys, such as collecting the mail from
School Office
Uniform
The school is known for its traditions, including a uniform of black tailcoat (or morning coat) and waistcoat,
false-collar воротник and pinstriped trousers в тонкую полоску. Most pupils wear a white tie that is effectively
a strip of cloth folded over into a starched накрахмаленный, detachable collar, but some senior boys are
entitled to wear a white bow tie and winged collar ("Stick-Ups"). There are some variations in the school dress
worn by boys in authority, see School Prefects and King's scholars sections.
Members of the teaching staff (known as Beaks) are required to wear a form of school dress when teaching.
Tutors and teaching
The pupil to teacher ratio пропорция is 8:1, which is low by general school standards. Class sizes start at
around twenty to twenty-five in the first year and are often below ten by the final year.
The original curriculum concentrated on prayers, Latin and devotion .

3. Later the emphasis was on classical studies, dominated by Latin and Ancient History, and, for boys with
sufficient ability, Classical Greek. From the latter part of the 19th century this curriculum has changed and
broadened : for example, there are now more than 100 students of Chinese (non-curriculum course). In the
1970s, there was just one school computer, in a small room attached to the science buildings. Today, all boys
must have laptop computers, and the school fibre-optic network connects all classrooms and all boys'
bedrooms to the internet.
The primary responsibility for a boy's studies lies with his House Master, but he is often assisted by an
additional director of studies, known as a tutor. Classes, colloquially known as "divs" (divisions), are organised
on a school basis; the classrooms are separate from the houses. Despite the introduction of modern
technology, the external appearance and locations of many of the classrooms have remained unchanged for a
long time.
Every evening, about an hour and a quarter, known as Quiet Hour, is set aside during which boys are expected
to study or prepare work for their teachers if not otherwise engaged. Some houses, on the discretion of the
House Master, may observe a second Quiet Hour after prayers in the evening. This is less formal, with boys
being allowed to visit each other's rooms to socialise if neither boy has outstanding work.
Incentives and sanctions
Eton has a well-established system for encouraging boys to produce a high standard of work. An excellent piece
of work may be rewarded with a "Show Up", to be shown to the boy's tutors as evidence of progress. If, in any
particular term, a pupil makes a particularly good effort in any subject, he may be "Commended for Good
Effort" to the Head Master (or Lower Master).
If any boy produces an outstanding piece of work, it may be "Sent Up For Good", storing the effort in the
College Archives for posterity . This award has been around since the 18th century. As Sending Up For Good is
fairly infrequent, the process is rather mysterious to many of Eton's boys. First, the master wishing to Send Up
For Good must gain the permission of the relevant Head of Department. Upon receiving his or her approval,
the piece of work will be marked with Sent Up For Good and the student will receive a card to be signed by
House Master, tutor and division master.
The opposite of a Show Up is a "Rip”. This is for sub-standard work, which is sometimes torn at the top of the
page/sheet and must be submitted to the boy's housemaster for signature. Boys who accumulate rips are liable
to be given a "White Ticket", which must be signed by all his teachers and may be accompanied by other
punishments, usually involving doing domestic choresу уборка or writing lines.
Internal examinations are held at the end of the Michaelmas term for all pupils, and in the Summer term for
those in the first year and those in the second year. These internal examinations are called "Trials".
The Independent Schools Inspectorate's latest report says, "Eton College provides an exceptionally good quality
of education for all its pupils. They achieve high academic standards as a result of stimulating teaching,
challenging expectations and first-class resources."