Private school: is it an option?

[Bookridden]

Would really welcome some advice from Miners. DD is aged 10 and in year 5. I've just had parents evening. DD is very hard working and keen to learn. She is average at maths, but her teacher considers her to be outstanding at reading and writing. The teacher asked us if we had considered applying to a private secondary school as she thinks that DD 's work in English is so exceptional that she might qualify for a bursary. She has shown DD 's writing to a teacher from a nearby public school and wanted to know if we would be happy to receive info from this private school teacher. She also recommended we check out a charity called Springboard.

Great to get such good feedback about DD, but my questions are this :

Are such bursaries available and who for?
Our household income is about £50k. Not enough to pay fees, but not life on benefits either. Surely we are too rich to be eligible?
Thirdly, DD is just average at maths; to qualify for these things, don't you have to be super-amazing across the board?

DD is a lovely, bookish, anxious to please kid from a pretty ordinary background. What are our options?

Thank you

[MissWimpyDimple]

At the school we are applying for, scholarships are worth up to 20% of fees and are open to all entrants regardless of income etc.

Bursaries are available on a sliding scale (but also linked to academic performance) so if your child does well in the entrance exam AND your income is below £35k you could get up to 80% and the cut off for getting anything at all is £80k. So effectively, if you are low income and your child does very well, you could achieve 100% with a combination of bursary and scholarship.

It's a GDST school. See if there is one of those near you?

[iseenodust]

"The secondary schools in my town are not great (50% of kids get 5 GCSEs at our local school..."

You haven't said where you are so in case you re not in the leafy SE... DS goes to a decent academic independent school in Yorkshire. 10% of the pupils receive a bursary. Bursaries (up to 100%) are available where parental income is < £65k. There are no scholarships. It has a significantly more ethnically diverse student population than our catchment comp. The next nearest independent offers a range of scholarships for sport, art & drama as as well as academic excellence and in its centenary year offered seven 100% scholarships.

If your mind wavers in the coming months I would say go and visit some schools so you have accurate & up to date information relating to those that would be in travelling distance. Nothing to lose !

[NWgirls]

OP, please ignore my last paragraph, I was "remembering" (muddling with) something mentioned on a different thread; apologies.

[NWgirls]

"I may well have been muddled about scholarships versus bursaries, but either way we couldn't afford more than 2 to 3k a year anyway. And I suppose the thing with scholarships is that they're for pretty remarkable kids. I'm the proudest mama ever and I loved the teacher telling me that DD's reading and writing were outstanding, but there's going to be plenty of kids who are like that, even if not in DD's school. And the pressure on her if we went down that route..."

OP, the great thing about scholarships and bursaries is that you can get both at the same time. Say 25% scholarship and 60% bursary for a total of 85%, as an example. In your communication with the bursar you might want to clarify both of these possibilities. Brains are not for sale (unlike education), and your DD sounds like she has a fair chance of perhaps getting both. Worth trying - nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Otherwise, earlier in the thread you mentioned the bursar asking you about start date (Easter or September). It could be that the school would have more flexibility and money in the "bursary kitty" for the new academic year (when a yeargroup has just left). Just speculating...

Good luck!

[Iamastonished]

We couldn't afford private school for DD and took the view that we would pay for a tutor should the need arise.

DD had always been in the top set for maths and when she started in year 11 she struggled because her maths teacher just didn't "get" her. We got her a tutor and her results shot up so much that she qualified to be entered for iGCSE maths in the January, in which she achieved an A*.

[Wineandchocolatebiscuits]

Yes hire private tutors in certain subjects if you need to - much better way of spending your £2k a year.

[GnomeDePlume]

50% isnt great but it isnt dreadful either. What it means is that they have a broad spectrum of ability within the school which works to your advantage.

You mentioned that your DD is less strong at maths. She will find herself in a set where she will be surrounded by people of similar ability. She will be taught at that ability level. That is so much better than sitting in a class of maths whizzes and just not getting it.

Look at what the state schools have to offer both in terms of the formal stuff and also in the extra curricular. Which school offers the best fit all round. Remember that if you arent already having to pay school fees then you will be in a good position to plug any gaps.

[Bookridden]

The secondary schools in my town are not great (50% of kids get 5 GCSEs at our local school and it's considered "rough" but I don't know how accurate this perception is). However, my DD is a bit of a swot, so hopefully she will do well wherever she ends up.

I may well have been muddled about scholarships versus bursaries, but either way we couldn't afford more than 2 to 3k a year anyway. And I suppose the thing with scholarships is that they're for pretty remarkable kids. I'm the proudest mama ever and I loved the teacher telling me that DD's reading and writing were outstanding, but there's going to be plenty of kids who are like that, even if not in DD's school. And the pressure on her if we went down that route...

[Iamastonished]

"Just looked at son's school website. They will look at bursaries for people with an income of less than £73,000."

Are you in London? When we looked at private school for DD in 2011 the income level for a bursary was £40,000 (in West Yorkshire). I doubt it would be anywhere near £73k now.

[Wineandchocolatebiscuits]

Just to say private schools aren't always better schools - they just cost more!

And I got a first from oxford university having gone to the most bog standard of secondary schools.

It's the sixth form years that you need to make sure she's in the right place - so she gets good a levels and help applying to the right universities. Many unis including oxford do helpful schemes for students wanting to apply from state school and you can also pay for private coaching for the interviews.

[Chewbecca]

Are you sure the teacher wasn't meaning a scholarship, not a bursary?

You can apply for (&receive) a scholarship regardless of income. Why not have a look at scholarships instead?

[Crumbs1]

Are your local state schools not capable of providing a good education? Plenty of very bright children do well out of comprehensives. Plenty of not very good independent schools with clever marketing but poor teaching.
Bursaries can be very significant and outgoings as well as income are considered.

[Bookridden]

Have just read that link, thank you. Don't think we've got any of those Happy Shopper private schools round here! Am firmly reconciled to the idea of a good, culturally rich family life which we can enjoy if we don't have to worry about fees, and am glad I don't have to worry about the ethics of it all.

Thank you everyone for your thoughts and it was really helpful to be able to ask these questions in a safe environment.

[Clavinova]

Bursaries are available, but comparatively few, and then they only cover 25% tops of the fees.

Are you sure you haven't misread the school website op? Up to 25% off the fees sounds like a scholarship amount to me - not a bursary. Scholarships are not usually means tested and a bursary can be granted on top of this amount. It would be unusual for a private secondary school to limit bursaries to only 25% off the fees although a prep school might.

[Bookridden]

Thanks for the link

Gnome - I don't think she was touting for business as her friend teaches at a very exclusive school that is blatantly not for people like us. I don't think she knew what she was talking about, but her intentions were honourable I'm sure.

[GnomeDePlume]

I must admit that I did raise an eyebrow at the teacher's behaviour. There was a bit of a hint of touting for business on behalf of her friend.

[2014newme]

Hilarious that Westonbirt is included in that article. It's very much for gels who are the daughters of landed gentry and popular with the county set. Think polo and pearls, jilly Cooper style However it's a big crumbling old building and I guess they may need to up their middle class intake.

[boogiewoogiebaby]

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/no-frills-private-schools-tempt-parents-with-affordable-fees-t2gk8xg5n?shareToken=1e475b5e2782e9bb82f136b88540bdca

[boogiewoogiebaby]

There was an article in the times last week about key public schools lowering prices to help with situations like yours - will find link and post..,

[Bookridden]

Gnome - that's how I'm going to choose to see it! We can and do have holidays, day trips, theatre, cinema etc and we spend a lot on books too! I don't want to pressure DD in maths - she meets age related expectations, and I think to push for more would just create unnecessary stress. Hopefully, if her English is as good as I think her teacher was implying, this will be identified at her next school and developed. Thanks for all the comments.

[GnomeDePlume]

You have a healthy household income. You will be able to afford different experiences which can enrich not just her life but yours as well: theatre trips, museums, summer schools. You may be able to consider tutoring to help her maths along.

Not being tied to scraping together school fees will give you flexibility to give your DD experiences which can be tailored to fit her changing interests.

Honestly, I think you may have dodged what could have become a millstone.

[happygardening]

What about Christ's Hospital? Their boarding fees are coming in at about £32K so there is obviously a higher income threshold when it comes to qualifying for a bursary. Although I suspect she would have to significantly improve her math to get a place I understand they're looking fora child to be in the top 1/3.
You can often get a scholarship which may have little or no financial reward attached; only the prestige of winning one and then apply for a bursary, this is very common. But most schools who are offering academic scholarships want to see at the very least a solid ability in all areas again I suspect just being "average" at math wont be good enough.Could you get. tutor to improve her math? Mind you this still is no guarantee of success. Competition for scholarships is fierce and children currently at prep schools will be well prepared (this is how preps market themselves).

[mummytime]

OP - don't necessarily get too disheartened. I know on girl who got a "creative writing" scholarship to a local high performing girls school, but did so little creative writing once she got there that she might as well have gone to a local state school.
Another girl was encouraged to apply to a local Public school because of her sport, but didn't get offered a scholarship in the end.
State schools can do very well, and if your DD is gifted she may well get lots of opportunities to shine and be stretched.

[Allthebestnamesareused]

Just looked at son's school website. They will look at bursaries for people with an income of less than £73,000.

[Bookridden]

Well, ok, just looked at a few websites for private schools in our area and it's definitely a no-no. Springboard is a charity for pupils on FSM, which is not DD. Bursaries are available, but comparatively few, and then they only cover 25% tops of the fees. And fees are generally around the £15k per annum plus extras. That's too much to find when you've got a mortgage and your take home income is around £50k. DD is going to have to make the best of the local secondary! Thanks anyway.