Any financial help available for gifted kids to attend private schools?

[Bibii]

DD is a gifted child from the age of 4 but because DD went to state primary schools he was dumbed down by the system but still managed to achieve level 5 in year 6. DD was offered a low-achieving state school which we rejected because we felt DD would crash out of education if he attended that school. DD did not get a school via the 11 plus exams because of late preparation. DD had no school to attend this September so we registered DD at a private school. DD received part scholarship for the tuition fees but I am not working at the moment so I still need some form of grant or sponsorship to pay the remaining tuition fees. Have any of you been in this situation and what support were you able to get?

Eton's King's Scholarships are worth 10%, and bursaries can exceed 100%, and are not restricted to scholars.

Why do schools offer bursaries to this who do not qualify for scholarships? Because they believe the prospective pupil will flourish at the school, and will bring qualities the school wants - not just academic/art/music/drama or whatever is specifically requested for particular scholarships, but also all rounder, "good citizen", or just likeable but otherwise unable to afford the fees.

BiBii: It is likely that a school will have assigned all its funds available for September bursaries by now. Did you actually enquire about a bursary when at the application stage?

perhaps OP has heard something about the old "assisted places" scheme, where some very bright children were given places at private schools and the local council paid.

The assisted places scheme was abolished by Labour years ago. IIRC, there's still funding for musicians though. The only option is to talk to the school. If your child is very bright and they want them, they will help.

Perhaps Sashh is referring to the charitable status of private schools so they are not paying VAT.

As a Mum of a child that other people descrided as bright, I wanted to know if he was, and if so how bright.

Once you know then you can make realistic plans for him.

At the moment you do not seem to know (you are guessing, assuming and beliving unexpert opinions).

Until you know you will be blaming school, teachers, disruptive puplis etc.

You can save yourself a lot of rummaging about in a dark wood by booking your lad a full assesment (either paid privately or if you don't mind a wait, through NHS) - when you have the stats of his ability in frount of you, which will also give comparative data for children born the same month and year, you can plot a challenging but achievable course for you child.

You don't usually have to assess a child to see how bright they are, Rosemary. My son repeated year 5 (he skipped a year in one school, then was made to repeat the year after moving schools) and still managed to get a place at a top independent school without tutoring. He's on the top centile for his year. He's never had a formal assessment, there's no need. As I said earlier, some children level off.

It sounds like you are going to need to move quickly here and do a multi-pronged approach:

first contact the school your son is registered at, explain the situation and enquire about bursaries (but be prepared to be disappointed)

then contact other independent schools and do the same

then look at all the state secondaries in the area- is there one that has places?

and whatever else you do, make it clear to your ds that he is growing up and how he copes with education is to a great extent his responsibility, it is up to him to decide to work, not to other people to make him

my dh went to an excellent private school on a bursary and was lazy despite liking the school- he failed his A-levels despite all the efforts of the teachers to kick his back-side (I have read his school reports and can see how hard they were trying)

I went to a state comp with low expectations, was bored but worked anyway and got very good marks

Level 5 is not gifted, and am I reading correctly - your son failed the 11+ ?
Yet he's so gifted, private schools should waive their fees for the privilege of educating him?

OP blames the primary school, Flogging.

LadySybil - I agree, you don't have to test a child to know how bright they are - but some Mums need a test in order to see what is / isn't in frount of them.

I was in total denile that my child was anything other than average - I just couldn't see it. OP post reads as equally in need of a once-and-for-all this is where your lad's at answer.

Eton website says "For boys without scholarships the normal maximum level of assistance is half the school fee,". So a boy would have to be something of a genius to get more than that. And when I spoke to the bursar (some months ago now) she was a patronising ar**se. We won't be going there then!

The school is the best place to get advice - you will not be the first parent in this situation that they have come across. It is unlikely, unless your child is very highly gifted, that you would ever get 100% funding. In some areas children can take the selection exam again at 12 or 13 if the school has places available (e.g. because some pupils have moved out of area). If you plan to do that then start preparation immediately - there are lots of free resources online.

IME provided he has been offered a place, financial support is discretionary. We know of children who have 100% bursaries, and several scholarships totalling 50% for non-UK nationals. Against even their peers, they are not "highly gifted", let alone of absolute stellar potential. Like most things private, the school decides who deserves what, and logic is optional. All you can do is ask, and prepare alternatives if that fails.

Just because a child is "way ahead" of his or her peers at the start of primary school, it does not mean that he or she will remain so (in any setting). Some children are not developmentally ready for academic work at the start of primary school. So it may have been a case of the other children catching up rather than the OPs child being "dumbed down". If the child is highly gifted I doubt he or she would have failed the 11+. My neighbour's child passed for a super-selective grammar school after doing 1 test paper at home and having been at the village primary with no tutoring.

I don't understand what has been said about primary teachers saying he would have been better in a private setting? That sounds more like a child with SEN, needing a special school,say for behavioural problems, but even then, surly private schools would only be recommended if there was either no state school there, orthe council regular brought EBD provision from a private provider? It sound very odd to me that a state school teacher would want a particular child removed from the state system? I have taught in both. There are some excellent private schools, but it is quite true most of them have less money to spend per pupil than state schools, so they vary hugely, far more than state schools do.

lemonpie the fees at my DS's school are about £33 000 and we pay for all text books on top of this do I'm affraid I don't agree with you that private schools have less to spend than state schools. Also maybe I'm being a bit thick here but I dont understand you first point either. I think the OP was hoping that there might a charitable organisation who would help her with the fees.

happygardening,

I assume that your child must be at a boarding school, so you are paying for looking after your child or some other specialist service.

Most private day schools are about 4 to 5K a term for secondary at most. 12 to 15K is still twice the budget of most state schools. Its still not a fair comparision as state schools provide a basic education and many schools allow you the option of buying frills like karate, gymnastics, wrap around care that private schools provide. I expect that much of the budget of a private school goes on maintaining the frills raher than basic education.

State schools don't have to factor in looking after the building into their funding. Schools which aren't academdies also have various services provided for them by the LEA. Admitally this is changing.

With one child in a top state school and one in a top boys independent school I am speaking from experience. There is definitely more money in the private school than the state school for a start there are lower teacher to pupil ratio no class is more than 20 some even at yr 9 some are only 7, the facilities are also better I'm not talking about swimming pools fives courts and dojos but classroom facilities/equipment. I accept that it doesn't apply to all independent schools small unknowns struggling to fill their vacancies may have less money but at the well known names there is more money.

Highly academic schools are less likely to give a 100% bursary to a child who isn't going to produce excellent exam results. There's a lot of bright children out there, why should they? A child would have to be exceptional. The older private school do have more money for bursaries, this is because they have invested over the years and have received donations to enable them to help. Money is still limited though; if one child scrapes the entrance exam and another shows that they are able then they will support the more able child.

A well-run independent school will have a robust bursary policy for who they help and the maximum level of assistance. For example, they may have 100% policy for one child, from a state school in the local area. If so, this will have been awarded months ago. They may have a limited means-tested fun, where parents have to disclose full financial affairs, and are expected to do what it takes to help themselves first.

A bursary to anyone who asks, anytime is not a feature of a well-run school. It is one of the indicators of a school which is in trouble and is desperate to get bums on seats. For every child that gets a bursary, other parents are covering the cost. It's not fair to expect those parents to pay. Most private school families have two parents working in order to pay the fees. Getting a job should be the OP's priority.

A small scholarship - 5 or 10% - is not a big indicator of the child's ability. It is a marketing tool for the school so that you will quickly take up their offer rather than their competitors'.

My dd was bored at primary school because she was too advanced as it were. Her teachers were constantly badgering me into getting her into private school. Wasn't sure about it as she would need 100% bursary and she is very quiet and quite shy. Did ask one school abuout bursary scheme. They have so many places available "if the child is on course for a level 5 sats at year 6". Dd gained 5A from year 4 so told the school in question this. When told what school dd was at the posh school was putting me off every way they could. They told me that bursaries were available first for children who are already at private school and even if dd got 100% in tests she wouldn't get in. Ridiculous and total snobbery. Dd got into an outstanding local school not in our catchment and is doing really well. To be honest i don't think she would have fitted in at a private school. Academically probably yes but as she doesn't really talk much then socially, no. A girl she is friends with tried to get in to one private school. Her mum actually works there (not a teacher) and isn't as able as my dd but was offered a place with 10% reduced fees but they still couldn't afford it. She is doing well with dd too.