Can anyone tell me about scholarships?

[Marypoppins19]

Hi there
Advice needed please.
We live in the south in an area which doesn’t do the 11+. Some good faith schools available which may be an option for us, although the catchment is wide, we are a distance away. Other schools locally aren’t doing very well.
Son is at county level sports and able but lazy academically! Currently year 5.
I’m just keen to explore options really as he’s clearly got some sporting talent but I’m concerned he’s likely to slip under the radar unless pushed and it the right environment for him. How do scholarships work and are we already too late to apply?

You usually apply for a scholarship in the yr before admission. There is no guarentee of any reductionin fees especially for sports scholarships, at DS2’s school even academic scholarships carried no financial reward. But in many schools getting a scholarship means you are more likely to get a means tested bursary but again there’s no guarentee and this may not apply to sports scholarships.
The individual schools you’re interested in will have info on their websites, they may provide past papers for those interested in an academic scholarship and details requirement for a sports/music scholarship and you may even be able to meet with the head of games to see if your DS is performing at the right level. Level of ability will also vary from school to school, super selective schools will have a very high expectations of their academic scholars, schools with big sporty reputations will have very high expectations of their sports scholars, etc.
Good luck.

Look at the schools you are interested in. They will have admissions info, including scholarship, on their websites.

Generally, you would apply end of year 5/over summer/beginning of year 6, tonsit entrance exams between October - February ish.

Past papers are often available.

Scholarship routes vary, but again details will be available for the individual schools you are interested in.

A scholarship is ordinarily up to 10% off day fees. Larger awards are available, but uncommon. Scholarships can sometimes be combined, but generally with a maximum reduction of fees. If further help is needed, then a bursary is what you are after. Bursaries are available without scholarship too.

Scholarships are awarded on potential as much as attainment, and attitude is key, across all areas, not just the area of excellence.