Assisted places at private school

[BrieAndChilli]

DS1 is in year 4 so were are starting to think about secondary school. He currently attends the best primary school in the county (state) it is a small village school and they have been brilliant with him.
He is very acedemically able. He started reception with a reading age of 14 years as an example.
Our 2 local secondary schools unfortunately aren't more than barely average, and as we are in Wales there are no grammar schools/11+ etc so that's not an option either.
A local private school that has very good results offers assisted places and bursaries - to be honest we couldn't afford to pay more than a token amount, would it be worth trying to get a 100% assisted place or do such things not exist? Is it worth approaching the school or will they just laugh us off the premises??

Some independent schools and foundations introduced their own 'assisted places' after the government abolished its scheme. I have just looked at the websites of two schools (including the one I think the op is looking at) and they both overtly use the term 'assisted places' with fee reductions of up to 100% off tuition fees. Op, the school you might be considering is sometimes featured in the national press amongst other schools offering substantial bursaries/assisted places - there is some helpful information on its website re income levels etc. If you fit the criteria then there is no need to approach the bursar - just ask the admissions office to send you the application forms (including the bursary/assisted places application forms) and fill them out - you have nothing to lose. Gruach is right though - if one school wants your child enough to offer a bursary/assisted place then it is likely that others will as well - no school is going to laugh at the parents of a very able child.

It's Monmouth boys. The website mentions both assisted places and bursaries. (I think the money for both comes from initial endowment hundreds of years ago) so that's why I've used that terminology.
We rent, and have a combined income of about £40k, no real assets and have 2 younger children and could stretch to a couple of hundred a month for extras - lunches, uniform etc.
Yes iguana he was a 4 year old reading like a 14 year old. I know people like to embellish on Mumsnet but he was assessed by the school, I havnt just plucked an age out of the air!
In year one they struggled to find spellings to challenge him!
We are obviously going to investigate all the local schools but understand you needs get in early if you want a stab at getting financial help with private school.

DS wouldn't cope with boarding school, he has social issues (lots of aspergers traits but not quite enough for a statement) so although can cope with mainstream school etc does need solitude and quiet which he wouldn't get at boarding school (I boarded from age 15)

bojo that's why I said yr 4 is a good place to start from. It would give the OP plenty of time to investigate and possibly find an excellent prep for yr 6 (bit tight for yr 5 though just possible).

Explore all possibilities OP.

I've just looked at the school website and it's a Haberdasher's.

They're rich. I'd say it's definitely worth a go. They give the contact details for the person who runs the awards and recommend those interested make contact, so you should definitely do so. Just bear in mind that being eligible for an award does not mean that they must offer you one - it will all depend on how much they have to spend that year and how many applicants they have. It does look as though they will make hefty awards.

(It looks like their assisted place scheme is one pot of money for those whose income falls below the threshold in force at the time, and bursaries from a different pot which can be awarded with greater discretion, eg tiding over those already in the school through a specific difficulty, or those with more complex circumstances).

"And one does not have to bear boarding. For the right child it is fabulous."

We are obviously going to investigate all the local schools but understand you needs get in early if you want a stab at getting financial help with private school.

I don't know about this specific school, but it wouldn't in general be true that you have a better chance by getting in early: all bursary applications received by a given deadline are treated equally, and the deadline for starting in year 7 is usually September/October of year 6. Bear in mind also that many bursary applicants are in rather similar circumstances to you (competition is often harsh, lots of bright children).

At my DC's schools (in a richer area than Monmouth) you wouldn't get a 100% bursary on an income of 40k but maybe Monmouth has a bigger bursary pot. I agree with a pp that the bigger name schools (starting from year 9) tend to have bigger bursary pots than "local" private schools starting at year 7.

Monmouth was indeed the school I was looking at op - the basic information is on the website - just fill out the forms.

New Year's resolution Bert?

Well done.

DS wouldn't cope with boarding school, he has social issues (lots of aspergers traits but not quite enough for a statement) so although can cope with mainstream school etc does need solitude and quiet which he wouldn't get at boarding school (I boarded from age 15)

IMHO I think you should look at a school from what it will do to increase his social skills, academic ability and no social skills do not make for a happy adult life.

I think what a child needs at 13 is not quite the same as age 8. Usually boarding schools have all types of children. Quiet and loud! They all mix. However, working on social skills may be priority.

I think as far as boarding and 100% fee reduction go you need to be either extremely confident your child will be the type that loves it, or have little other choice. Purely because if the boarding doesn't suit them, you can't just easily pick up a bursary for a day school.

Here, hopefully, (click on bursaries/assisted places it seems to give more details than the other tabs with the same title) Monmouth gives guildlines for bursaries/assisted places it appears an income in excess of approximately 38k means your unlikely to get much although it's not clear if this is from the "assisted place scheme" or their bursary pot they don't appear to be one and the same.
I would suggest you also think about a scholarship with an attached bursary, and do at the very least consider boarding it can work for those on the autistic spectrum although not in all cases and more importantly two schools with generous bursary funds here and here are of course both full boarding the latter has a reputation for taking quirky boys some who will be somewhere on the autistic spectrum.
OP I know you said you've boarded yourself but boarding has changed significantly.
I agree with Bertrum do also look at the state sector don't assume that paying has to always mean better results and good pastoral care/individual care and attention every time.

The main problem would be preparing your DS (and yourself) for the disappointment of being offered a place but a laughably insufficient bursary, or worse, an almost but not quite enough bursary.

By all means get your DS motivated to prepare for the entrance test, but don't overdo it. Play down your concerns about the state option to your DS.

The income threshold for an assisted place at Monmouth has risen to £43,000 for 2015/6.

www.monmouthschool.org/admissions/bursaries-assisted-places/

My guess would be that although the OP doesn't have capital assets the fact that she has a joint income of £40k with the cut off for assisted places being £43k would mean that any assistance given would be of a minimal amount. It explicitly states that financial need, not academic merit, is the criterion in making an award. They're a bit more cagey about their bursaries but it seems to me that £40k is too close to the cut off for assisted places to reasonably expect a significant sum. £40k is a comfortable income. I agree with Kuppenbender - don't get your hopes up, let alone the hopes of your DS.

You are only 'guessing' though Molio. The website also states that the school offers a wide range of scholarships and bursaries to 'talented boys from many different backgrounds' - so presumably those boys with scholarships and bursaries have to do well in the entrance exam or have other talents in sport, music etc.
Please apply op - you live nearby and you have nothing to lose.

Call it an educated guess Clavinova. Agree it's worth a try, but also agree with pp that it's not worth relying on to cover, or all but cover, the fees.

The only way to find out is for op to contact the bursar. Of course they won't give a detailed answer on how much help you get until you've applied, but ime they will give a rough outline of how they calculate it. Also given they have assisted, bursary and scholarship it's worth a chat to find out which would be most suitable, or if they can be combined.

I'm afraid to say I have known a number of people in a similar position who have been disappointed;

• saw website offering bursaries to those with an income that theirs fell within
• contacted bursar and had chat and were strongly encouraged to apply, with suggestion that generous bursaries would be available
• took exam and were offered place with bursary......but bursary not sufficient to make it doable......big disappointment and a feeling of having been a bit misled. Peeved too due to incurring application costs and probably preparation materials costs,which could have been avoided if true picture had been clearer,

As others have said, I think that bursaries (which absolutely will be means tested and on a sliding scale......so if your income is near the upper limit, you really will only get a small offer) only make expensive independents affordable if,
A. your income is below the lower limit meaning you could gain a 100% bursary
B. Your can afford most of the fees yourself and just need a small top up.

Unfortunately many people find their income is too high to qualify for enough to make it viable for their family.
Some people find that family members will pay enough to make up the difference, but many people aren't in this position.

I don't want to deter the OP, and if her child is extremely clever, he may gain a substantial scholarship (purely on academic ability and not related to means) but I think it is important to be realistic about the amount of bursary money which is likely.

Definitely ring the bursar. Ask some very specific questions and be clear with the bursar that you need as much specific information as possible, to avoid you wasting everyone's time,raising the hopes of your son, and also incurring application costs.

• what would be the typical bursary offer for someone earning £40k?
• how often is a full or 80% (or whatever amount would be needed) given?
• are bursaries sometimes divided amongst families?
• if only a tiny bursary were offered, what is the maximum remission which can be achieved via scholarship.

I disagree wombat. Bursaries are offered in line with your income, meaning if you need to pay a top up, then you can actually afford the rest of the fees if it's a priority. A lot of full fee payers sacrifice in other areas to pay, and it's only fair those receiving a bursary should be willing to do the same. And more importantly, bursaries are there to support children who couldn't otherwise attend, not to make sure Mr and Mrs above national average income don't need to budget for school fees.

The only other consideration is that the bursary pot only goes so far, thus while the school may well agree your child is entitled to x% bursary, by the time they get to your child their may only be y% or even nothing left in the pot. The amount of bursary you get is means tested, but there are always far more applicants than money, so invariably not everyone entitled will get one.

Smaller and less wealthy schools may well deliberately try and split any bursary pot up to get as many places filled as possible, but the popular/ well known/ wealthy etc independents don't need to pursue that tactic.

Excellently put Lurked (I would probably have added lots of italics and bolding to your first paragraph).

Thanks for all the info, i realise no one can say for certain and I need to coat the school but just wanted to get people's experiences/knowledge.
We take home in total £2800 a month. School fees/transport/lunches/uniform/trips etc would be aprox £1500 per mont at least leaving us £1300. Rent it £625 (cheap for our area) council tax is £165 and gas/electric/water £150. Leaving £360 to feed and clothe 5 people, run a car (we live in a village with 1 bus an hour up to 7pm) kids primary school is 5 miles away with no bus service as isn't our catchment school (although nearest school! ) so a car is essential.
Do they really think £360 is enough to live on!!!!

Just feel we should investigate all options, just in case.

Brie ... Why do you feel you have to break down your income and outgoings for the benefit of MN? Even if someone on this thread is the actual Bursar of the actual school they will still need to see your completed application form and submit the details to the rest of the people who make the decisions. And consider how much they want your particular child. In other words - none of our opinions will have any bearing on what happens between you and any given school.

If you are (forgive me) this sensitive and easily roused here I worry that you may find the application process incredibly stressful.