Prince George starts secondary school at prestigious Eton College

Prince George has started secondary school, arriving at Eton with his proud parents the Prince and Princess of Wales.

The elite school, located west of London in Berkshire, was founded by George’s ancestor King Henry VI in 1440 and is steeped in history.

In a rich moment of historical continuity*, George breezed past a bronze statue of Henry, which stands in the middle of the school’s quadrangle to shake hands with the school’s headmaster Simon Henderson.

Mr Henderson shook hands with the future king and said: “Welcome, good luck, enjoy it”.

George was dressed in a tie and blazer described as “home clothes” in contrast to his Eton uniform known as “school dress”. The uniform consists of a black tailcoat, a black waistcoat, stiff white collars and black pinstriped trousers.

The school has often been likened to Hogwarts, JK Rowling’s imagined school of witchcraft and wizardry, and has its own slang, rowing lake and shop.

All pupils at the £63,000-a-year school (AU$118,000) get their own room and are moved to a bigger room every year.

A far cry from the average Australian school canteen, food served at Eton has been described as excellent – but those clever enough to be named Eton’s King’s Scholars (the most academically talented pupils) get the absolute best. These star pupils are served dishes worthy of a fine-dining experience, such as confit* of duck and swordfish risotto.

The young prince will board during his time at the school despite it being just a few kilometres away from the family home in Windsor.

By enrolling at Eton, George has followed in the footsteps of his father and uncle Prince Harry who both attended the exclusive school.

Eton has also famously educated 20 past UK prime ministers, including Boris Johnson and David Cameron, as well as a roll call of other well-known people, from actor Tom Hiddleston to James Bond creator Ian Fleming.

The school welcomes nearly 1350 pupils each year, according to its website.

– With AFP

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GLOSSARY

• continuity: the uninterrupted flow of something over time
• confit: confit of duck is a traditional French meal whereby a duck’s leg is submerged in fat and cooked slowly at a low temperature, leaving the meat very tender

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QUICK QUIZ
1. Who was the founder of Eton College?
2. How many UK prime ministers previously attended the prestigious school?
3. Which immediate family members of Prince George’s also attended the school before him?
4. Which students at the school get to eat the best food?
5. How much does it cost to attend Eton each year?

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CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. A great school?
What do you think makes a good, or even great, school? Write a list of at least five things. Next to each item, write sentences explaining your choice.

Time: Spend at least 20 minutes on this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Personal and Social Capability

2. Extension
“A future King should go to an ordinary school, not an expensive school like Eton.” Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Write a very convincing paragraph that addresses this question.

Time: Spend at least 20 minutes on this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Personal and Social Capability, Civics and Citizenship

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Imaginative dialogue
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Create a conversation between two characters from the article – you may need or want to include yourself as one of the characters. Don’t forget to try to use facts and details from the article to help make your dialogue as realistic as possible.

Go through your writing and highlight any punctuation you have used in green. Make sure you carefully check the punctuation used for the dialogue and ensure you have opened and closed the speaking in the correct places.