secondary school fee support

I don't understand your last post at all.
Just because a place has been offered, doesn't mean you have to take it.
What does your daughter want? I would guess she'd rather stay close to her friends unless there is a specialist sport provision or similar at the school and she is keen on it. But then, if she had a talent for something, a scholarship would probably have been offered from the school.

Why do you think you will receive any different advice to your last post?
Unfortunately you can’t afford a Private school, look for alternatives

Tbh OP if you are unable to afford the fees and been turned down for bursary then you will do your child a disservice by pursuing this, you will be so busy wasting your time on this that all the spaces at the best state schools nearby will be allocated.

Have you made sure to apply for state school places as well??

The fee paying schools here (north of England) don’t ask entrants to set an exam. They’ll take anyone, provided that their parents can stump up £15k per year, day fees, before extras.

This is why the world isn’t full of charities waiting to pay hundreds of thousands of pounds for private education for anyone who asks, or anyone who finds their secret contact details by asking on Mumsnet. Private schools are a business, and you don’t need to be special, or “have a lot to offer”, to attend them.

HA is Housing Association.
If she has already been offered a place, then it is likely too late to apply for bursary. Did you not know about this when you applied? Most schools make it very clear what the deadlines are for financial assistance. Has there been a change to your circumstances since she sat the exam?

OP what is your concern about state school? I don't know for sure what might be available in your area, but don't you think that if the government had put aside lots of money to give private school places to kids whose parents can't afford it, then many more children would be in private school rather than state?! The whole point of private school is that you have to pay for it. That's why so few people go there. Are you quite sure you understand the system? Have you looked into the state (free) schools in your area?

Raise the money yourself - increase your income, get a second/third job, increase your mortgage. If you're in Birmingham, did your dd not sit for the 11+ for the grammars in the rest of the KE foundation?

Non selective state education is not the salt mines!

*lcdododo

Avatar1

Thanks for advising ...if there is anything I could turn to ...I have looked at the education trust most of which relates to their criteria...

No, there isn't anything you can turn to. You cannot afford private school.*

And there's no shame in that. A tiny proportion of children are educated privately. Most go to state schools.

Thing is, bursaries in girls’ schools tend to rely more on current parents paying full fees, rather than on huge endowments. When my children were at private schools we, middle-earners, saw fees go up and up. There would have come a point when we couldn’t afford to pay any more partly to cover bursaries for other children.

@Avatar1 you need to accept that it is unlikely that someone is going to want to fund your child's education when there are state schools available.

Someone was very sensible upthread, when they questioned the stability of your plan. What is the point of putting your child in private school for a year, if you may have to pull them out the following year? You would need to secure a commitment to their whole school life.

What is so amazing about your child that state school couldn't cater for them?

I doubt OP will return

There is government support for secondary education - it's called state schools.

You want to find a random charity that will agree to pay your child’s school fees for their whole education?! Good luck with that!!

I think you might have to look at local state schools, like 95% of the population do.

Most of us here are using free state schools, often with brilliant results.
Hth

If the child has already been offered a place at independent, it is too late to sit the grammar exam- it happens at the start of September in Birmingham.
It is extremely likely the child has sat that exam though; places will be offered 1st March. However, the KE grammars switched to a catchment area system last year, so it's highly likely that the preferred grammar school isn't an option any longer. Sutton Girls' doesn't have a catchment though. The pass mark has been pushed upwards correspondingly.

Maintained schools don't have specialisms any longer- haven't for well over ten years.

Are there any grammars left near Birmingham? Could that be the middle ground?

Alternatively, a decent state with a specialism in what DD is interested in? The equivalent of a terms fees will pay for a lot of targeted extra curricular interests and/or supplementary tutoring which can be used to target a level or university scholarships?

.I'm really sure there must be something to arrange options between school parents and a fund provider ...the government have put lots of extra funding in place so that this is possible
What government funding are you referring to?

If you are not eligible for a bursary or occupational funding e.g. armed forces, clergy family etc. but own your own home and there is equity in it, you could ask the bursar if the school is involved with EdAid - families are able to spread the cost of fees over a longer period where they have equity available but do not have the ability to raise additional finance. You would still end up paying the fees but over a longer period of time. We looked into this for DC2 as we have a significant amount of equity in our home but only because we're in London and property values have increased over the twenty years we've owned our home. DH and I are both teachers, already work full time and have no prospect of increasing our income to extend our mortgage. DC is now at a local state comprehensive and is very happy.

Depending upon what you do, some employers provide loans or a package instead of a bonus. All is up for negotiation. Not the full cost however a contribution that will help.

If the OP thought that she was in line for annual bonuses to cover the fees, she wouldn’t be asking about bursaries or contributions. She can’t afford private school.

Like the ‘negotiation’ idea though: dear employer, please loan me £105k (£15k per year, before inflation) over seven years, at nil interest. I’ll pay you back, honest!