Bursary advice

[Spinakker]

Hi there, I'm just looking for some advice from anyone with experience or knowledge regarding bursaries.

We are a low income family and last year successfully managed to secure a large bursary for my eldest son at a prep school. He had to do an assessment at age 7 (y2). He did really well and we are so happy that he's got a place at a great school. Now my next concern is what to do with my 2 younger sons... my ds2 is 5 and so would be eligible for the assesment for prep school at age 7.

Now the thing is my DS1 has always been quite advanced in Maths, reading, drawing etc. Probably about a year ahead of his year group, also he has a September birthday. I imagine his academic potential was the key factor in him getting the bursary. DS2 seems alot more average from what I can tell so far. He goes to a very good state school but now I'm unsure what to do with regards to trying to get him into the prep school or not (obviously he would require a bursary as well). Would DS2 stand any chance of getting a bursary if he's still "average" at age 7 ? Shall I put him in for the assesment and see ? Should I be working hard with him at home to bring him up to a higher level? (I never did much at home with my eldest. He only had to read things once and would memorize them).

I worry that I wouldn't be doing justice to my ds2 if we didn't try and get him into the same school as his older brother, but then again if he's not especially academic would be be better off in the state school anyway ? Ds2 is on target for everything but he's not over achieving if you see what I mean. Of course he's only 5 so it's difficult to assess his full potential right now. Plus the lack of schooling this year hasn't helped!

Now I also have a question regarding DS3- I hope you are still with me !.. DS3 is nearly 2 years old but he has an August birthday. We were planning to defer him a year so that he'd start school when he was 5 rather than just turned 4. Would this effect his chances if we wanted to try to get him into prep school later on? Would they even allow him to do the assesment when he was in y2 but technically by his age should be already in y3?
Thanks for reading, I look forward to hearing any replies.

No one on here can comment on individual schools. The bursar at the school is the best person to talk too. But one bursar told me years ago that they felt it was unethical to offer a bursary to one child and not his siblings but obviously that may not apply to your school.
Secondly for the want of a better word “less” academic children may struggle to get a bursary at secondary level where depending on your area there is often more competition for bursaries from children in the state sector, just something to think about.

I work in a prep school. We have siblings joining on bursaries. They can be average working to their age level, but will have the best brought out of them. The HM and deputy say they can work on those areas. It may also depend how many bursaries are available. The school I work in is in a notoriously wealthy area, but there are children on bursaries. It’s kept private from staff who is on a bursary as it’s confidential. But, I have been told that there are children that have bursaries.

@happpygardening that's quite encouraging to hear. Good point about secondary schools too.

@Longdistance, thank you for your insight. That sound promising also. I was expecting it to be a bit more cut throat that the school would only give bursaries to very academic students.

Ds2 has been curious about Ds1s new school and has been asking when he will go there so it would be lovely if he manages to get in. However we will still be okay if he stays at his current school as it has an outstanding rating from Ofsted and he's been happy there so far.

Interesting question! But as pp say, no one here can give you a definitive answer.

You'll know already that large bursaries are quite thin on the ground for prep school. (And are often tied to an academic scholarship - unlike senior school.)

It really depends on how resilient you'll judge your second child to be when the time comes. Some children might be crushed if they don't achieve the same as an elder sibling. It might be easier to shrug off if they're very happy and settled at their current school. And perhaps that particular prep suits one child more than the other?

It is difficult! We also had a very large prep school bursary. Not sure what we'd have decided for a sibling coming up close behind.

I would definitely put him in for the assessment and see what happens. Don't tell him what it's for if that's possible. Can you afford to send him without the bursary?

Sorry re read post and assuming not. That's tricky, particularly as he's already aware and asking. Speak to the school as a pp suggested. If they knew you had younger sons at the time they awarded the first bursary, they must have expected you'd try for another one.

Can you afford to send him without the bursary?

It may be that your experience and knowledge is different to mine - but I would assume that if the OP is able to pay the fees without the bursary that fact would become apparent through her application form (and probably the home visit). Bursaries are not a lifestyle choice - they are intended for families who could not, under any existing circumstances, manage the fees.

I know its seems ages away but you will need to start thinking seriously about secondary level now. The fees are considerable higher than at prep and you have 3 children to educate and if you're planning to do that privately you're going to have to earn more / win the lottery / steal. Secondary bursaries IME are awarded more on the basis of academic / sporting ability. I would be asking your prep school for their track record in getting pupils into private schools with hefty bursaries.

Secondary bursaries IME are awarded more on the basis of academic / sporting ability.

In our case (moving from prep to senior) it was consequent to passing the pre-test/conditional offer, means tested parental application, passing CE. It wasn't conditional on being awarded a scholarship at all - that would have been an entirely separate route.

(However, had the school decided not to offer the bursary, the offer of a place would have been withdrawn. I found the thought of that quite terrifying, but it has a certain logic.)

But yes, as DPotter says, your prep should be confident of being able to guide the bursary recipient into a senior school that will offer a comparable level (obviously a much larger amount) of bursary.

If you are fortunate this should mean a smooth transition from one to the next. But obviously not everyone is lucky. The prep school HM is the key here.

@PerditaProvokesEnmity I do think my ds2 will be happy continuing at his current school. Both boys are quite resilient and if he didn't pass the assesment I think he'd cope. He's got lots of friends in his own class and will probably get used to his brother being in a different school from September. That's another good point about suitability. Would ds2 actually be happier at the state school without too much pressure.. ? Or would he do better in a smaller class with more attention. Lots to think about. Thanks for your reply.

@Delta1 yes I'm leaning towards putting him in for the assesment. My own parents could afford to help with the school fees but my mum is against private education! So that was not an option.

@DPotter yes you are right. I have considered this from the beginning as this prep school is until age 13 so I was concerned what would happen then. Basically with my eldest son he's really talented in lots of different spheres- Maths, Sport, Art. Etc. So I feel we should take our chances for him getting a bursary in secondary school. It's possible I might inherit some money by this stage too or my parents might be willing to help. I suppose I could ask the school about secondary bursaries but wouldn't that come across as a bit forward. Maybe further down the line I can broach this subject!...

I suppose I could ask the school about secondary bursaries but wouldn't that come across as a bit forward. Maybe further down the line I can broach this subject!...

Sorry to butt in (and your prep may be very different to the one I know best) but surely one of the reasons the prep awarded your son the bursary was precisely because they think he has the potential to go on to the very "best" senior school they send on to? And the fact that he would probably need a further bursary award would have been very much part of this equation.

Why did you send him to the prep? (Clue's in the name ...) Perhaps everyone's not like us, but an acknowledgement of one's hopes/plans for senior school was very much part of the discussion when we were applying to the prep. Because what they do is prepare for the next step. (In truth pre-tests didn't require much prep input, and taking CE isn't the only way forward - but the prep school's knowledge and experience was invaluable in smoothing the way.)

TL;DR The prep will think you're daft if you aren't asking them about possibilities for the next school.

When you're talking £16k min per year for private secondary it's never too early to start thinking and talking about where's it's going to come from.

If you can't afford it and if a secondary level bursary is going to to be difficult to find, bear in mind prep finishes at 13 and you may need to consider moving DS1 at 11 for a smoother transition

@PerditaProvokesEnmity well which secondary school we'd planned for wasn't really a big part of the discussion when we met with the Head teacher originally. Maybe it was in their minds in the assesment as to whether he'd be likely to get a second bursary but I honestly don't know ! This is why I'm concerned about my ds2 as so far he is not as advanced as my ds1 was aged 5. Anyway, I like the Prep school itself because my ds loves sports and is competitive, the class sizes are better obviously. More importantly he does show real academic potential and i feel the prep will help him reach him achieve highly. I hadn't thought at the time i applied what senior school he would go to as I'm fairly new to all this having been to a state school myself. When applying for this bursary I really wasn't sure whether it would even be possible so I didn't want to get too carried away thinking of the future. Now ds1 has this opportunity of course I can start to think further ahead and I'm hoping the school will advise me further down the line what the future options are. I've been reading posts on mumsnet about private senior schools and gaining entry so I'm wising up on the topic now! It's not like I've not considered this until today.

@DPotter yes I'm prepared to have to move ds1 at y7 if I have to but I'm hoping this won't happen- either by way of a second bursary or inheritance. The state secondary schools in our area are good anyway so it's not like it will be a huge plunge from the prep.

Apols if I seemed negative - what I was trying to say is that if the prep school is a good one they'll be ahead of you on this. They don't give large bursaries just to be kind - it's because they think they'll get something out of it. That something being the kudos of having the bursary recipient progress to the most prestigious public school possible.

Again, if the prep is a good one they will be very ready to guide you through the process. From their point of view they will have wasted their money if your son doesn't get a bursary to enable transition to a "top" school.

@PerditaProvokesEnmityt's its ok, any information is welcome! Thankyou. Yes hopefully the school are ahead of me in this and will asist in the move to senior school later on. This is why I'm a bit confused as to whether to apply or not for the same school for ds2. Some pp above, seem to have suggested that ds2 may get in because of ds1 despite being less academic (so far!) But this doesn't coincide with what I've read from you and from other posts here before that preps only give large bursaries out to children they think will make them look good and gain entry to certain senior schools.

Also does anyone know about ds3 potentially being deferred a year. Would he be able to be assessed for Prep school y3 entry or would it be considered unfair as he'd deferred a year? Ds3 Is a toddler ! but we'd have to.know whether we were deferring him around the age of 3 to decide about nursery applications.

Over the years on MN education boards they're have been quite a few who've obtained bursaries to prep schools and then struggled to obtain them at senior schools. For substantial bursaries look at big name boarding schools.

"Also does anyone know about ds3 potentially being deferred a year. "
Often scholarships require a pupils to be a certain age an older child might be excluded unless there's a very good reason for deferring entry e.g. health issues. Talk to your prep (the clue is on the name)) they should be able to answer all your questions., Good luck.

and then struggled to obtain them at senior schools

• Isn't this often because they didn't understand the nature and purpose of the prep school they joined? (I've more often noticed the complaints that a traditional CE prep has declined to prepare for the 11+!)

As the OP hasn't mentioned boarding I didn't bother to bring it up. After years of arguing this here (many name changes) I'm tired of reading my own words. But yes, of course.

In the school I used to work in the system was that there is a set budget each year for the amount the school can offer in bursaries and a cut off point for applications each year. I think people assume that they can get one at any time but once they’re gone they’re gone. Siblings were always looked at for bursaries once their academic application was successful.

Although your dc was assessed to enter the school (because they want academic kids) a bursary is awarded because of finances. I assume you had to provide proof of outgoings/assets/mortgage etc? If that’s the case if you apply before the deadline I can’t see why they wouldn’t offer bursaries for you other children.

I don’t know how strict the admissions assessments are for prep schools but it’s worth a try? Speak to the admissions dept to put your mind at rest.

With regards to your point on deferring a year, it may well go against him and / or not be permitted. Some schools say an absolute no, others are ok about it so long as the reasons for deferral are sound. Some schools age adjust test results to take this into account.

I honestly wouldn’t defer him without good reason. Children do catch up. I have an end of August child and a beginning of September one. The September one struggled more being the oldest in the year than the other did being the youngest. She was bored, raced through work (including all the extension work), struggled socially as the year was very summer born heavy and the age gap was huge. I know people pooh pooh how can I possibly moan, she has the advantage etc. But it was a miserable time for her in Reception and only started to improve in Y1.

Also consider sports teams. You could find your son has to play in the year group for his age and not the one he is in.

If you have concerns about your son then the choice to defer is a good idea, but don’t just defer because you can.

"- Isn't this often because they didn't understand the nature and purpose of the prep school they joined? (I've more often noticed the complaints that a traditional CE prep has declined to prepare for the 11+!)"
Not necessarily if I recall correctly some were doing well in primary similar stru to OP a year ahead of their peers obtained a bursary to a prep but then academically plateaued and by 13 were nothing exceptional, so failed to get scholarships with attached means tested bursaries , and found that the big names which often offer generous bursaries to non scholars were too selective and they wouldn't consider boarding; many of the big names which offer generous bursaries are full boarding.
Ultimately if your looking for a stand alone bursary at secondary level competition can be fierce and you cant always afford to be that fussy.

Thanks everyone for taking the time to respond. Ive had some really useful advice. I think regarding DS2 I will most likely put him in for the assesment for the Prep and see what happens. Whether he gets in or not I'll get some feedback and I don't think he'll be too upset if he doesn't get a place as he's happy at his current state school and will be very settled by then hopefully.

Interesting points about DS3. I did wonder if it would cause problems deferring in the private school system. Thanks very much for everyone's imput.