Do private schools really want kids who depend on bursaries?

[Lavenderfowl]

We live near a prestigious independent school, and I think it might suit DD perfectly. Our local state options are woeful.

From the website it looks like we might stand a chance of a bursary, but we’d need a big one (single mum, currently part-time work only). But would we forever be marked out as the poor relations, and do these sorts of schools REALLY want us ordinary folk?

They dont have to offer bursaries for charitable status, its just one example of public benefit. If a school is offering bursaries it wants you there. Some schools have big funds just for this, others set a target like 10% of fee income to go on bursaries.

Read the small print. Some schools will require you to have been at the school for a year or so first in a fully paying place before you can apply for a bursary. In some schools the bursaries are reviewed annually where they expect (but don't actually guarantee) that the support will continue each year. Also the bursery can be withdrawn for poor attendance or bad bahaviour etc.

Yes some a really niche. Be school I looked at only offered a bursary for pupils in an exam year. Baffling.

No just for their stats so they can prove charitable status. Bursary kids are rarely completely accepted and the differences are often glaring

I’m so sorry you’ve had that experience. It must have been distressing for you or your DC.

At my DC school bursaries are confidential & even the staff don’t know. It sounds like you have had a really tough time.

Also if it’s a particularly prestigious school the parents will likely be highly involved and will find out about the bursary. It is unfair but they will treat you and your child differently and likely not in an inclusive way. However if it’s just a standard run of the mill private school then it might be slightly easier. The haves and the have nots can be seen fairly easily by houses, car, clothes and holidays. Some will be kinder than others. People can be such utter snobs

This article is the best I have seen on accurate information and advice on this issue.
www.best-schools.co.uk/scholarships-and-bursaries

Be aware bursaries are nearly always offered for day attendance only and not boarding. That may be an issue if the school is big on boarding as the children not boarding can end up feeling different and that they are missing out.

Also, if your financial circumstances change at any point, eg, you decide to work full time, or get a promotion etc you could lose the bursary so worth deciding if the current situation is sustainable or desirable long term.

To keep their charitable status they have to show that lack of money does not prevent people from benefiting from the charity. Bursaries are an obvious way to do this, although they can do it in other ways.

My DS played semi-pro level footy with a lot of boys on full sports scholarships at local private schools. There’s no way their families could have paid even 50% fees. They sometimes had to miss matches if there was a school match on.

Yes, but its not a requirement. they could do massive outreach programmes like joint staff training, shared sports days or sponsor academies etc instead. So if they have chosen bursaries it indicates they want bursary students so dont not apply.

Thank you everyone this is really encouraging - I will be brave and investigate further!

Yes they do. Our school has got rid of the fees discount for scholarships so that they can offer more 110% bursaries because they’re desperate to increase the percentage of kids who attend from low income families.

Private schools need to demonstrate that they are charities and providing some value to the local community they serve. Also, most of them were set up way before free state education existed, and they were created to offer free education to those who need it. That is their original purpose. Those free places are obviously funded by fee-paying students, but that doesn’t change the fact that part of the school’s reason for existing is to provide free education. There are sometimes significant legal obligations on the school in this regard eg from its founding documents.

Ps that school (a prestigious famous one) used to have a third of its students on free places.

@momlette I literally have no idea which children are receiving bursaries at my children's school.

Our dd had a bursary worth 75% at a selective girls school (top 10 in the country at A Level and GCSE). They were previously a direct grant school so have always had a desire to benefit those whose parents can’t pay. Dd was nothing exceptional, not sporty or particularly musical.

She had no problems with snobbiness. She knew who else had bursaries as they were open about it, but her wealthier friends always came to ours for sleepovers!

Be aware that at a top school a 75% bursary can still mean a significant annual payment from yourself..

I do not know any private school that has third of its pupils on free places. Which school are you talking about?

Yes, the schools want them - and indeed cherish them academically. However, it can be tough on bursary/scholarship kids when their class mates go on expensive skiing trips, and spend Christmas in hot climates. They also have top-end trainers and so on, and live in large houses for sleepovers.

I’m not sure I follow the logic about involved parents finding out about bursary students…

The ‘have and have not’ point isn’t really valid ime

A lot of families will prioritise school fees above all else, so it’s pretty common to see kids in hand me down uniforms, families having older cars and holidays being v basic - at my DCs school, there is no correlation between the kids who have bursaries and those who don’t go to Sani or skiing because so many full-fee families have cut back on everything else to pay the fees

Yes I had an assisted place years ago. Never made any difference to how I fitted in, so don’t worry about that. Lots of the kids fees will be paid by grandparents or being mortgaged up to the hilt. It’s to get their grades up, look socially responsible, and sometimes just because they have been left funds for that purpose.

Full bursaries are rarer these days, so before you get excited, check with the bursar how much they can do.

Christ’s Hospital I am guessing

Yes they very much need them so they can pretend to be charities and continue to receive the financial benefits. If you think it’ll suit your DD then go for it!

Of course! They are very unusual and do run like a proper charity.