Scholarships - where do you start?

[dizzy77]

Not even sure if this is the right place for the message but here goes.

DS1 is 2 and have made lots of nice MC friends through NCT etc since he was born. I don't have that background myself though "pass" usually (I am a bit conscious of it or I'd ask my friends direct).

We're in catchment for a good state primary and in a grammar school area so I'm hopeful that actually we don't need to consider going private, and in reality financially it would be a huge challenge based on our current position. However, the other day we were (half) joking about our pfb toddlers' various precocious talents and how they'd get them into the private schools nearby on scholarships. I realised if I did want to do this, I seriously have no idea how.

It maybe as simple as ringing up the schools in question and saying "what are your criteria for scholarships?" But I've a feeling there is unwritten knowledge beyond this and would welcome pointers from knowledgeable types on here...

For secondary ? Wait until they are at least 7 or 8 before asking . Criteria change and you'll know whether your child is likely to be sporty, musical etc. Websites usually have details but these and the discount offered do change over time.

Scholarships aren't necessarily worth much cash (but can make securing a bursary as well much easier).

If your friends have 2 year olds, they may not know what they're talking about either.

But if you want to research it, start with the school website, where they should publish what awards they make and how you apply. Expect it to be along the lines of making an ordinary application, then either all candidates are automatically assessed, or (especially for things like art/music/drama/sport) there may be additional forms and portfolio/audition/performance requirements.

Also check what age scholarships are offered. Some prep schools have none at all, some only from 7/8+. There tend to be more at senior schools.

Do you mean prep or do you mean senior school? Very few scholarships at prep age. Ds got one at 8 but that is very unusual. Lots available at senior school but not worth much financially but may give access to bursaries if your income qualifies.

Also when you talk to senior schools they will ask what your ds's interests are, ie music, sport etc. The only school that is worth registering for at your ds's age is Radley. We registered ds at 6 and he is on the waiting list (!). The rest usually have set cut off dates, eg Eton requires registration by 10yr 6 months.

The educational route I had planned when ds was 2 was very very different from the route he has actually taken so I wouldn't get fixate on mapping it all out now. At 2 ds going to the local village primary followed by grammar school. In fact he went to prep and got a scholarship to another prep and will go to a senior boarding school at 13. Completely different from my early plans!

Thanks for the input already: the more I'm asked the more clear it becomes I have no idea, eg your q's on whether this is prep, senior etc, i did not know that a scholarship is different from a bursary. Not thinking of mapping this all out in stone right now, just didn't want to unwittingly cut off options by missing something at an early stage. Agree my friends with 2 year olds probably don't know what they're talking about but have access to the folk knowledge through their wider network/upbringings (one was on a scholarship herself).

I think this is for senior school (and I have nothing/nowhere particular in mind) so no huge hurry: I guess it comes down to exposing my children to as much as possible and encouraging nascent interests/talents over the next few years.

Are there specific things one should do, eg getting to know a school through visits/fundraising which improve chances? Plucked these ideas from air again I just don't know anything!

I don't know anything about prep scholarships (though I understand they're few and far between). Bursaries (means tested help) may be more common but, again, less prevalent at primary age.

For senior schools, they usually have plenty of information on their websites. Ds's school give 25% as standard off fees for art, music, sport and academic scholars and 50% for choristers (I hear of some students whom they are very keen on getting more).

The academic scholarships are based on sitting exams and writing essays, art ones on a portfolio, music on playing 2 instruments to around grade 5 plus theory grade 4 (by age 10) plus music teacher's recommendation and sport on playing at county level in 2 disciplines.

But: there is absolutely no reason based on what you've written that your local state schools wouldn't be a very good choice for your pfb so please, please don't write them off.

Definitely not writing off state options, all fit in with ethos, results & location. I don't want to be disabled by my cluelessness at this stage if things change.

Will check out websites, knowing it's likely to require, say, 2 sports/instruments helps a lot because my natural inclination would be encouraging one of each: notwithstanding I may have very unsporty or unmusical children (DH & I are dabblers in both).

2 is too early to work out what they may be good at. At 4 ds was keen on sports and not interested in music. By 6 it was clear that ds was musically very talented but pretty rubbish at team sports. At 9 he is still very good at music and is now very good at team sports. At 4 he wasn't the child I thought he would be when he was 2 and at 9 he isn't the child I thought he would be at 4. I'm now supposed to be considering schools for when he is 13 and it is nigh on impossible as I have no clue what he will be like in 4 years time!

Bisjo, I don't think you have to decide at his age just keep some potential possibilities open and think about whether to register for the schools that have early (ie year 6 pretests). TBH Eton / Westminster are probably the only boarding schools which are absolutely fixed at the year 5/6 deadline. Other schools will have a late applicants' option at the year 7 stage . In any case at the end of year 6, your possible choices will seem clearer but, even then, there is still plenty of time. I suppose the important thing is not to overwhelm children with more than 2-3 pretests.

OP - you really don't have to start anything yet - if you'd been planning on private prep/primary school rather scarily you'd have already missed the boat to get a reception place at the non-selective schools round here!

However lots of people who can afford to just automatically go private without actually thinking if it's the right option for their child because everyone they know is also going private so don't even check out the local state option

For us the local primary didn't suit 2 of our dc but was perfect for the other one and that was partly down to the other children in the class, over which you have no control however much you're paying!

In your position I'd sit tight, start your dc at the local primary - if it doesn't work out and you can afford to go private without bankrupting yourselves have a look at other options - the local private schools may be better - sometimes they'll be worse - but by that stage you'll have a much better idea as to where your dc's talents lie - fwiw two of mine have scholarships and there's no way I'd have been able to tell that my eldest would have got his at 2 because he'd never even done the activity for which it was awarded!

british you are absolutely right but it is hard to resist pressure from the school to come up with choices. We are doing a rather scatter gun approach to school visits - looking at a broad range of possibilities in the hope that something clicks. Ds is quite fixated on a school that if we do decide to proceed with we will have to decide this coming term. Fortunately we've manage to arrange lots of school visits before half term so I hope by then we will have a better idea of what are our possible options.

dizzy There's certainly no need to think quite this far ahead - unless you are planning to save for fees - but you'll feel better if you don't have to rely on perhaps ill-informed friends for advice.

As Bisjo says, it's impossible to know how things will turn out but you could start by considering where you would like your Dc to be at 13. If you hope for a grand public school then you need to look into the best prep schools or a very very good state school + (probably) extra tuition coming up to the entrance exam. (You can of course send your child to a fee paying school at 3 - but it won't guarantee anything...) So, aim to have your Dc in a really good school by 8 or 9. They would then prepare for Common Entrance (the entry exam to public school) at 13. But the top schools "filter" by pre-assessment at about 11. This is the crucial exam - those who "get in" at this stage rarely fail at CE. (Confusingly some independent senior schools start at 11. It's just a different route.)

By then you will know if your child is bright or exceptionally bright. Teachers will have remarked on it!

If your Dc is very bright or talented you will want to know about scholarships. Almost no money goes with a scholarship... If you have little income and no assets you will want to ask about bursaries. It is impossible to generalise about the likelihood of getting one. It depends on the school. You would be means tested.

It is possible to get scholarships and bursaries for prep school, but understandably schools are reluctant to commit large sums of money to very young children whose capabilities could change as they mature.

O,h it is absolutely true that it is impossible to know at age 2 in which way their talents might lie.

Ds was the only non-mark making child in his reception class. Couldn't even draw a circle. By year 2 he was just about writing bits and pieces and starting to catch up to where he should be. He was fastest runner in the whole of KS1, though (mostly running away from staff!)

Come to the end of year 7 (just gone) and he is excelling in English, particularly writing, producing work better than many much older children at my (grammar) school. Can't do sports for toffee.

Just encourage him with lots of things and in lots of directions. Sport and music and drama are all good for confidence and social skills even if he turns out to be a daydreaming artist or a keen natural scientist.

But, yes, do bear in mind that, whilst at some schools, like ds's, scholarships can provide a bit of a reduction of fees, there's still quite a lot left to find and in many schools, they're a scholarship in name, or prestige, only!

2 is a bit young, I'd say if you want a private secondary. As others have said though scholarships usually aren't worth much money - usually about 10% or 20% of the fees. Means tested bursaries are much more generous in terms of actual support. But they require you to not really own much of any value. Maybe that would be the thing to try first though?

Bisjo, I take your point, sometimes prep schools like to "pigeonhole" the children early on so that they know what they are aiming for. Unfortunately this pigeonholing also happens for deciding 'whether a child is bright'. Even at eleven this may not be clear especially if the child is for example unconventional, dreamy or unfocused. That was one of the reasons underlying thr principle for boy prep schools going up to 13. Pretests and elevenplus favours the earlier developers.

Slight hijack but one of the problems with pre-assessment is that a boy who is successful might them fold his arms and say "well I got in, what more do you want?" It can be awfully hard to motivate them afterwards and then everyone starts panicking about whether he will actually get through CE or whether the world will end.

OP you asked what you could do to improve your chances of "getting in." Unless you are by then a billionaire fundraising is not required. You need to concentrate on reading and extracurricular activities and instill self reliance and a good work ethic. It will be miserable, even with a very clever child, if you are the only one who really cares about learning.

Thanks - really hijacks are no problem as the whole discussion is enlightening. I am reassured that 2 is a bit early to notice talents and don't have visions in my head of very grand public schools. I am also happy to give the local state options their chance as feel that as a family we should be able to commit to enrichment activity outside of school - certainly while DH and I both work more limited hours (at the expense of the bigger salaries for the larger house etc). I'd hate for us to both work completely flat out in order to outsource all of that while we have the option not to. I don't see major windfalls/prospects of serious promotion for either of us during the school career of our boys, so the potential outgoings may be better saved to contribute toward university/house deposit etc.

I suppose it's the potential for "pigeonholing" discussed above, and associated signposting to the opportunities, that can be the benefit of the private primary/prep option. And I'm not terrifically surprised we've missed the boat. I think around here, because of the grammar schools, people who can't manage school fees for a whole education or two invest in the private option at primary level to maximise chances of getting into the grammars at 11+. The whole reading/extra circ/work ethic thing (sorry on phone difficult to name check) certainly plays to this. Again, this may be where my energies are better focused.

Seriously I don't think there's a boat to miss. Just because "everyone else" is doing something doesn't mean it's the best thing to do....

There is no need to write off the the grandest schools because your child is not registered for a pre-prep at 2 and a half. In fact, if, later on your child turns out to be a great all-rounder or significantly bright or talented you really need to look towards the richest schools if you want a generous bursary. (That can mean up to 100% fees and sometimes even uniform and extras.....) Your "local school for local people" simply doesn't have that kind of money and so can only cater to people who can pay.

Good luck!