Bursary for second child if first is on one?

[sukisuky]

My son is in Year 7 at a private school and we receive a 70% bursary for fees. I understand that this will change yearly depending on our circumstances and the schools.

Our youngest isn't due to start school until 2025- but we would love her to attend the school if possible.

We do hope finances are better then but if they were the same as they are now; would the school even consider a bursary for her also?

I am wondering if anyone has been in a similar position with one on a bursary, then one also added on too!

Thank you. ☺️

Anyone? X

This will be school specific so it's not really possible to answer. You'd have to ask the bursar of your particular school what their policy is.

Very school specific and the only person who can answer this is the Bursar. However with the proposed VAT tax on education many schools will look to reduce their bursary offer so I would be very cautious on having to rely on a bursary to cover fees.
DDs school have said that they will stop bursaries for any new students and honour existing bursaries and also look to increase the % of fees that bursary parents have to pay. Speak to the school about their plans for bursaries if Labour win the election.

I knew of families in which more than one child was on a bursary, however this was a while ago. Is your 2nd child due to start primary or secondary school in 2025, it isn’t clear from your post. As funds were tight I would not commit to private school fees from Reception, just unnecessary.

Presumably your son gets a bursary for a reason? - academics, sport, music?

How does your daughter excel and what is she offering the school?

I think you are confusing scholarships with bursaries. Scholarships are usually only 5-10% of the fees and are awarded for what the child can bring to the school in a certain area eg sport/music etc. Bursaries are meant tested support with fees, unlinked to academic ability, and can go from 5% up to 100% of fees.

@twistyizzy - tbh I always thought that bursaries were linked to the child offering something, this is my experience. I'm not sure why a private school would offer a child a subsidised place unless they are offering something. Surely there would be thousands applying otherwise.

Scholarships are for children who excel in one or more areas, and you are correct are normally up to 10%. If a family cannot afford the fees it's a bursary which is worth more.

@DreamItDoIt a lot of bursaries are from funds bequeathed to the school from alumni to get kids into private schools who couldn't afford private school otherwise. Not all are obviously. Usually though they are not linked to performance other than for DC who have passed the entrance exam which is obviously a self selecting process in the first place. Of course it differs in each school but for the private schools around here bursaries don't require any special attributes/skills.

My son did have to sit the entrance exam and had to pass with a higher pass grade. He also had to have an interview. But other than than it was means tested. Our income is probably considered very low in comparison to other families but it's not awful imo!

Daughter will be starting reception 2025.

@sukisuky could you afford fees for 2 if the bursary was reduced/not awarded?

I don't think we could. It would be an extra grand a month until she was in year 3, then goes up to £1,500 pm until seniors.

My partners business is in its early days with potential, so maybe we will hang fire until a few years when we know what our financial situation will be!

Think I'd rather her go to private for seniors than prep.

My son has always attended private since Year 1. He is very academically gifted but the main reason we went from state to private was due to him being bullied profusely and nothing being done about it.

He doesn't have those issues now, in fact he's very popular! But we wouldn't take him out due to him doing so well and he's very settle. (He also has asd and adhd).

Settled*

@sukisuky in that case I would think very carefully about putting your DD in with a bursary and I would definitely be speaking to the school about their plans for bursaries if Labour win the next election.

Yes- I have read very mixed reviews on that issue actually...

Every school will be dealing with it differently but most will already have plans in place. Like I said, DDs school plan to stop any new bursaries being awarded and reduce the amount of existing ones and then put that money into a central pot so that parents who pay full fees won't have to stump.up the full 20%.

You need to speak to the Bursar who is the only one who can accurately advise and maybe they have not even decided yet what will happen once Labour put 20 percent on school fees.

Scholarships depend solely on the child and their skill in music, art, sport. They are not means tested. Some schools give a token sum and others, up to 10% off fees. Bursaries are for high flying children whose parents cannot afford the fees so the child has to achieve highly on the entrance exam and the parents are means tested. You need to speak to the Bursar at your school. They will already be reviewing the situation with a view to the government changing.

Message deleted by poster