Appealing bursary decision - worth a go?

[PonderLonelyAsACloud]

I will start by saying that we haven't been notified of the outcome of our bursary application but will likely hear in the next couple of weeks. I am nervous that we may not be offered enough of a discount to make it manageable to send DC to the school (secondary, currently at state primary, starting Y7 in Sept).

We have tried to manage DC's expectations throughout the admissions process. They sat the entrance assessment today and I think they would absolutely thrive at this school. If they don't get offered a place or we're not offered enough of a bursary, there's a decent state school that we would be happy with. But the private school is really incredible and I'd so love the opportunity for DC.

So, in the event that DC is offered a place but the bursary offer (if any) isn't enough to make it affordable, I'm keen to hear whether there's any experience or examples of people appealing and being offered a greater discount.

Just to add, I am well aware that VAT will make bursary pots even more stretched and that offers will have been carefully calculated, and competition will likely be very high, so we are assuming that this isn't going to work out for us, but really just trying to think through scenarios and hearing others' experience would be really helpful. Thank you

A slight thread derail but does anyone know if a school would expect parents to remortgage to afford the fees?

Fair point.

We needed around 80% bursary for our child to attend (it's an expensive school) and were offered 60%. We went to see the bursar to understand additional costs too and we didn't ask but they upped it another 5% which all helps.

@PonderLonelyAsACloud we are really fortunate that grandparents pay for DC to go to private school. But please remember all the additional costs - I was amazed at how much the uniform was (over £600 in Y7) then lunches (have to have hot dinner which is just under £1000 a year). I'm not sure if those things are covered by a bursary? Then there's the school trips (I know they aren't compulsory but again not far off £1000 for a few days away).

My DC love their school and are doing well however they are surrounded by children who come from much wealthier families who can have whatever they want whenever they want.

I wouldn’t worry about being poorest. Honestly, not affording the ski trip isn’t an issue. Yes, you want to be able to be able to go to someone’s birthday party and take a small gift, or go out for coffeee in town after school occasionally, but the big extra curriculars really are optional. People seeking bursaries are normally in it for the educational experience …the academics. And a bursary will provide that.

Most bursary application forms specify things which aren’t reconcilable with having a bursary. These tend to include, owning a second home, large amounts of savings, significant DIY, frequent and expensive holidays, significant equity in home.Families are expected to access more hours of work if they don’t work full time (or have valid reasons one why they cant) or free up cash for fees, if they are able to…ie release some equity.

The key point, is that bursaries are not intended to fund lifestyle choices. Parents paying full fees make sacrifices often. Those on bursaries shouldn’t be able to maintain a higher standard of living, because a bursary pays the school fees and their own money funds lifestyle choices, which many without a bursary cannot afford. Bursars won’t expect bursary recipients never to have a holiday or to necessarily live in a tiny rented flat, but bursaries are there to enable people who can’t afford to come, even after making significant sacrifices. And bearing in mind, that most people in the UK can’t afford it, finding yourself offered a bursary that’s too small, simply puts you in the same position as the vast majority….you just can’t afford it. Private education is a luxury good. Most can’t have it. Bursaries cannot allow everyone to access it.

So, many bright kids who pass entrance exams won’t be offered enough. A 50% bursary still requires parents to find a big chunk every term. Most can’t afford that. The really very generous bursaries tend to go to those who are truly top performers (not just bright and passing the exam) and who have really tough financial situations and backgrounds. And I Persoanlly think that’s right and who big bursaries are really for….not the strapped for cash middle classes, who do have a decent state option nearby.

There is absolutely no harm in asking - but I think 75% is a lot and is quite unlikely.

Looking at it from the school's point of view - if your DD is truly exceptional, e.g. top 1% of their applicants, they might want her enough to do it. Similarly if they don't have a lot of good applicants, they might prefer her over an empty space

I think 75% is unlikely. DS was offered 50% scholarships at 2 independent schools but they were for music and were offered after auditions at grade 8 standard. Both schools offered academic scholarships but these were 10% and this seems to be more typical.

On the other side of the comment re being the poorest in the class, , certain private schools will have a large percentage of very wealthy families attending but many will have kids from a wide mix of backgrounds with parents who have to cut their cloth to pay the fees ( at the expense of family holidays/ cars/ general social expenses etc )
children can benefit from learning to
hold their own with a wide mix of contemporaries from an early age

Worth asking but unlikely to succeed I imagine. there are countless children after bursaries and they’re becoming a rare thing and even when in place only discount fees by up to a third or so (round here anyway)

What @WombatChocolate said,
unfortunately

The really very generous bursaries tend to go to those who are truly top performers (not just bright and passing the exam) and who have really tough financial situations and backgrounds. And I Persoanlly think that’s right and who big bursaries are really for….not the strapped for cash middle classes, who do have a decent state option nearby.

Thanks for sharing your experience. Did you end up accepting the place with 65% bursary, if you don't mind me asking? Or was it still out of reach?

We've done a lot of thinking about where we can save and sacrifice to answer the question on the bursary application of how much we think we could pay towards fees. There's not a lot of extra to be found.

The school we've applied to does offer 100% bursaries - I have no idea how common it is to award at that level, and agree that those should absolutely go to families who are worse off than we are.

DC has been described as exceptional by multiple teachers. I guess we'll see how that translates to exam papers and when up against others whose families have put them forward for this academically selective school. We're hugely proud of DC, whatever the outcome.

I accept that with two patents working full time and a mortgage, we're not top of the pile for being deserving on financial grounds. So many families would of course love to send their DC to this school and can't afford it - who knows how many of them decided to apply. DC was the only applicant from their school.

It sounds like you can't afford private to be honest. What happens if they don't get the bursary in coming years, they'll need to move school which could be very disruptive. Also it's not just about fees, all the trappings are very expensive. Embrace state and use what you would have spent on 25% fees to give DC lovely experiences outside of school.

Bursaries are not given on a year by year basis. Schools appreciate that they are a 5 or 7 year commitment and will continue to be required unless financial circumstances change for the parents or the child’s behaviour or academics are so bad that they cease to qualify.

That not always true - my friend’s son was at a private school and they only offered bursaries on a year by year basis. I imagine it will depend on the school.

It varies enormously what funds are available. I work at a very expensive school that has a huge bursary scheme. Lots are on 50%-100% bursaries and they took 10 Ukrainian refugees on 100% a couple of years ago. Some of them had no English and they've supported them really well with all sorts of 1-1 resources

Wow, that’s really awful.

@PonderLonelyAsACloud we are still deciding what to do and work it out. We may (with a grandparents loan) be able to do it but we have a younger child too to consider!

Yes, you don’t have to worry that your DC will have their bursary removed due to poor academic performance. Honestly, that won’t happen. Even a child with bad behaviour is not likely to lose their bursary for this reason. The school will commit to support through 5 or 7 years.
Yes, there will be yearly re-assessment, but unless you’re at a school which is on the verge of closing down for financial reasons, the posts won’t be moved for eligibility. You will need to declare yearly income etc and if it has risen or you have an inheritance etc, you can expect the same amount each year. Bear in mind that fees do go up each year though and unless you have 100% bursary you will have to pay a % of the increase.

In the end, how much you can stretch yourself or the level of sacrifice you are willing to make has to be weighed…and against the other things that are important in your life and also against the alternative schools available. Many won’t be able to find the funds to stretch themselves enough, even with a generous bursary, so will have to say ‘no’. Others will decide that it’s not worth the sacrifice if they won’t be able to make any pension contributions, or have to live on beans on toast, especially if the state alternative is actually pretty decent. Some people will commit themselves to 5 or 7 years of really worrying that their car might need £200 spent on it, because things are so tight, they won’t have that money.

It’s hard when you’ve been and seen the school and your DC has worked hard for an exam and is emotionally invested. But you have to hold lightly to the idea and be prepared to give it up (and prepare your DC for that possibility/likelihood right from the start of the process) as many will get a bursary offer that isn’t big enough to allow them to go.

What is hard is that lots of people seem to feel they were led to believe a 100% bursary was available or likely. On paper, their income might qualify for it…but then they only get offered 25% or whatever and feel let down and misled. Schools cannot say for certain what can be offered until all applications are in and exams sat etc, but having a very candid discussion with the bursar about likely bursary size in reality…before even visiting, might save lots of people some heartache.

I’d say, it’s not a good idea for school fees to be funded through loans with family/banks/credit cards etc. Honestly, it’s not worth getting into debt over. And this is even more the case if there is a decent state school. Remember that able children can go onto be very successful from state schools and all the top unis have a majority of state educated kids.

It’s hard to balance that wanting it so badly once you’ve emotionally invested, and what sacrifices are sensible. It’s one thing to make sacrifices and go without big holidays etc,, but another to out yourself in debt for it.

We were able to negotiate higher bursaries at a couple of schools dc sat exams for. They were at academic scholarship level though. The bursaries and scholarships combined came to 80% of the fees (but there were other costs too). One, top school, wouldn't negotiate so we couldn't send dc there and that had been our number 1 choice.

This was, however, 9 years ago and the financial landscape has now changed for private schools, particularly with the introduction of VAT.

Good luck with your decision - hope your DC flourish whichever school they end up at :-)

Probably not at all helpful but potentially coming at this from a different angle. My DP changed from being a solicitor to teaching as a career, it took a year. As an NQT then obtained a cover position at an independent school which turned into a FT role. The upshot was that our children received a 50% reduction. Teaching in an independent school isn't bad, 18 weeks leave a year.

Dd smashed the entrance requirements for the Girls selective we applied for but in the end they gave no bursary for year 7 as it was 2020 and they prioritised the girls already at the school affected by COVID related loss of earning, and rightly so if unfortunate for us.

The fact DD was able to get in gave her.a self esteem boost and she's on target for all 8/9s at GCSE. Although the reason I wanted that school iwas because it was for bright girls with a very small population and I knew DD would struggle at a bigger school. She has struggled with the school environment at her Comp and had an autism diagnosis in year 8 which was not a suprise.

If you want to barter for a bigger bursary you need to sell your child's skills - what exactly can they offer the school, are they exceptional in any way that would be a boost for the school and it's reputation? Creative prodigy, academic whizz, national level athlete? If your child isn't bringing something exceptional to the school then I expect they would rather give two DC a partial Bursary rather than one child a full one.