Private School Scholarships and How to Get Them

[LizFarrell]

Does anyone have any advice about how to help your children get scholarships into independent schools? Both my kids are quite young and are in a state primary school.

Is there anything I can be doing like music lessons, sport, someone even told me chess could be an option, that would either get reduced fees or even a 100% paid scholarship when they go up to secondary school? Our local state secondaries are not good and I'm exploring all the options to avoid them!

Thank you!

I imagine the RF negotiated a hefty discount from Eton. What advertising for the school.

Identify the schools you'll be interested in. See the things they offer - and indeed sometimes don't, publicly anyway. There are many full bursary students at my kids' school. More than I thought there would be, which is fantastic. They're all all academically brilliant (the ones I now who are my kids' friends anyway). Most allotted pre-VAT debacle. Occasionally you'll have an uber talented sport or music or art one on a full bursary - but as pp said above - national level. The salary threshold for bursaries in normal circumstances will be school dependent - give them a call and ask. As others have said scholarships are often token only in the scheme of things, a very nice to have and be recognised for, but usually nowhere near fee paying.

Note there are fewer bursaries and scholarships since Labours' VAT on fees brainwave, but they do still exist.

My DD had a 10% academic scholarship for 6th form based on her 9 top grade GCSE's. My DS had an all rounder scholarship of 15%, was academic, played sport at county level and chess at national level.

No.

@LizFarrell

I know someone with a 100% drama scholarship to a top indie. Very much involved with Stagecoach at that age with a massive passion for it.

Bursaries are a decent option too but read the other threads on these. Its very rare to get 100% bursaries at all but the larger schools are still doing partial ones. Key things are not having tons of equity or savings. My understanding is if they really want you, they will try and make it work so your child needs to be pretty exceptional like playing a sport to county standard etc.

As I understand it local private schools don't have huge funds. The 'big' schools such as Eton and Harrow have more funds and therefore can offer more

https://www.goodschoolsguide.co.uk/uk-schools/advice/private-school-scholarships-and-bursaries-explained

If you are considering boarding for your children then a cheaper option is a state boarding school. The schools get funding from the government so there are no tuition fees but you do have to pay the costs of boarding.

My son got a 100% fees paid academic scholarship.

We are in Australia so this may not be applicable to you. He had to sit a nationwide exam called ACER which almost all private and selective state schools use for academic scholarships in Australia.

My son is bright, but not brilliant. He finished in the top quarter of the ACER students which would not have got him a place in any of the top capital city schools. However, it did get him a place at a decent private school in our small regional city.

So unless your child is Sheldon Cooper brilliant, my advice would be to focus on mid-level but solid private schools outside major metropolitan areas.

The situation has changed significantly in the UK over the last 10 years. I knew kids who entered secondary 8-10 years ago who were bright but not that exceptional and got 50% scholarships. Those have dried up. it's driven by tighter finances and changing social attitudes.

With few exceptions, even the top schools which previously awarded 50% or more are now typically offering at most 20-25% for exceptional candidates (mostly in music) but more typically 5-10% or a nominal amount like £60 as a pat on the back. The kids getting 20-25% are generally grade 7+ musicians also attending junior conservatoires and with a fair bit of innate talent (or at least that's the case in the south-east / London). Although a few posters above made reference to large scholarships, it seems to me their experience is from 7+ years ago - it was accurate for the time they describe, but does not accurately reflect current circumstances.
Don't put your hopes in scholarships. Realistically for more than a nominal amount you need a (means-tested) bursary. Those are a different ballgame and there is still substantial support available there at some schools.

The experience of DC getting 50% scholarships I mentioned is from 1-2 years ago, post VAT.
That's at several London top schools.

Public schools can offer more for the right candidate as they have hefty endowments.

OP to stand a chance for a scholarship, you basically need to do the following:

identify your DC talents early.

invest in developing these talents (tutors, lessons, clubs, coaches).

get your DC used to doing hard work literally every day (music practice, sports training, extra homework) and work hard yourself (take them to lessons, fixtures, lectures).

decide whether you would consider boarding.

make a long list of schools that may be of interest. Research them thoroughly, go to open days, speak with admissions, bursars and head of departments.

make a short list.

apply.

Your spendings on talent development will likely dwarf the scholarship so it doesn't make much sense financially, but DC will end up with a well nurtured talent in any case which is not a bad thing in life.

My DS had two scholarships totalling 20%. DH works at the school too which gave us a very significant discount.

There isn't a magic formula. I suspect you mean bursary, some schools still do 100% but as pp said fewer than before VAT.

You haven't mentioned where you live, if you consider boarding or what kind of school you think would suit your kids (poss they are too young to even know).
If you are near a grammar area your best bet is actually doing well at 11+ and then applying for an academic scholarship with a bursary, if you can prove you have a lower income and no savings or capital via their bursary forms. They will do a very thorough check on finances so be prepared for that as it will be invasive. Sadly you won't really know if your child is likely to get anything until they develop skills as they age. You might be better off focusing on those for now and re-think when they are around 8/9.

I wouldn't be pushing violin or anything "niche" over actually enjoying family and creating a nurturing bond, which is far more likely to carry them academically and with decent mental health.

And be aware should your child get a scholarship they will have to keep whatever it is to a high level. A friends DD got a cricket scholarship but was expected to play at a high competitive level. There are tons of kids at private school who have grades 7/8 at instruments etc so your child would have to be very good.
A bursary is VERY invasive. They will look at savings, house value, how you spend your money, other family support (grandparents), pensions etc. The child will most likely have to pass an entrance exam. And it lasts a year - they will have to qualify each year they attend. Bursaries are limited. How likely is a school to give a large amount to one family? Who can say.

My DS is Y8 at a non-selective private school (so recent entry).

He got an academic scholarship which is 15% off fees from the entrance exam. He is top 2% in maths (e.g. gold in junior maths challenge) and being taught one year up for maths. We didn't do anything to make him this way. He just is really good at maths.

Academic scholarship would obviously be much more competitive in a selective school, and would probably need a more rounded set of academics. Scholarships are much much thinner than they used to be even 5 or 6 years ago.

DS will likely additionally get a music scholarship into Y9 (he tried for- but didn't get - one inY7). There's no fee remission but he'll get 2 sets of instrument lessons paid for which is around £1500/yr. I suppose we did more to enable this - he's at G4 in 2 instruments (piano since Y3, fiddle since Y6). He's expected to do at least 4 music extra curricular a week (choir, 2 X instruments, orchestra). He also is going G6 music theory and is expected to show up for choral performances 4 times a term. (So they definitely get their money worth!!)