Sport scholarship - only 1 sport

Definitely apply.
My daughter is a sports scholar for gymnastics. Our school, on paper, has a 2 sports rule but on closer inspection I found out it is only applied to all round sports scholars...doing netball, hockey etc. Anyone on a minority sport scholarship, gym, tennis swimming etc doesn't have to compete for other teams.

On the assessment day they were tested in a range of sports....from team sports to cross country and gymnastics. They aren't looking for the next Jessica Ennis Hill....just girls with an ability above their peers.

Whitgift?

MF? If so, got friends there.

Mixed school known for outstanding sport.

Could you say/hint which school it is? I'm very familiar with private schools in the SE so may be able to offer some advice.

We have a very similar situation as you have. You should apply and aim for SCH and BUR, which could be well over 50% of all fees. The other advantage is that these special sports colleges provide much better training conditions compared to a local state school and your local club together, so she is likely to perform even better by attending a school such as Mt Kelly. For us, the bottom line is your (her) ambition, is it all in swimming or are academic as important? Very few balance both... it is possible, but not easy, so very few reach top-level swimming (or other sport) and end up at a top university. An example would be the Bath Swimming program and swimmers such as Cameron Brooker.

Yes there's a big difference between swimming fit and running fit. Most sports scholars will be expected to do some training with other sports scholars (not necessarily allied to their chosen sport) and they will be expected to keep up. Our school uses the bleep test and that's hugely influential.

It's definitely worth a try but be prepared... my daughter is also a competitive swimmer, incredibly fit but not a runner by any stretch. We went to a sports assessment (not a bursary but similar set up for 4 places). The reason we went is this is a boys school that had just started taking girls and I completely under estimated the level of competition. There was girls there in Wolfrun outfits, England Tennis, England Rugby.... DD came out in tears! She still places 25th which wasn't bad out of 100+ girls but the level was a shock. Had she had to swim it rather than run it would have been fine!

If she swims 6 times a week she will have good fitness. Running would be a good second sport for your dd. Try taking her to a Parkrun. My DS plays cricket to county level but also runs twice around a lake near our home 3 times a week, 3km each time.

swimming alone is harder to get a sports scholarship to most schools as it isn’t one of the main sports that most schools regularly compete at. For maximum sports scholarship potential, your child needs to be able to make a difference to the team’s performance on the big Saturday fixture list. Typically hockey, netball, tennis, athletics, cricket . Not to say swimming alone won’t be appreciated by all schools - only you may need to look further to find a school willing to give a financial discount to what is perceived as a minor sport at most private secondary schools.

At my dc’s school, they have a child who swims nationally for a non uk country and whilst they get dedicated training 7 days a week at the school (and they are not a sports scholar as they don’t offer breadth to the schools sports teams) it’s not enough to maintain fitness for swimming comps at a national level. Most swimmers at elite level need to be at day schools for club training or choose very specific swimming senior schools (mount Kelly and ????)

@CatfordKitten Ring the bursar and ask-they will have something in mind if they've approached you. Be wary though-you need to know what happens if, for example,your son's current promise doesn't continue and what time commitment he'll be expected to give in and out of school.

No details on website of how much scholarship is worth.

Scholarships at DD's school are worth about £1,500 and all pupils have to sit an entrance exam (which I assume they have to pass). The school does have a few pupils on full bursaries (it is an old school with a fair amount of money in the Bursary fund) and, per their website they tend to be 40-100% of fees.

Every school is different.

You will need to look on their website and talk to the Bursar, CatfordKitten.

We have been approached by a school who want to offer our DS a sports scholarship. He is currently in Year 8. The school are very keen for him to join them.

Is it worth it, currently at a private school without a scholarship. Do you think he will need to sit some sort of test? What discount on fees am I likely to be offered?

It's the same with music etc, your second instrument doesn't need to be amazing but you need to be excellent in your first. Check out if she/he is excellent in the first and IF the school actually wants that sport. Also academically they need to be excellent.

Sorry- also consider the cost of uniforms and other necessary "stuff". Make sure it's covered.

Check what the maximum bursary they offer is-many private school bursaries are only contributions, not full.

We've kept it as a hobby that they're good at. We can't afford school fees in case of loss of enthusiasm, unable to meet school expectations. We know of one this year who got a scholarship and lasted one term before returning.

I know of someone that was a lot higher up the national rankings than that and still didn't get a scholarship to one of the top swimming schools. They've done very well now after parents moved heaven and earth to pay.
You also have to consider that she might be good at this age but doesn't continue on that trajectory either. I can think of lots of swimmers who were top in counties but never progressed. Apply by all means but keep expectations in check.

Yes but at my DC’s school they are only required to take part to the best of their ability and be a role model. Training is during the week during school hours and only commitment is Saturday mornings so for us there is no conflict with anything else. My experience is most of the children who hold scholarships are not operating at a level which they will have a future career in that sport, they are just well above average for their age in that sport. Obviously there will be the children who are operating at an elite level though around the country and they will have different commitments. You should definitely apply and then speak to the relevant school if you think there will be any conflicts. It really does appear that each school has different views on what a scholarship entails.

(Sorry lots of autocorrect typos above!)