Harrow School

Today’s Harrow is shaped by the best of its past
Harrow was founded in 1572 under a royal charter granted by Queen
Elizabeth I. From the boys’ distinctive dress to our own unusual form of
football, archaic slang and the communal singing of Harrow Songs, our
traditions develop a strong corporate spirit and a sense of belonging to
something bigger than oneself.

Harrovians have diverse backgrounds and abilities
No two Harrovians are the same: some live in London, others much further
afield. A number come from established Harrow families, others have no
experience of public schooling; many excel in sport or the arts, others are
very strong academically. Whatever they bring to the Hill, all come together
on an equal footing, to be judged by their contribution alone.

Harrovians go to the world’s best universities
Harrovians routinely attend the world’s top ranked universities. Following
the 2023 admissions cycle, Harrovians have offers from seven of the world’s
top ten universities, including 15 Oxbridge offers, Harvard, UChicago and a
much sought-after offer at the QTS globally ranked 7th ETH, Zürich. They
also hold 15 offers at Imperial and 36 at UCL.

Harrow has produced many great men
Famous Old Harrovians include statesmen such as Peel, Palmerston,
Churchill, Nehru and King Hussein of Jordan; writers including Byron,
Sheridan, Trollope and Richard Curtis; Anthony Ashley-Cooper, the seventh
Earl of Shaftesbury and influential social reformer; Lord Rayleigh, the
physicist and Nobel prize-winner; Fox Talbot, a pioneer of photography;
the archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans and James Bruce the explorer; Admiral
Rodney and Field Marshal Alexander and 19 winners of the Victoria Cross.
More recently, many pupils have gone on to distinguished careers in
business, the law, medicine, the armed forces, the arts and media.

Harrow’s large estate is in easy reach of London
Harrow’s 324 acres comprise six conservation areas, a registered park, a
nine-hole golf course, an observatory, a working farm and many buildings
of special architectural interest. Positioned on the Metropolitan Line, 20
minutes from Baker Street on a fast train, we enjoy the best of both village
life and a cosmopolitan capital.

The ‘School on the Hill’ has a global presence
The Harrow Family of Schools comprises Harrow School, John Lyon School,
Harrow-branded schools in 11 international locations and Harrow School
Online – together educating over 9,000 pupils each year. All schools in the
Harrow Family that are eligible for inspection were most recently marked
“excellent” or “outstanding” in all areas. On average, nearly 50% of the
Family’s Year 13 leavers in 2022 had places at the top 100 universities in the
QS World University Rankings. Harrow School’s alumni organisation has a
membership of approximately 9,000 Old Harrovians (OHs). Its 22 clubs,
thriving events diary, and extensive careers guidance and work placement
programme are testament to an OH’s loyalty to his peers and the School.

Scholarships to Harrow School Up to 30 scholarships are awarded every year for academic excellence, exceptional ability in music or art, or for outstanding talent in some other field, such as sport, acting or chess. With the exception of Peter Beckwith Awards, the scholarships can range in value from 5% to 10% of the fee and are held throughout a boy’s time at Harrow, subject to satisfactory performance. Boys may apply for more than one of the different types of scholarship, which include Academic, Music, Art, Sport and Outstanding Talent. The bursaries scheme at Harrow has been expanded and so scholarships can often be supplemented by a means-tested bursary of up to 100% for parents who might not otherwise be able to afford the fees. The scholarship exams take place at Harrow, although special arrangements can be made for overseas candidates. Peter Beckwith Scholarships Each year, we award two scholarships to boys aged between 10 and 13 with the aim that they will enrol at Harrow once they turn 13. The scholarships can cover up to 100% of fees at Harrow from the age of 13, and also the fees at a prep school from the age of 11 until the pupil goes to Harrow. This type of scholarship is available to any pupil who shows great talent, whether at a private or state school and whose parents could otherwise not afford to send him to a boarding school. The awards are means-tested, so the level of the award will depend on the family income. For more information on scholarships, go to the Admissions section on our website.