Bursary to attend Independent schools - insights sought

[User404]

I'd be very grateful for any insight current or former bursars could offer, or from anyone who typically sits on the decision making panels/boards for your independent school. Panels which decide whether to offer a bursary or not, and if an offer is made, how much should be offered.

A neighbour of mine has a 10 year old daughter who was advised by her under performing state primary that her daughter was gifted and that she should consider sitting her daughter for grammar school 11+ exams. Unfortunately we don't live anywhere near any grammar schools.

My neighbour investigated other options and decided to try her for a bursary place at local independent schools. The family are local authority council tenants, former refugees. One parent is able to work full time and works a minimum wage job. The other parent works for minimum wage, part-time, their hours are fitted around their children's school/ nursery hours.

The daughter sat 3 exams and was offered a place at 2x schools (Channing and Francis Holland (I'm unsure which site). However neither school offered her a bursary, as such this extremly bright little girl is now on her way to the local underperforming comprehensive school in September, 2022.

I understand that bursary pots are finite, and there will always be many deserving applicants each year.

I'm particularly interested however in understanding which types of applicants are offered bursaries. I was surprised by my neighbour's experience and I guess I'm trying to rationalise it. If this little girl was not found worthy, can someone venture ideas on which types of applicant are.

Many thanks for reading.

Did they explicitly apply for bursaries? Scholarships tend to be awarded on the basis of performance at interview/selection (and are often negligible in financial terms) whereas bursaries are means tested and have to be applied for separately, with much proof.

It's not clear from your post whether this happened

Hi @Matchingcollarandcuffs ,

Thank you for replying, yes you're right, my post wasn't explicit. Yes, my neighbour applied for a bursary at each school in addition to applying for a school place.

My original post mentioned my neighbour applying for a bursary place, however, I understand that this term was not strictly correct.

I don't believe the schools actually have fee paying vs bursary spaces. I think every child is expected to apply to the school and then if relevant each child is also then expected to apply for a school bursary, bursary applications to be renewed each year that the child attends the school.

My neighbour's circumstances were means tested, I understand that this was a very thorough process, lots of financial evidence required in addition to a bursary specific interview with the parents.

I apologise for the lack of clarity in my initial post.

Hi - I work in a very academic independent school that offers bursaries to about 1 in 10 students. We only offer bursaries to families on a low income. We don't offer academic scholarships. There is a MASSIVE amount of competition for the bursary places - probably about 10 to 1. All students have to pass the standard entrance exam and then have various interviews and home visits and complete a lot of paperwork/income checks etc before the bursaries are awarded. Apparently it is wonderful to give the news to the families who win one but very sad to have to turn others away but there is only so much money in the budget. You tick the box to say you want to apply for a bursary at the same time as you apply to sit the entrance exam. None of our bursary applicants would be in the financial position to take up a place at the school unless a bursary was offered so yes, sadly, they would likely end up at a much lower performing school. However if your neighbour's daughter carries on doing very well then she will probably by able to apply for a bursar at a later stage even if it is just for 6th form.

Bursaries are means tested. Then the academic performance is considered as well as the child on their personality and their fit. The school will look at the family around the child too.

Also, at the end if the day the school is more likely to want to give a 5 25% bursaries, rather 3 100%.

Plus competition is high.

A bursary can also be fairly minimal. One awarded was 10% off fees. So on £11000 p.a a saving of £1100. Scholarships are often awarded for particular subjects.
There are charities that give grants towards school fees , years ago I remember searching through a directory of them trying to help someone. Might be worth googling.

Found these as a starting point educational-grants.org/find-charity/?page=4
iaps.uk/about/schools/fees-and-financial-assistance.html
potentialplusuk.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/PA110-Grants-Funds-and-Scholarship-Info-170203a.pdf

Competition for bursaries is usually really high.

Basically a child will often need to be the best of maybe 10 or more kids applying per place and it might not just be about academics, it might be fit with the schools ethos, or bringing an interesting skill like being a fantastic chess player or talented at a particular hobby.

User404 christs hospital used to have a rep for offering a lot bursary wise.

There are some schools linked to livery companies etc that particular prioritise kids with parents working in certain trades. Could be worth a look.

You mention Channing which is Channing School for girls in Highgate I am guessing?
Have the people involved looked at the Henrietta Barnet school or Latymer?
I grew up in that area and people from my Haringey primary ended up at both of those schools.
Fortismere is also meant to be a center of academic excellence.

My nephew has been awarded a large bursary (50% I think) for a private school place. He is high functioning asd and his parents didn't think the local comprehensive would be right for him. They said he was offered bursaries for other schools too but they chose this one. I was surprised as they are not on a low income but they had financial checks and home visits and were still offered it.

Both my kids are on 50% bursaries plus scholarships of 10% - SE but not london. Definitely worth applying for other independent school to see what is on offer. However, times may well be tighter for independent school now so they might not be offering so many bursaries.

In my limited experience, 100% bursaries are a lot rarer than partial bursaries. The school we are considering for secondary say they only give 100% bursaries in very exceptional circumstances. I have also known bursaries to go towards children already at the school first, who's financial situation may have changed, to provide them with consistency.

I would say though that in that family's situation, I'd imagine it would be quite difficult on the child to attend the school even with a full bursary. Uniforms for independent schools are extremely expensive, school trips etc will be expensive too and these won't be covered by the bursary. They may also be the only pupil there in council housing for example and feel quite excluded/different to their peers.

One of our local independents has bursary funding specifically for local housing association tenants.

Hi @essex42

Thank you for your insight, it is appreciated.

The family seem disappointed however they don't appear to be devastated, they seem very pragmatic people. I'm not aware of all the timetables however I understand they received their school and bursary results a while ago. So I guess by now they've processed their experience and have moved on.

Yes, you're right, hopefully their daughter will keep her head down and will fingers crossed be in a strong position to try again in a few years time at 6th form.

My neighbour's circumstances would appear on paper to be quite compelling, refugees, living in social housing, earning minimum wage, with a child bright enough to be offered a place, but evidently not compelling enough for that place to be funded by the school... I wonder, are the successful applicants those who have both passed the entrance exams and have the very lowest income? Could the fact that my neighbour's have minimum wage jobs actually have counted against them?

I wonder if their income had been 100% funded by state benefits, would this have put them in a stronger position for a bursary?

It's difficult to fathom really...

If she close to those
Surely she can get into a camden comp
Which do fine
And send kids to oxbridge med school etc
Or camden school.for girls
Or marylebone etc
Which school.is she offered ?

Though our local independent school states that when you get a bursary, you also get a uniform allowance, trips discount etc so it is all covered to avoid this being the reason bright children don’t apply for the school.

Bursary's are oversubscribed. The brightest children that meet the financial criteria are awarded them not the poorest.

My neighbour's circumstances would appear on paper to be quite compelling, refugees, living in social housing, earning minimum wage, with a child bright enough to be offered a place, but evidently not compelling enough for that place to be funded by the school.

It's not about it not being compelling enough.

I went to private school - there were approximately 60 students per year group, and only one of those would be on a bursary. Think of how many people apply for private schools each year - only a tiny number are eligible for bursaries and an even tinier number will be accepted.

There are probably 10-20 children who applied who are in the same situation - if the school only offers one or two bursaries per year group, that leaves 18-19 children without a bursary offer.

It's obviously disappointing that this girl didn't get a place, but it's not because the situation wasn't compelling enough - it's because loads of families are in similar positions and only one child can be lucky enough to get the bursary.

Uniform etc doesn’t need to be an issue. I know a DC who (this year) was offered a 110% scholarship at one school (so uniform, trips, laptop all covered), and a 100% at another. His parents preferred the second school, but explained the financial issue, and they matched it. He’s bright and sporty but not a genius by any means.

Thank you @00100001

I believe the means testing process was very thorough, lots of evidence was required in addition to parental bursary interviews. The family do not earn much, they do not own many possessions and do not go on vacation.

They worked hard to ensure their daughter was prepared and they're delighted that she was deemed both bright enough, and a good fit to be offered a place. They can all be very proud of themselves.

Thank you for sharing these @Maytodecember , it is very kind of you. I will show these links to my neighbour, thank you 😊

Thank you @InChocolateWeTrust , you're completely right, I guess it's never possible to truly understand the rationale behind the final decision. I'm unaware of whether my neighbour's child has any marketable qualities, over and above impeccable academics and the ability to triumph over and persevere through adversity.

I know of a family which has a family income of £180k that was offered a 50% bursary for their child to attend a popular North London mixed independent secondary...

I will forward on details of Christs Hospital, thank you for this recommendation.

this extremly bright little girl is now on her way to the local underperforming comprehensive school

I get that you're coming from a good place and that you're understandably frustrated on behalf of this family. The child has obviously overcome a lot of adversity to do so well, and seems like a great candidate for a bursary.

However, I struggle with the implicit suggestion in your post that it's somehow worse for this child to go to the local underperforming comprehensive school because she is extremely bright, as if the underperforming school would somehow be OK for a less academic child. I really can't agree with that. If anything, the bright child at least has brightness and supportive parents on her side, and she will very likely be successful at the comprehensive school. It's the children who are not quite so bright, and who don't have interested and supportive parents, who might really benefit from what a private school would be able to offer. But nobody ever considers that those children are deserving of a bursary.

I'm not having a go at all. I get where you're coming from, and it's lovely that you obviously care about this family and want their dc to have the best possible opportunities. However, if she's as bright as you say she is, and if her parents are as supportive as they sound, then I'm sure she'll do well regardless. Others, sadly, may not.

Hi @IdiotCreatures

Yes, the school you've mentioned is completely right. The family live in Hackney, I think they looked at these grammars and understood them to ineligible due to distance/post code catchments.

They were however eligible for Dame Alice Owen due to the location of their daughters primary school, however, they were nervous about the distance of the commute.

I will tell them Fortismere, I don't really know anything anything about that school myself.

Hi @acornpattern , many congratulations to your nephew, I hope he is enjoying his time at school, it sounds like his parents were very considered in the choice they made for him. Wishing them all the best of luck.