does failing a bursary application hurt your secondary application ?

[blackheathdad]

if you apply for a bursary for a secondary private and you are unsuccessful does it reduce your chance of getting an offer of a place ?

That would depend on the role of the bursary award in the application process. So it depends on the individual school.

Surely there's clear guidance on the website?

If you haven't been awarded a bursary, are you able to take a full fee paying place if offered? Could school perceive it as a wasted offer?

Normally nobody at the school other than the Head and the bursar (and a few of his/her admin staff who only knows you by a name) knows you're applying for a bursary. So, no - it won't affect your school application at all.

Unless you are applying to a public school I know where an existing conditional offer of a place can/will be withdrawn if the school doesn't feel able to offer a sufficient bursary.

Changemyname18 - surely if an applicant is able to take up a fee paying place they should not be applying for a bursary? They're intended for pupils for whom attendance would otherwise be impossible. At least, that has been my understanding and experience.

So, OP, logically you're not going to be offered a bursary if you can actually pay the fees ...

The two applications should theoretically be totally separate.

We were offered a place but turned down for a bursary at one school , simply because they didn’t have enough funds to cover all the qualifying applications. Circumstances could change, grandparents step in, you remortgage etc so the offer seemed independent of the bursary, but I guess most have to turn such an offer down.Luckily we offered bursaries elsewhere.

We held a day place for 13+ entry for about 9 months before we were able to turn it down for a scholarship plus bursary at a boarding school. We couldn't have afforded the day school fees in full and hadn't worked out what we would have done if the boarding options hadn't come through for him. 3 sets of music auditions and 2 sets of academic exams was quite a load though worth it in the end when he got a scholarship place at his first choice school. He didn't pretest well otherwise we wouldn't have had to juggle three different choices quite so late in the process!

I absolutely agree that the bursary application process has been quite separate to getting the place, at all schools both our children have been considered for.

It would have no bearing at the school where I work.

The independent school I used to work at made offers with unrealistic bursaries, whereby the child had a place and a bursary, but the bursary was not generous enough for the family to be able to accept the offer. These were usually to boys who showed strong sporting ability. It always annoyed me. It always annoyed me and I never understood why the school would do this, but I think perhaps there was an internal disconnect between a Head of Sport who met them at matches and was very keen to have them and the bursar who couldn't make the numbers add up.