Non academic scholarship assessment days at Lancing College

[inthename]

Has anyone got any experience of what the assessment day is like? Got timings, is it a case of drop child off and disappear until 5.30?

No idea but good luck to your DC.

Thanks happy. Done now, don't suppose anybody knows when/how they notify you. ds seems to think they said sometime this week.

Hope your DS felt as though he did himself justice. Sometimes the prep schools get notified before or at the same time as the parents for these things so maybe ask at the school when they usually hear by.

Thanks summer, he went from feeling positive to comparing himself unfavourably to others when tiredness kicked in!

Thanks summer - he went from positive about it to comparing himself badly to others when tiredness kicked in.

The problem with all these school awards is that they are not just a test of talent, other factors come into play. Best of luck .

definitely, Lancings bursary awards are linked to qualifying for an 'award' of some kind within the scholarship booklet, the bursary is what is needed in our case. All the assessments happen after the entrance deposit has been paid, so no way of knowing how its then worked out.

I do hope you don't have to wait to long, it must be agonising for both you and your DS. Usually I think you hear pretty quickly ?within a week. Have you got others options?
Do let us know how you get on my fingers are crossed for you.

Thanks, hoping this week. last option unless headmaster comes up with a late idea

head of Lancing has written saying that he is not able to offer the award ds sat the exams for as though ds did well, the competition was high. it then says that they still look forward to welcoming ds in September.
I'm having to clarify whether this means that a bursary may still be available as they have on all their paperwork that we need financial assistance to take up the place. So, at the moment more than a bit confused.

Inthename I hope that you have / will manage to ring the school to speak to the admissions to clarify as soon as possible. Well done to your DS though, he obviously performed really well.

Thanks. it basically says that he hasn't gained an award but has a place subject to CE. That really confuses me because when you pay the entrance deposit in November there is a box to tick that states whether taking the place is dependent on financial assistance. Their info on bursaries say that you have to be in receipt of a scholarship, award or exhibition to apply for a bursary.
I don't know if the letter is a standard 'no award' one and basically means that there is a full fee place but nothing else?

It could be a standard letter but hopefully they would be a bit more thoughtful for bursary applicants than to send something worded like that.

Just an update. The letter did mean that only a full fee place was available, all response from Lancing has been that all bursaries are linked to achieving a scholarship despite wording all over their website which talks about their ethos and aims being to enable access to the college for families not able to afford full fees.
Despite taking £950 from me in November, telling me in writing that ds is a great child etc and STILL saying that there is a full fee place open despite knowing since last year that we need the funding, they have left us scrabbling around trying to find another school with one term to go.
I would say to other parents, beware the big names with their bursary claims and scholarship/award assessments that don't happen until March especially (like Lancing) they ask for entrance deposits and confirmation that they are 'first choice' as this means nothing to them.

what a rollercoaster process for you and your DS inthename.

There are two separate processes here, the limitations of the school's finances and the admissions process which has judged your DS a worthy candidate. The fee does seem huge in the circumstances and particularly disproportionate for bursary candidates when there are low odds for being awarded an award. This dubious practice (if they are not going to return this fee) gives the appearance of a school scrambling for money. One wonders how many bursaries they actually offer to new entrants.

I'd guess they offer mainly to those who only need the scholarship which I think says is up to 25% off fees, though if thats the way they work they really shouldn't have in depth discussions and a lengthy application process with parents they know all along need more than that. Yes, scholarships are always going to be competitive, but people declaring a bursary need as they ask you to do are not going to be able to pay holding deposits for several schools and the application process for the scholarships takes place over about 5 months, so they should have been up front back in November as we would have moved on to other schools and other decisions rather than now having to approach schools I haven't even contacted before

£950

Ok. What now? Have you got a place sorted yet?

several schools are being amazing and looking into what they can offer, though has many are on easter hols it a waiting time. If not, we'll be back in the state system from September as have missed so many deadlines, bursary allocations and scholarship assessments because of this.

Your poor ds! Wow, £950 - surely Lancing will refund the entrance deposit in the circumstances? You mentioned back in March that bursaries were linked to 'awards' of some sort - were you aware of this when you paid the deposit? Did you actually have a frank discussion with the school about your circumstances? Please tell me you didn't just 'tick a box' on the paperwork. I thought you had registered your ds for several other schools as well - King's College, Taunton and King Edward's, Witley - did your ds not sit the entrance exams for these schools in the end? Oh dear, hope it all works out.

Ds has a late assessment for King Edward. Kings wanted a similar large deposit couldn't do both them and lancing (neither have entrance assessments just CE)
Discussions were very frank from July last year (including triple checking ds would meet the standard etc) so they knew our circumstances inside out. They do say that bursaries are linked to awards, but say repeatedly that the headmaster can make awards outside of scholarship for those needing bursaries.