Scholarships for SEN

[Franny1]

Do parents of kids with SEN needs find that selective schools tend to be open to giving academic scholarships to kids with SEN needs who are nonetheless very bright?

Scholarships don’t tend to have a financial award attached these days, it’s more about the honour. So there would be no reason not to. Bursaries are dependent on household income. Depending on a child’s needs, some SEN support (eg a TA) is a chargeable extra. All this will vary from school to school so you’re best off asking.

It is financial at the ones we’re targeting. I may well ask but I’m pretty sure most schools are unlikely to say anything other than “of course we offer scholarships to SEN kids!” outright, even if they don’t so just wanted to check in with people here …

If it's financial then you need to apply for a bursary not a scholarship

Depends whether they meet the criteria in spite of SEND, academically, musically, performing arts, art, sport etc. Agree they tend to be more about opportunities than fee remission but each school will vary.

This is entirely school dependent. Some schools don't tie any financial award to their scholarships and exclusively offer means-tested bursary support. Other schools offer scholarships that may have a financial award attached and those can often be used in combination with means-tested bursaries.

OP, I know some students with SEN who are on scholarships (of both types), but students with SEN are so wide-ranging that I'm not sure how helpful that is. Schools vary in how they select for scholarships but they're usually attempting to award them to students who seem most likely to actually excel in that specific area once at the school. For academic scholarships that's not quite the same as being bright, so how a specific student is able to actually perform on the scholarship or entrance exams, in an interview, and at their previous school with provided support/accommodations will be what is looked at.

In my experience private schools (especially selective) weren't interested in my SEN child even though we were willing to pay full fees, but I'm sure they're not all like that. I got the feeling they don't want anyone who may be disruptive and/or bring their results down.

Usually depends on whether they are selective or not . DDs school isn't selective and has 30% SEND

My school has academic scholars who also are SEND. One of the brightest in the school has a neurodiverse profile and on course for Oxbridge. I don’t see why your child should sit for scholarships unless it will cause them anxiety.

Private selective schools near me offer academic or sporting scholarships but they aren’t a huge amount. Plenty of the same schools will also decline a child with SEN so you need to research them carefully before admitting to the diagnosis.

Depends on the SEN. Mild should be no problem. Anything significant or disruptive and they will be discouraged from attending the school let alone be given a scholarship.

I appreciate this isn't very helpful, but I think it depends on both the school and the child. At my son's small independent school, there are definitely plenty of pupils with SEN who have academic and music scholarships. But that's a big part of the school's ethos, which I know isn't the case everywhere.

Bursaries are usually competitive ( ie more candidates that bursaries available so it’s not just a case of “meet criteria- get bursary) so it depends as much on who the other candidates are as your son’s profile. Also depends on how his SEN present- if they result in behaviours that disrupt lessons or require a lot of additional resource to manage then, honestly, probably unlikely to be successful. How likely the underlying “brightness” is to translate to results in public exams that are above average for the school is another factor.

It depends of the school, DS with SEN was recently offered academic scholarships at two London selective schools (15-20% off fees).

You can get the LA to pay full fees for a place at an independent mainstream, via an EHCP, if you can prove that it’s the only school that can meet your child’s needs or cheaper than the LA’s option; however, this is a lengthy process (18 months - 2 years if no EHCP.)

You would also need to have the school on board and make you an offer.

Scholarships tend to be for a particular subject eg., sport,art, music. They are often only 10% of the fees. The schools may also offer special opportunities to holders of scholarships eg., taking music scholars to concerts or art scholarship to Paris to see an art exhibition.

I have one bright SEN child and one bright, sporty non-SEN child. Both were offered academic scholarships at more than one local private; some with and some without financial value. There were schools that were thought to be less academic where neither of them got scholarships.

The sporty one also got sports scholarships at sporty schools but not at less sporty schools.

Other SEN families I know also got offered scholarships of various kinds, including all rounder awards.

So I think it very much depends on the school! But certainly around here, schools seem to award the academic scholarships on results in the entrance exams and SEN need does not rule them out.