Financial assistance at Cambridge private schools

[cherrysuv]

Hello! My daughter is 9 (Year 4) and does really well at her state primary, a school we've been very happy with. But we're not too sure about the secondary in our catchment (most likely Netherhall) and think she would benefit from going to a private secondary. We have another daughter who will start reception in September (also at the same state primary).

We are fortunate enough to do well financially but looking at the costs I think it would be a serious stretch for us to afford full fees at the Perse, Leys, St Mary's etc. The Heritage looks good too and is a little cheaper (probably attainable for us - just!) but it feels like a big risk to aim for just a single school that we can afford.

My question is whether anyone can share their experience with financial assistance/bursaries at private schools in Cambridge. I know this is all on a case-by-case basis but if I said to you that we had a household income of c.£120k (inc bonuses etc) and savings of around £60k do you think we would be eligible for any assistance? It feels absolutely ridiculous that this kind of financial privilege might mean we need support but when I do the maths it's hard to see how we might save £200k+ to cover both girls being privately educated and be left with anything to help support university, house deposits and our own 'rainy days'.

Any thoughts much appreciated - I feel like it's a decision we need to make soon because we will need to start prepping our daughter for entrance exams soon. I don't want to put her through that if we can't afford it!

If you would struggle to afford it at the full amount I would not recommend sending your dd private. Fees rise every year as well plus there are are added costs like schools trips. We moved our ds from a well regarded secondary private in Cambridge to state because we wasn’t impressed with it and he is so much happier and thriving at the state school. So in our personal experience private does not always equal better. As previous posters have stated, many of the private school students go to Hills Road for sixth form so a lot of them end up mixed together again eventually!

Also, you generally find the costs of extras like trips are more expensive at private schools than state (again in our personal experience!). It’s good to weigh up the value of what you are getting for the fee money compared to the state schools you have on offer. You could use the extra cash for tutoring if your dd needed a boost in a certain subject or for saving for university without being so restricted.

You earn approx. £75,000 after tax, and fees would be in the region of £23,000.

Leaving you £52,000 net (or £4,300 a month). Leave the help for those that need it!

A friend who works in accounting and auditing mostly schools and similar bodies tells me the accounts they see suggest very few pupils indeed pay headline rates. The majority of pupils in the schools they audit (bar a few top end ones) get some form of discount/scholarship or bursary.

Contact the schools you are interested in and ask what kinds of fee reductions, scholarships, bursaries etc are available and what the eligibility are. Also give an idea what you can afford to pay, depending on demand for places a musical scholarship, sibling discount for the second, sports scholarship etc may appear as an option. It’s effectively how they haggle over price.

I know Netherhall gets a less good press these days but it’s proved pretty good for most of our neighbours and was chosen over Coleridge by several parents,

I have to say that - as an independent school parent - it’s definitely not true that you get what you pay for. I personally wouldn’t choose a small specialised school like Heritage over Netherhall.

The issue is that people who can't afford it don't know that bursaries exist, so I mention bursaries to parents if I come across gifted children from households of limited means. Also worth asking if you are a single parent or unable to work because of a medical condition.

The issue is that people who can't afford it don't know that bursaries exist, so I mention bursaries to parents ...

TicTac you've described my entire, many years long career of MN posting.

Could I please add few things to this old thread, if that is alright?
According to your experience, what is the cut off income for fee assistance for Perse? The perse school website says they give 1 in 4 full bursaries. In general, the Cambridge population have equally high income and high expenses when compared to other areas.