Harrow School is one of England's great boarding schools — a full-boarding school for boys on the famous Harrow-on-the-Hill in North-West London. With a heritage stretching back to 1572 and alumni that include Winston Churchill, Jawaharlal Nehru and Lord Byron, Harrow offers an education of exceptional breadth and prestige. Entry is at 13+ via Common Entrance and the school's own process, beginning with the ISEB Pre-Test in Year 6 or 7.
About Harrow School
Harrow is located at Church Hill, Harrow on the Hill, HA1 — on the hill above Harrow, with iconic views across London. It educates around 820 boys, all full boarders, across 12 houses. The school has one of the most extensive co-curricular programmes of any school in the world — sport, music, drama, art, clubs and societies at a level that is almost overwhelming in its breadth.
Academically, Harrow is strong but not extreme: it is not in the same narrow league as Eton or Winchester academically, and deliberately so. Harrow values the whole boy — sporting achievement, artistic talent, leadership and character are valued as highly as examination performance. It is an excellent choice for families who want a prestigious, full-boarding experience that develops a genuinely well-rounded young man.
The entry process
- Registration in Year 5 — boys should be registered with Harrow by the spring of Year 5 at the latest. Harrow is popular and oversubscribed; early registration is advisable.
- ISEB Common Pre-Test in Year 6 or 7 — registered boys sit the ISEB online Pre-Test, covering English, Mathematics, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning. Results are used to shortlist candidates for Harrow's own assessment.
- Harrow's own assessment — shortlisted boys visit Harrow for their own assessment, which includes academic papers, a housemaster interview and a stay-over at the school. The overnight stay is a distinctive feature: it allows the school to see how boys integrate with the community and whether they are ready for boarding life.
- Conditional offer — successful boys receive a conditional place, subject to passing Common Entrance at the required standard in Year 8.
- Common Entrance in Year 8 — CE papers across all major subjects. Harrow's standard pass mark is typically around 55–60%, which is lower than some other top boarding schools, reflecting its emphasis on the whole boy.
Common Entrance subjects
CE for Harrow covers: English, Mathematics, Sciences, French, History, Geography, Religious Studies and either Latin or another language. Harrow has a relatively accessible CE pass mark compared to schools like Eton or Winchester, but the papers still require systematic preparation across all subjects in Years 7 and 8.
Harrow scholarships
Harrow offers scholarships in academia, art, DT/Technology, music and sport. Academic scholarships involve separate, harder papers — typically at a standard above CE. Other scholarships involve portfolios, auditions or trials. Scholarship holders receive a fee reduction (though the scholarship element is typically modest) and the prestige of the award. Families who think their son has exceptional ability in any area should investigate the relevant scholarship at registration.
When to start preparation
- Year 4–5: build foundations in English and Mathematics; ensure Latin is underway if the boy's prep school doesn't teach it; begin to develop reasoning skills.
- Year 6–7: ISEB Pre-Test preparation (all four components) and preparation for Harrow's own assessment papers. Interview preparation for the housemaster interview.
- Year 7–8: CE preparation across all subjects. Subject specialist tutors in areas where gaps exist — particularly Maths, Sciences, French and Latin for boys who have not been strong in these areas.
Boarding school readiness
Because Harrow is full-boarding, the school assesses boarding readiness as part of its selection process. Boys who have not previously boarded — even briefly — may benefit from some boarding experience before the Harrow assessment (through school-organised trips or short courses). The overnight stay element of Harrow's assessment is specifically designed to test this.
What Harrow is looking for
Harrow is looking for boys who will contribute enthusiastically to every aspect of school life — academically, on the sports field, in the arts, and in the house community. A boy who is academically sound, socially confident, broadly engaged and ready for the commitment of full boarding is the natural Harrow candidate. Character, resilience and a good sense of humour are valued as much as examination scores.
Finding a tutor for Harrow preparation
Harrow preparation requires tutoring across two main phases: ISEB Pre-Test preparation in Years 5–7, and CE subject preparation in Years 7–8. For the CE phase, subject-specialist tutors in Maths, English, Sciences, Languages and Latin are all potentially relevant depending on where gaps exist.
Search for tutors with Common Entrance and boarding school preparation experience on the parent portal.