Private school bursaries - am I missing something?

Why boasting - if they have to do it they have to do it - if they don't tell people aout ursaries available how will anyone know, so how is that boasting.
(unlike your mini stealth boast there!)

That's really difficult. I wonder if some schools boast about bursaries to show they are complying with their charitable requirements but in reality see what they can get away with. Ds will be on a 50% scholarship which obviously isn't means tested but does require him to ensure he maintains high standards in what he was awarded the scholarship for.

bisjo the problem is that many schools won't consider a bursary application until your DC has been offered a place I agree with you that this is very unfair and upsetting for a child if in the worse case scenario no bursary money is forth coming. We learnt the hard way we particularly liked a school a well known boarding school for DS 1 their website talked about its enormous committment to bursaries how lack of money should not put you off applying the usual stuff very upbeat quoting lots of examples although it's toned it right down since. My DS 1 went to see the school met the head/HM director of studies was offered a place but our bursary application was turned down flat he got over it but iI did write a letter complaining that their website was thoroughly misleading as i said it was altered not long after that and they are no longer promising generous bursaries! With DS 2 we were lucky his school is a very well known boarding school he started at the school in yr 9, was offered a place in yr 6 but we were invited to apply for a bursary to get an indication of what might be offered and thus whether or not it was doable before even registering him in yr 4/5. Sadly most schools aren't this helpful.
I would advise anyone hoping for a bursary to speak to the bursar before doing too much preferably before even looking at the school with your DC detail your situation and gauge the reaction no bursar going to give you a definite offer but if say your looking for a 75% reduction you need to know if they have ever given out such large bursaries before or whether they never offer out this kind of reduction.

You could give up one of the jobs and have a try?

One thing that does surprise me on MN is the number of people who get their dcs to take entrance exams and then wonder how they are going to afford the place. I think it is particularly cruel to put your dcs through taking exams and encouraging them to think about moving schools when you haven't actually investigatesd the cost of doing so.

There's a lot of rubbish written on MN about bursaries not all schools set limits on incomes, nor are bursaries only open to scholars. If you wish to send your DC to an independent school the only person worth talking too Is the bursar don't waste your time talking to other mums the man on the bus or MN no one will have exactly the same financial situation be 100% honest and also completely realistic about what you can afford if you get positve vibes fill in the forms and maybe luck will be on your side.

We do not get tax credits anymore and get about a 25% discount off fees. We used to get 50% when dd first went there but I got a pay rise so it went down when we were reassessed
Each school has different amounts of funds available and use different thresholds for calculation. DDs school is quite generous in comparison to some, they claim to help around 10% of the school population and help ranges up to 100%.

We applied for a bursary this year for dd1 to local small prep school. She was given 70% towards fees. They ask for everything, bank statements, house value, mortgage statements, p60s and even came and did a home visit.
I do work, but only few hours a week due to DDs SN and dh has a good job.
I didn't know what we would get or even if they would consider us.
It's worth applying if you want to, no harm in asking. We are above the TC line.
Each school is different and like a mix of children.
I would warn anyone considering this to consider "other" costs, because even with second hand uniform it's £200+ to start with, school trip this year is £460 and school bus is £320 a term.

Bursaries are reviewed annually. If a family has a low income because one of the parents chooses not to work this will only work so long as they have young children. Once they get to school age there is an expectation that both parents will work and the bursary will be reduced.

No idea how that works in practice. It is a bit like the standard phrase about releasing equity to fund school fees. I'd assume that can only be done if you have the income to service an increased mortgage.

OP there are numerous threads about bursaries on MN. As a general principle there are no hard and fast rules. We know of one family who applied for a bursary from two well known London day school and one offered 85% them the 45%! There are three criteria how much money the individual school has, and in turn how many are applying for that money and how much a school wants your DC.

I think bursaries are a good thing and long may they continue.

I just don't see why they should go to middle class families who know how to play the system by deliberately keeping their income just low enough.

20 quid??? Well I suppose that is good if it gives a lower income family a chance at private school.

The (extremely good, one of the best in the country) private secondary near us has a sliding scale of fees, according to a family's income. The do however also take into account a family's assets (i.e. property etc) so any of these SAHP who live in modest to large sized homes would not be eligible for hefty fee-subsidies. That said, if your child is very bright, and you live in social housing on a minimal income, your fees can be about £20 p.a., with uniform bursary too etc

You're more or less right OP. Bursaries were designed to allow disadvantaged children access. They are heavily means-tested. The children will still have to pass the same entrance examination as everyone else.

Some schools also have scholarships, those are awarded purely on the basis of merit (be it academic, sporting, music etc).

There will be very few 100% bursaries on offer these days. Presuming those you are talking about will all be trying for the same independent school, I doubt they will all get a place.
Plus they have to have a good reason to gain a bursary. They don't give a place to any old tom dick and haz who turn up for one.
There is an application process and each applicant is considered before a 'board' I believe.

The intelligence thing is a read herring bobs. Plenty of children are intelligent enough to qualify for a bursary, but not many have that combined with the right kind of poverty in the parents.

My understanding was that for those trying for bursaries, their kids still have to have an above level of intelligence to be accepted. Unfortunately, once they are there they can feel a little "left out" or even picked on.sneered at if their parents cannot afford the exras like school trips

Why dont you apply for a bursary for your DC??

DOnt assume just because you earn xyz you wont get one or one thats affordable.

All independent schools are excatly that - independent. What one school may offer one family may differ greatly from the next.

I wonder if it is actually a 'grandparents' bursary' but they would rather not say so, or a specific award such as a music scholarship but they are trying not to make a big deal out of it in case they get judged for boasting?

Best not to think about it tbh.

How do they know if you have jewellery to sell? I have just posted on another thread that I don't have any. Not that I am in a position to consider private education but if we applied for a bursary would they come and search my house for jewels?

I think the situation the OP describes is a ticking bomb.

No private school can sustain unlimited children on large bursaries.

The amount of fee income a non-endowed school can set aside for scholarships, bursaries and fee remission is 10 - 15%. They have to distribute these funds wisely - small scholarships for marketing, sibling/teacher discounts, bursaries for armed forces, clergy, foundation children, hardship for existing pupils, hardship for new pupils.

If a school is accepting a disproportionate number of new pupils on large bursaries, this is an indication of being desperate for pupils. They will be operating in the red, as well as putting fees up for those pupils who actually pay.

What well run school do is have a range of bursaries and scholarships available for new students, eg one full scholarship, two or three 50% - subject to a very thorough means-testing. The means-testing will spot SAHM as a lifestyle choice and reduce the reward as appropriate. Means-testing expects you to have a job, extend your mortgage, sell your jewellery.