Low income and zero bursary award

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Got offers for senior schools but have received zero bursary awards despite being on very low income, living in housing association home and not being able to accept a place without a bursary. I know VAT has a big impact but to be awarded zero help just seems very strange as I would have thought there would be some consideration at least...

Any advice as my child is really distraught at working so hard and passing the assessments but the zero bursary awards look like we will need to reject these places...

The reason given for zero bursary award has been that apparently demand has been high this year. But I would have thought there would be something offered rather than a nil award...

The schools won’t have an unlimited pot of money available for bursaries though. Your reasoning would mean that every child who did well in their assessments should get a bursary. Where would all this money come from? They could have hundreds of applicants who pass the assessment and how could they possibly give everyone a bursary?

Many private schools do not have much bursary funding.

School funds aren't infinite and yes, VAT is having a huge impact. They will be prioritising awards, it will ultimately be a numbers game based on those they feel will bring most return on the bursary. It may be that the school is prioritising existing pupils over new ones.

Sorry, I realise that doesn't help you and yes it is a bitter pill. Unfortunately this was always going to be a result of the VAT policy though and why many of us are opposed it it, because it impacts lower income families more.

So what?

They don't have to give bursaries to everyone.

Where do the schools magic up the money for these, when costs are higher and intake is lower??

It would be impossible for a private school to provide a bursary for everyone who applied on a low income.

Blame Labour.

My old school is doing a smaller number of larger nurseries these days. Only the very top applicants will get them.

They will prioritise the eligible candidates and allocate until the fund is exhausted. It does not mean your circumstances did not qualify. It may be that if one turns the place down those funds are reallocated to next in line. Unfortunately if the place was so dependant on a bursary it was rather unfair to raise your dd expectations.

It's difficult as even somewhat of a small bursary award would have shown some consideration had been given but a nil award just seems odd. I know the bursary is limited and priority is given to current students.

To be honest even a small bursary award would also mean not being able to take the places up but it would have given me some hope that we had been considered somewhat at the least.

We received very good feedback and was told that DC would bring a significant amount both academically and extra curricula. From my understanding admissions and the bursary assessments are completely separate, so the bursary application would have been considered on its own...anyone else in a similar situation?

Just passing the assessments has never been enough to be awarded a bursary/scholarship. They are admittance assessments. This isn't new. Unless your child excelled and has at least one exceptional talent you were never getting an award.

But presumably even a small award would not be enough to take up the place.

Attend state school instead?

Sadly it has to be this way. If there are 5 children of equal academic potential who could only attend with a 100% bursary award it's not helpful or kind to offer them each a 20% bursary to share the available money out - none of them could accept. Likewise if there are 4 children who could only attend with a 60% bursary it's no good offering them each a 15% discount, there isn't anywhere for the other 45% to be magicked from.

The school will categorise each child according to how much support they need and will decide how many bursaries to award at each level. So one of the poorest children gets the full award they need and the rest of the applicants in that financial needs bracket gets nothing.

That does make sense...thank you for the insight

Its a shame but there is no guarantee of a bursary, its not necessarily a reflection of you or your child.
Best to just move on and find a non fee payning school for your child

This is one of the consequences of Labours policies. Stopping social mobility. I’m sorry it’s directly affected you.

@Wemaybebetterstrangers yes this it’s an absolute disgusting policy I’m sorry it’s affected the OP too

My DD got 2 offers from 2 schools in the same group... 1 almost full bursary, 1 no bursary at all - just depends how she did in the exams and who she was up against who also qualified for help

Plenty of children who needed bursaries didn't get into private schools during the Tories regime either. Bursaries are usually based on academic excellence. Private schools don't take average students who require bursaries.

So every child in the country should get a bursary and into any private school their low income parents want to send them?

No different to 40+ years ago. I sat two exams, one for a gdst school and another more expensive girls school for which I needed a bursary. I preferred the latter (it had a pool and they wore straw boaters!) but ended up at first one.

Yes it is Labour's fault OP. They got rid of state-funded scholarships in 1997 that used to be there to improve social mobility. The bursary system since then has always been more fragile than what came before.

That's completely different: You got funding to take up a place at a private school and OP's child didn't. 🙄

I would imagine now private aren't playing the system by pretending they are charities they will cut back on bursaries etc. They will be contributing to the public purse through collecting the VAT so there will be a benefit, just not perhaps to that small group of children