Private school bursary - how it’s decided?

@Treesinsummer i guess there are private schools that do that and then there are the top tire schools that rely on the donations . This does include incredibly wealthy parents donating to the bursary funds , it doesn’t come from the school fees by any means . Not in the top tier schools ! I know that it is done separately from anyone’s school fees .
but I am referring to the very wealthy long established schools .

@Tobstar106 It's quite simple. If the school needs the money to support the bursaries, whatever the intent regarding separating it off, it will be taken from a more general pot of funding as they will see it as their duty to those students. However, as fewer alumni may decide to make such a contribution to pay it forward in the future because they have such high fees now, this could put extra pressure on the school to find the money elsewhere if they maintained the level of bursaries as it stands.

Don't get me wrong, it's not in any way a deal breaker for me. My 3 will go through that school whatever happens. I value the school and what it does far too much. But on the general principle of paying for others to take advantage of that education when I have to pay such a huge sum of money, as well as VAT, as well as tax for school places I don't use, it's just not something I take joy in.

We’re seeing the opposite. 6th form burseries have become something only teachers and those who’ve been with the school since primary get.

What I’m seeing is that many schools are pulling bursaries in their entirety for sixth form, as it’s a natural transition point, and they want to redirect funds towards new

50 / 1200 is about 4%. ISC claims that their member schools gave means-tested bursaries of about 5.5% of nominal fee income in recent years. I imagine that schools which need to fund bursaries out of tuition because they don't have large endowments or big donors will be able to afford less than the average, so your example sounds quite normal.

@SheilaFentiman - this was back in the 90s and our fees were around £1200 a term, I think the “bursary donation” was about £50 so not a huge amount but did stack up pretty well!

Was it much of the fee @DreadPirateLucy eg £200 out of £20k or £2000 out of £20k?

@DreadPirateLucy i suppose there is no choice in the matter ! I am sure if any of these parents are struggling they too can ask for help in the form of a bursary ?

It worked that way at the private school I went to (they even helpfully informed all parents how much of the fee went to the bursary fund), and at the school I now work for (admin not teaching, I’m involved in applications and bursaries).

My kids‘ school has a small endowment that they are steadily building up with donations from parents - those are technically voluntary but included in the fees if you don’t opt out.

So from my experience it’s pretty widespread.

My DS got a 35% bursary and 10% scholarship. I know of other kids who got higher, and it is negotiable (discovered this afterwards!) this was last year after VAT

@DreadPirateLucy gosh! I have never heard of this ! Crikey that is terrible , certainly does not work like that at the schools I know

Different schools fund bursaries in different ways - many are funded by endowments, and donations from former pupils, but equally many are funded partly or entirely be the fees of current pupils.

At our school the bursary fund comes entirely from fees of current pupils.

Some money is saved each year, we build up a surplus so that if there was a sudden issue (like the government suddenly imposing VAT!) and our income goes down then hopefully we can ensure current pupils can finish their education, so I suppose part of the current fund comes from fees paid over the previous 5 years.

It’s definitely the case that at a lot of schools the fee-paying parents are paying for the kids on bursaries and when they’re also being charged VAT that’s starting to sting for some people.

@GirlsInGreen well said !

My DD has a 110% from her school. Its paid, usually from the schools very wealthy foundation OR past alumni - I was asked in yr7 would I want her bursary to be 'attached' to an old girl or foundation. I asked for the old girl (I understand she's a City lawyer & thats about as much as we know, but I'd couldn't thank her enough if I ever met her)
DD takes part in bursary funders & has an offer for Oxford, she says she will always try to support her school.
Her bursary has been transformational - 45 Secretaries of State for Education since my grandmother was born & left school at age 12 & it only took one woman to break the cycle of uneducated women in family.
Gratitude doesn't cover it.

@Treesinsummer I think you are mistaken , the bursary money does not come from the fee payers ! Your money goes towards the teachers and running of the school not the bursary kids , donations from alumni ect donate hundreds of thousands for boys who would not be able to be educated in such schools , you are definitely not paying towards kids on bursaries, who gave you that information ?

@Tobstar106 i am paying for the fees through my own money. The bursary system is also using my money. I get that the kids have to ‘bring something to the table’ or they wouldn’t get the opportunity as the school has to have a way of differentiating. However, that doesn’t take away from the fact that the recipient of the bursary is not spending their own money to do something i am now paying through the nose for. I don’t need to feel joy at that prospect.

@elembeeee absolutely ! they don’t just give bursaries to any child you need to bring something to the table ! Radley you need to sit a scholarship to be able to get a bursary . You need to be very academic if you are getting a bursary from any of the 4 top boys public boarding schools .

@Treesinsummer how do you think you are paying for it ? I am confused

@Tobstar106 pp doesn’t understand that schools offer bursaries to bright and talented kids because they make the schools more desirable by improving results. These bursary children help give schools the reputation of being academically selective.

or many they’re just a snob 🤷‍♀️

@Tobstar106 what does the number of children she has got make a difference? Doesn’t matter if it’s 1 or 3. She is still using a bursary system I am paying for.

@Treesinsummer that is your choice to have 3 children privately educated she has only one child !

Most private schools will offer very substantial, up to 75%, tuition discounts to their teachers, provided that their children otherwise qualify for a place. That's separate from bursaries. The tuition reduction isn't means-tested so a teacher with a very high earning spouse can still receive it. It's essentially a form of tax-free compensation. Are you saying that schools will further prioritize these children for bursaries to cover the remaining 25% if the teacher doesn't have a high earning partner?

Depends on the school but they usually prioritise the eligible children of teachers.

@RatherBeOnVacation Radley you need to be a scholar to receive a bursary

@dragondrive bursary goes on what you earn , own ect but also how much the school wants your child and what your child has to offer them . You can get up to 100% bursary depending on how bright your child is .