level required for Scholarships

ds ' 13+ entry was based upon performance in the school's specific entrance exam , not CE, and academic scholarships were awarded to the higher performers in this and at interview, there was no separate paper. 11+ there is done on a similar basis. afaik only those schools locally using CE and Year 6/7 pretests now require a separate scholarship paper. There are no general rules, each school will vary.

When I was looking at the Shrewsbury website yesterday, because it came up on another post, I came across their policy for making awards:

www.shrewsbury.org.uk/page/grant-making-policy

I think this is where the sector is moving.

11+ is not the same as 13+ for scholarships.

With 11+, it is more typical for the top performers in the entrance exam to be interviewed by the head, and then to be offered a scholarship.

With 13+, there is a typically separate scholarship exam, taken well before the CEE week.

However, given that independent schools are just that - independent - there is no hard and fast rule that covers them all. Whenever anything is said about the sector, someone always comes up with an exception.

One of our local independents offers a nominal amount p.a., another is far more generous and variable in %. If you qualify for more than one scholarship (say sports or music on top of academic) then it can accumulate or become an All Round award which may give a bigger discount to either individually. Some of the public schools invite scholars to donate the £ back if they don't "need" the discount and it goes towards the bursary fund or means tested scholarships.

DS1 got a 30% academic scholarship [boast]

amerryscot - well that wasn't our experience at all. DS did 11+ at two local HMC independents and was awarded a 25% academic scholarship and a cash one, which equates to about 8% a year. No one 'applied' for them, but the top 5% of so of kids in the exam were offered them. I think his 25% one was a particularly 'special' one though as it was 'named' after one of the founders, rather than just being the 'bog standard' 10% one which his friend was offered.

Overall, what comment from amerryscot seems to remain the same.

Last year, about 10 boys from DS school applied CE for WinCol, for example. More than half of them applied for scholarship and 4 were invited to the exam. At the end, two got Election and one for Exhibition.

Financial support is down to individual's circumstances, and only one I know of had full support.

However, means tested bursary is not entirely financial circumstances and accessible for high performing kids. I found many schools, including Eton and WinCol, take "means tested", not "needs blind". Just another name of scholarship under the Charities Act. Let me know if I'm wrong about this.

I have gone along with this thread, but I really struggle with the notion of applying for a scholarship and expecting to get one.

I worked at a prep school for a time (Eton, Harrow, Charterhouse as well as more local HMC schools). All the boys entered for CE, and there were about 6 or 8 selected for scholarship. There really wasn't any expectation that anyone would be successful in getting an major award. As it turned out, in my year, someone did get 25% off fees. A couple got 'exhibitions' (no fee reduction). But this is unusual in a typical prep school. There will be impressive lacquered scholarship boards, but most of the scholarships will be music, art, drama and sports for 5 - 10% off fees.

That was 6 years ago. I believe things have changed with the kerfuffle with the Charities Act. Most discounts have now been put into the bursary fund, and scholarships are now very token - either zero or something like £200 per year.

DS was awarded 11+ scholarships at two good independent schools near us (both in top 100 schools). Prior to the exams he was consistently getting 90% + for Maths and about 85%+ in English papers and close to 100% in VR/NVR tests.

Think the interview also played an important part, as he seemed to have some complex discussion with the Head of Science about the scientific principles behind some experiment he'd seen on 'Mythbusters'

All round to a point. They are more likely to offer a scholarship to a boy that averages 50% in his papers but 95% in one subject rather than a boy who averages 65% in all subjects with no stand out paper.

I'm very disappointed with the prep school at the moment. They didn't get round to teaching DS Greek so if he doesn't get a KS he will also not be eligible for the Anna Shaw scholarship.

I think 15% in Maths would be a show stopper, tbh.

At this level of attainment, it would be unlikely they would have even passed the pre-test, let alone Common Entrance.

Academic Scholarships are all round, not subject specific.

My BiL did (Winchester - years ago). Still came 4th on the roll. Now a fabulously prosperous QC.

Tis true but I doubt many would get 15% in Maths!

You can get 15% in Maths and still get a scholarship if you write, say, the best English paper.

Scholarships are decided by a cross-departmental committee. If the English department really want to teach a boy they will argue his case whatever he got in Maths (and vice versa).

Purits is right. DS has just sat the mock scholarship Eton papers this term and he gained 70% on the easier (still very hard) Maths A paper and 95% on Maths B. Who knows what he'll do next time round. I doubt he'll get anywhere near 95% when it really matters and who knows who he'll be up against!

"some days I think he is super bright, others I despair!"

You have partially answered your own question. You cannot say with any certainty 'if this, then that' because exam entrants are not automatons: they might play a blinder in an exam one day and then mess up the next exam the following day. No exam or entrance system will ever be an exact science and give a truly 'correct' result.

For this reason I am a firm believer in giving it a go, as long as you are not doing any psychological harm

As I understand it, at DSs school, the scholarships are awarded on the basis of interview. Potential candidates are flagged up by certain questions on the entrance papers but at interview they identify the boys with the most potential/raw talent and weed out the heavily tutored ones.

Each school is different and it is all based on supply and demand.

Any boy can enter for the Eton pretest, and the results will not be closely grouped. It's the ones who pass that is important. Eton get many more applications than they have places to fill, so they can set the CE pass rate at 70%.

A scholarship is bringing something different and quirky the table. The CS and schools' own scholarship papers are testing higher learning skills, such as synthesis and evaluation. A boy or girl who capable of getting A-grades on each CE paper may not be scholarship material. A prep school may enter these students for scholarship as a scholarship fail usually still comes with a CE offer. If they do really badly, they will still do CE in June.

Idrather,

Here are past scholarship papers for Teddy's in Oxford. Far easier than Eton's KS papers and it's an excellent school.

www.stedwards.oxon.sch.uk/exh-past-papers.html

I'm home educating my 12-year-old daughter and have faced similar challenges. I strongly recommend using Galore Park's range of books and especially "So You Really Want to Learn Maths Book 3," when your son is ready to work at that level.

www.galorepark.co.uk/examtype-home_schoolers-3.html

Also bear in mind registrations for many schools at 13+/CE entry will have already closed for dc in Year 6 and some pretests in January. Agree the CE Scholarship papers set by ISEB can be very different to normal CE papers and require a different style of teaching and experience - not sure how easy you'd find it to HE for that. Grade B or even C in scholarship level can be the equivalent of an A in CE.