How do bursaries for private school work?

[mamamira]

If you can't afford full fees

Is it de rigeur to phone up the school and ask?

I'd have thought so - not all give bursaries.

Good luck.

most financial assistance kicks in at 11

and on what sort of grounds do they assist? sporty or academic kids?

I think most tend to be academic at prep stage but unlikely to get one under the age of 8.

the school i like (prep) says "burasries available" - does that mean it wouldn't be hideously embarrssing to phone and ask?

oh no - just phone and ask i bet the majority of prospective parents do.

I think it would be better to make an appt with the Head rather than phoning, once you received an offer of a place.

I think nowadays most schools are open to 100% scholarships for the right candidate.

Although having said that I noticed a prep near me the other day offering bursaries so it does happen.

scienceteacher - haen't even applied, just something have been thinking about lately

but suppose scolarships would be awarded to outstanding pupils, and while dc are bright they are not outstanding

Our school offers scholarships with a maximum discount of 40% for very able children who come top in the entrance exams. Similar ones are available for P.E. art and music and for those you need a portfolio of achievement and written recommendations. I think it's a minimum grade three in two instruments for the music one.

Bursaries are available in cases of financial hardship and are reviewed regularly. You have to accept that your accounts may be scrutinised to get a bursary.

The best school in our area by GCSE results only offers a 15% discount maximum so keep in mind that even if your child can get a bursary/scholarship, it may not be hugely significant.

Scholarships tend to be a set %, and given to candidates who are good academically or at music or sport.

Bursaries tend to be means-tested, so the amoung you'll be eligible for depends on a sliding scale of your income.

You might get one or other, or both, depending on the school, what they are hoping to encourage in the way of abilities and talents, how much they want to help less well-off families etc.

If the prospectus says they have them available, it's worth phoning to ask what bursaries might be available - they certainly won't think badly of you for asking. But sometimes they wouldn't be able to tell you anything very much till after your DC had been through the application process and been offered a place.

They would usually have some info on the school website - if not, talk to the School Bursar who can give or send you some info.

and if they offered a bursarie (big if!) would it apply to the child or all your children?

It would only apply to the child who applied for it. If all your children are bright then they may all get bursaries. All the ones I've heard of are means tested and vary on what income/expenditure they take into account. For example some will expect you to release house equity whilst others just look at income.

Hi - FYI, the GDST group of independent schools already have very competitively-priced fees. They also have various generous bursaries for able state-school children.

My daughter gained a full fees HSBC scholarship from Year 7 which also included £1000 for uniform & books over the 5 years she was at the school. She had to take an 11 plus type exam and we also had to complete a form each year to show our family income.

I know that GDST also do their own scholarships which will be topped up with bursaries, if necessary, for able children, including Art, Music etc.

The key here is "able". Obviously, it helps to boost the independent schools' league tables to have some very bright pupils taking GCSEs and A-levels & they are prepared to give a certain amount of money each year to those who wouldn't otherwise be able to afford a private education.

Other schools give a % of the fees - you just have to check.

You normally have to pay the entrance fee anyway but you would request the scholarship/bursary at the time of application. Then, if your child is accepted, they will be told if they qualify for a scholarship/bursary.

Hope this helps

Not remotely embarassing. DCs school has lots to give away and is constantly trying to promote them. Someone ringing for info would be great.

You have to ask - not all schools apply the same criteria.

You might find that in some schools bursaries are only available for CURRENT pupils who fall on hard times. If everyone with income under a certain level applied there would not be enough places and so it would become competitive which goes against the grain if it is a non-selective (and financially unsustainable if the school is not well endowed). However as everyone else has said there is no harm in asking. Bursaries are generally reviewed every year and you will have to be totally open about all your finances.

I thought you were entitled to ask for a bursary once your child had passed scholarship papers and then it is means tested in some way. In addition bursaries are sometimes available for current pupils whose parents have unforeseen financial problems,eg redundancy, and then it is only if the school wants to keep the pupil at the school.

The big question is how do they judge who is an able child?
Lowslungandoverhung - grade3 in two musical instruments by 11 years .Many children might have grade3 by 11years is it that easy to get a music scholarship.

Lazywoman - We have had our DD asssesed by a GDST school. What is a HSBC scholarship?

What is the criteria to get a bursary. We have some issues with the local primary and in the process of hopefully moving our DD to a GDST school.

Every school is different. They may not be prioritising their burseries by academic prowess. They may have more social priorities.

There is no point in speculating. TBH, none of us really know how the secret world of burseries work (even those of us in the sytem and in receipt of burseries). The only way to find out is straight from the horse's mouth - the head or the bursar.

scienceteacher if you are in the system, what level of achievement is a pupil expected to get an academic scholarship or music scholarship. Do they have to be super bright and do something exeptional (how is this expected from an under resourced state school pupil)

I would suggest for a scholarship that you would need to hit the old Nagty levels.

Basically you are looking at the top 2 or 3 in any non-selective year group for an academic scholarship. A lot depends on the competition.

Art scholarships are judged on a varied portfolio, and music scholarships on instruments (often grade 3 or 4). Again it's all dependent on competition, as most schools will only offer one or two scholarships in each category.

"I think nowadays most schools are open to 100% scholarships for the right candidate."

can I ask something kind of related? do you wise people think that applicants are likely to be down in most prvate schools due to economic crisis? our plans have changed somewhat lately and we want dd and ds to go to prep school, but bet we have left it waaaaay too late (dd is y3 in sept 09 and ds is reception)

cheers!