How do private school bursaries work?

[kisaki333]

Combined household income in close to 100k but it's not evenly split. (More like 20-80). So take home pay is smaller than 2 parents on 50k each.

I am thinking about sending the little one to a local pre-prep but realistically we cant afford the full fees after the first years (and even those are a stretch). I mean we could, but we would have 0 left over for savings, pension, emergencies and anything really, but the mortgage and day-to-day expenses.

School fees are 20k pa from y3 and about 14k pa until then.

From your experience, could i be awared a bursary? If the fees were half, for example, that would be more manageable. Obviously i will ask the school too but want to get a realistic idea.

Do they allow for things like savings and holidays when they review your situation? Or do they expect you to stop saving and just pour all the money in their pockets?

But how do they select who gets a bursary and who doesn’t? Surely there are more people who want (and need) a bursary than there is money to go around? Unless the school is very well endowed?

We were interested in scholarships rather than bursaries. (We have a “mumsnet child” 😂.) And had it explained to us rather firmly that bursaries were effectively the new scholarships. Although if dd had won a “scholarship” then she would be able to wear a special badge with an “S” on it. No money off but a badge. With my memories of being a very clever teenager (admittedly in a comprehensive) I wasn’t quite convinced that the badge would be a good thing!

What’s a mumsnet child?
all schools have their bursary criteria on their website.

@SchoolDilemma17 a mumsnet child is an exceptionally smart child i think

A mumsnet child is a child like all the children on mumsnet and so amazing at absolutely everything!

Actually I think mumsnet children might also be tall. Mine is only average height. I may have failed there. 😉

Varies by school, so ask. Here's an example, from the website of a private school:

The amount of any Bursary or grant is not influenced by the level of the academic ability of the child but by the extent of need. Each case is assessed on its own merits and awards are made accordingly, subject to the School’s ability to fund these within its overall budget. Information about parents’ financial circumstances will be collected via a detailed means questionnaire, and full documentary evidence must be provided. The questionnaire is designed to provide a full picture of the income and assets of applicants. It is possible that an interview may also be necessary, and this may take place at the parents’ home. Families who may be classified as having 'low income' but who have substantial assets may be ineligible to receive a bursary. It is recognised that judgements about what sacrifices a family should make to pay school fees will be personal. However, the School has a duty to ensure that all Bursaries and grants achieve the optimum benefit so, as well as current earnings, other factors which will be considered in determining the level of award may include:  The ability to improve the financial position or earning power of the family. For example, where there are two partners, both would be expected to be employed or seeking employment unless one is prevented from doing so through incapacity, the need to care for children under school age or other dependents, or the requirements of their partner’s work.  Opportunities to release any capital. Significant capital savings and investments would be expected to be used for the payment of school fees, as would equity values in houses.  In cases of separation, the contribution made by the absent parent.  Contribution to household costs by other, wider, family members, any adults unrelated to the child or by outside sources.  Where fees are being paid to other schools (or universities) the School’s award will take into account all these outgoings.  Acknowledging that others might have a different view, the School considers that the following would not be consistent with the receipt of a bursary: ‒ Frequent or expensive holidays; ‒ New or luxury cars; ‒ Investment in significant home improvements; ‒ A second property/land holdings.

As Tiia says, bursaries will be for those who cannot afford fees after they have made all the expected sacrifices that many full fee parents are already making. Many parents choosing private are making minimum payments on mortgage, not saving into pensions and have only a small amount of savings. They haven’t done expensive building work on their houses and don’t have multiple expensive holidays.

Lots of people have to choose EITHER lifestyle or private education and can’t have both. Some will choose private ed and some will go for lifestyle. Bursaries are not there to enable some to have both whilst others find the bursaries by making sacrifices.

It seems quite often that people imagine a bursary will be given to people who could make further sacrifices to pay fees….but would prefer not to.

Again agree that Preps don’t offer much beyond temporary hardship bursaries for those already in school. Some are contraries will have family is come limits beyond £100k in the south east and London, but the standard list of things ‘not compatible with receiving bursary provision’ of significant savings, significant equity, frequent expensive hols or cars and already working as much as you can, will be expected.

It’s a luxury product with a luxury price tag. Hose paying full fees really don’t expect their fees (which often mean sacrifices for them) should be given to people so they can continue to fund a lifestyle, the fee payers have had to sacrifice. Makes sense when you think about it from that angle.

Go state and start putting what you’d have paid for fees (or the max you can afford) right now. Build a pot so secondary might be affordable so you have an option to choose later. By then it will be even more expensive, but if you’ve already saved half the fees for secondary it could feel achievable then.

First, it's not necessarily the case that applications exceed the bursary funds available, particularly outside areas of high population density. There are lots of barriers to bursary applications (awareness, confidence, concerns about fitting in, passing what might be very competitive entrance tests, meeting quite detailed financial criteria), which limit the number of successful applicants. Second, schools who do have more eligible applicants than funds (which will be particularly true of the London schools) may well prioritise according to financial need rather than particular talent (ie poorest students first until the money runs out).

Scholarships are a very different thing,, and are increasingly used as a mere marketing tool to lure the brightest candidates with a token amount of cash, though there are still some bursary/scholarship hybrids around.

To mention my school again - every year there are far more bursary applications than there are bursaries, so in practice this means that the bursary applicants who score highest in the entrance exam are the ones who get awarded the bursary funding (if their parents meet the strict financial criteria). Every year we have many MANY families whose children technically passed the entrance exam but who can’t come to the school because we have run out of bursary funding for the year.

Also, for the next few years schools will prioritise existing students whose parents were just about managing and can't with the VAT. There will be fewer bursaries for new applicants.

It depends on the school. My sister's girl wouldn't have qualified for a bursary at the selective secondary she's starting at in September ,but got a 30% academic scholarship (thus negating the vat rise, sis was happy), so it's all dependent on how they work. Her eldest is full fees at a different selective independent, and she's had to absorb the vat rise on that one. So some scholarships can be useful, but every school is different.

Their dad disapproves of private education so contributes very little so she makes it work. The fact that the scholarship happened to be at the kid's favourite school was lucky.

At our school you have to pass the very challenging entrance exam. Then any bursary funding will be offered to the most in need. The school is very well regarded but is in an inner city area. There are lots of really clever kids from the immediate area which is deprived. They get bursary funding first.

at £100k and with savings and pensions and a house with equity you’d stand no chance.

scholarships don’t get cash but they get teaching in the specialism (eg free music lessons or extra sports coaching)

Plus bursaries don’t start until year 7

And that's where it differs school to school. Sis earns 100k or so, so wasn't eligible for a bursary and rightly so, but they offered a 30% academic scholarship. In some schools it's free lessons, kudos etc, in others it's cash. Every school is different.

Yes. Around London and Home Counties, the cut-off can be well in excess of £100k for bursary consideration. But of course people at the upper limits would never receive much support at all. It’s all in a sliding scale.

Anecdotally scholarships and bursaries may have been a bit more generous this year (for 25 start) to help parents cope with the impact of VAT and get them over the line to accept a private place. But certainly the trend in more competitive schools over time has been for scholarships to be worth less, often fixed small amounts rather than percentages, and promoted as being all about the extra opportunities rather than money.

It’s surprising the psychological impact a scholarship can have even if v small and every year parents are swayed away from ‘better’ schools towards the one which offered a scholarship. Seems that sense of ‘they really want you’ and feeling of prestige or access to certain opportunities (often exaggerated ir actually available to all anyway) plays to parents’ pride and desire for their child to be getting something the majority aren’t. But as a marketing tool it often works well.

Actually the less competitive schools sometimes offer more flexibly sized scholarships. They need nuns on seats and it’s better to get 70% of fees by giving a generous 30% scholarship than have an empty seat. For other schools it might be more the case that they know they can fill the seat with a full-paying candidate, even if they aren’t quite as strong as the one who would come with a sizeable scholarship. But finances have to balance, as well as schools being as selective as they can be. Some in reality aren’t b academically selective at all. But there’s a place for these different types of schools….but of course the market isn’t equally sized for all types and that’s why some will struggle in the near future and will dwindle and finally due or be merged.

I can only comment on our circumstances. Our child is at a highly regarded independent school with 80% fee remission. 15 for a music scholarship, 15 academic and a 50% bursary. My husband and I are in good jobs but not high flyers. We applied for a bursary in hope but never thought it would be this much. We were totally honest with what we could contribute and the investigation into our finances did not feel overly intrusive. We do not have holidays abroad and live in a 3 bed semi with a mortgage. We drive a kia and a ford so nothing fancy. All I can suggest is to be honest. Bursaries are given to children the school feel will benefit from the sort of education they offer and may thrive in that environment. Yes they are awarded in order of need and academic ability combined. I would also suggest applying for all the scholarships. Our child was automatically considered on the entrance test and the music we applied for. They are thriving, happy and we are paying what we can afford.
I currently work 4 days a week and will happily contribute more fees if my hours increase.

And thin, so finding trousers long enough in the legs for theor tiny waists is impossible.

No need really.

Looking at this from a different perspective, how would you feel if your child had been in a private school in the primary years because you had scraped by, but then you were ineligible for any support at secondary school?

It does sound as though you can't afford to fund the whole of your child's education, so you need to prioritise to give yourself certainty over what you can afford in the future.

Why do you believe that pre prep is so essential for your child that it should be funded by a reduction in fees? My understanding is that very few schools provide much funding in the early years as it is a luxury.

I think there may be a misunderstanding. Our child has gone into Yr 7 after a horrible year at a state middle last year. It was them who researched for other options and said it was worth a go. I can't answer your question as not been in that situation. We are also lucky to have a brilliant and small village school.

Can I ask what salaries you are on and what grade/instruments your child plays? TIA

Our child is crazy about theatre. Grade 3 singing, grade 4 lamda acting. Very able in English, loves debating and public speaking
After deductions we take home around 52k. We have some fees to pay and tried to get ahead of ourselves between finding out last October to Sept this year by saving what we could.