Private school bursaries

[Kidakidder]

I know that this is a bit of a piece of string question, but what sort of earnings limit do you have to have in order to qualify for the average bursary for an average private school?

As far as I'm aware its not even just about earnings, things like the property you live in and if you have 'excess' space can be considered (I guess the idea is that you could sell and move somewhere smaller) and savings/investments. But schools will all be different. I don't know where you live but Christs Hospital has a reputation for generous bursaries
www.christs-hospital.org.uk/admissions/fees/

Eeek that sounds complex! The one I was looking at was Walden School, previously known as Friends School. It's Quaker in origin. It looks great but is eye-wateringly expensive.

Its also likely that they will assess whether both parents are maximising their earning potential, etc

Gosh so they really poke into every corner? Reasonable I suppose but sounds terribly invasive!

Completely reasonable as it might be 40% of 7 x £35,000 with the amount increasing each year.

Quaker schools can be calm and I can see why you'd be drawn. Why not just call them for a chat?

They all vary massively in terms of what's offered and what the limits are, so you will need to contact the school in question and ask. Be aware that yes, they will delve into every aspect of your financial life - and quite right too! You will probably need to supply bank statements for several months, p60s and payslips, mortgage details, any equity, pensions, investments, estimated value of any assets (eg cars, household goods etc) and anything else you can think of! And most schools will reassess this every year. They will certainly expect both parents (if applicable) to be working full-time unless there are very good reasons why not.

However, don't be afraid to ask, they're used to it and any decent school will be more than happy to talk to you about bursary provision.

Ours didn't poke into everything. You had to win scholarships before bursary would be considered it then the school helped make sure all possible outgoing was removed from income.
Our income is well above what is usually quoted as a maximum. It depends on the school. Some have far more flexibility than others.

£80- £120K max - sliding scale

You can have an income of £120k and still get a bursary???

Double checked and I'm slightly out but St Pauls Girls - current total household income threshold is £110k (gross)

Yes in London - household income. Allows doctors, lawyers, actors etc to send their children to private school, not just hedge fund & private equity types.

Ours is higher income than above and we got bursaries but we were transferring four children. It was the amount left post outgoings that was used to calculate not gross income.

Crumbs1, thry looked at what's left after the school fees?

We have three children and could only afford to educate one privately at full rate, so would need bursaries to put all three through. Do they take that into account? The younger ones wouldnt go yet.

Any chance of an academic scholarship? I see they say publicly that they are up to 50% which is unusual. (I think they are trying to attract more academic talent as hasn't been one of the strongest in the area in recent years.) You may find that with a combination of some scholarship money and some bursary the fees could be a lot lower even if your family finances are quite good. No harm in contacting the Bursar's office and getting the forms.

Although my children are of course, utterly perfect, there is not a snowball's chance in hell of them getting a scholarship! Im still goung to look into it further though.

Crumbs1 why private? I think my kids would do best in a calm environment with smaller classes, and a school that allows them to be individual. Eldest has Asd and the provision locally is dire.

I hope your cancer treatment went well. It sounds like youve had a tough time of it. X

Just looked at the website for my son's school in Cambridge.

Those earning up to £74K can apply for bursaries.

Just to warn you about Walden School they would not take my ds with speech delay. Have you spoken to them about your child's ASD?

No not yet but the prosoectus looked encouraging. That's sad to hear - what did they say?

Will pm you

Cancer treatment was fine - a while ago now - but boarding eased the concern that being ill might impact on their education. School was very kind to us, on reflection.
I'd look at options and then make an appointment to speak to the admissions lead about your circumstances. Sometimes 'off record' chat is more fruitful than policy.