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class="my-class" href="https://www.etoncollege.com/">Home</a></span> <span class="breadcrumbs-separator"></span> <span><a class="my-class" href="https://www.etoncollege.com/about-us/">About Us</a></span> <span class="breadcrumbs-separator"></span> <span class="breadcrumb_last" aria-current="page">Our Purpose</span></span></p></div> <div class="container"> <div class="row"> <div class="offset-lg-1 col-lg-10 offset-md-1 col-md-10"> <div class="title title--shadow horizontal-scroll--right"> </div> <div class="title title--lg"> Eton College is a charity for the advancement of education. At its heart sits an independent boys’ boarding school which leads a dynamic range of educational activities and an expanding network of educational partnerships. </div><p class="mt-30">The charity’s primary purpose, determined from its Christian foundation in 1440, is to draw out the best of young people’s talents and to enable them to flourish and make a positive impact on others through the course of a healthy, happy and fulfilling life.<br><p>In advancing this purpose, Eton is committed to an ethos which:<div> </div> <div class="row off-screen off-screen--hide off-screen--list"> <div class="col-lg-6"><ol> <li>encourages creativity, individuality, innovation and enjoyment through a broad vision of education based on wide-ranging academic and co-curricular opportunities;</li> <li>enables boys to develop a strong understanding of themselves and their capabilities, while also empathising with others through a genuine appreciation for different people, different perspectives and different cultures;</li> </ol> </div> <div class="col-lg-6"><ol start="3"> <li>develops enquiring minds and fosters a life-long appreciation of independent thinking and learning;</li> <li>develops physical and mental health, emotional maturity and spiritual richness;</li> <li>nurtures the value of leadership and service;</li> <li>celebrates kindness, loyalty, gratitude, integrity and determination.</li> </ol> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </section> <section class="aims-ethos aims-ethos--6" data-color="grey" > <div class="container"> <div class="row"> <div class="offset-lg-1 col-lg-10 offset-md-1 col-md-10"> <h1> <div class="title title--shadow horizontal-scroll--right"> Our Purpose </div> </h1> <div class="title title--lg"> </div> <div class="row"> <div class="col-md-4"><img decoding="async" src="https://www.etoncollege.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Aims-and-Ethos-New-1b-683x1024.jpg"></div> <div class="col-md-8"><p><span class="intro">In order to achieve this Eton:</span></p> <p>a) is committed to establishing a supportive and safe environment for its boys, its staff and the wider school community; this is the foundation of the trusting relationships formed between boys and adults, which is a particular feature of Eton life.</p> <p>b) has a competitive school culture in which boys are encouraged to pursue excellence in all its differing forms, to develop their strengths and to seek out new challenges. This often helps to drive personal and collective achievement, with the process being valued as much as the outcome.</p> <p>c) is more devolved and less centralised than many institutions. This deliberately gives greater autonomy to adults and to boys, who accept that with that autonomy comes responsibility and accountability. Rigorous planning and attention to detail are central to the school’s sustained success.</p> <p>Eton is proud of its history and heritage and honours many of its traditions; but the school has always had a dynamic relationship with its past and it is in balancing the old with the new that it finds inspiration for change in the future.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </section> <section class="teasers fade-in fade-in--active" data-color="white"> <div class="container"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-md-6"> <div class="slide-up slide-up--scroll"> <div> <span> <h2 class="title title--xl">Next up…</h2> </span> </div> </div> <div class="fade-in__child fade-in--3"> <a href="https://www.etoncollege.com/news-and-diary/school-news/jcaj-walpole-house-brings-the-curious-incident-of-the-dog-in-the-night-time-to-the-caccia-studio/" class="post-link"> <div class="news-item"> <div class="news-item__img "> <div class="js-image-move"> <span class=" js-image-move__inner object-fit object-fit--cover"> <img decoding="async" class="moving-img" src="https://www.etoncollege.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/IMG_8187-smaller-1024x683.jpg"/> </span> </div> <div class="corner-category"> <div class="corner-category__inner"> News </div> </div> </div> <div class="news-item__content background-grey"> <h3 class="title title--sm">JCAJ (Walpole House) brings The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time to the Caccia Studio</h3> <div class="post-meta"> <p>12 February 2025</p> <p> Drama </p> </div> </div> </div> </a> </div> </div> <div class="col-md-6"> <div class="fade-in__child fade-in--2"> <div class="teaser-item"> <div class="js-image-move"> <div class="js-image-move__inner object-fit object-fit--cover"> <img decoding="async" src="https://www.etoncollege.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/220920_eton_6143by2fornews-1024x683.jpg"/> </div> </div> <h3 class="title title--md">Meet the Head Master</h3> <a href="https://www.etoncollege.com/about-us/meet-the-head-master/" class="cover-link"></a> </div>  </div> <div class="fade-in__child fade-in--2"> <div class="teaser-item"> <div class="js-image-move"> <div class="js-image-move__inner object-fit object-fit--cover"> <img decoding="async" src="https://www.etoncollege.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/SJP5313-2.jpg"/> </div> </div> <h3 class="title title--md">Eton Connect Core Partnerships</h3> <a href="https://www.etoncollege.com/eton-outwards/eton-connect-core-partnerships/" class="cover-link"></a> </div>  </div> </div> </div> </div> </section> </article> </div> </div> </div> </main> </div>  <footer class="site-footer "> <div class="container-fluid"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-lg-11"> <div class="site-footer__content"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-lg-3"> <a href="https://www.etoncollege.com"><img src="https://www.etoncollege.com/wp-content/themes/eton-college/assets/img/logo/footer-logo.svg"/></a> <div class="social-icons"> <a href="https://twitter.com/eton_college?lang=en" target="_blank"><img 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