is everyone on a scholarship?

[brekkiequeen]

Decided to post rather than snoop!
Nearly every poster seems to be talking about their DC's scholarship. Or is it just me? How many scholarships are there at any school. I thought it was perhaps a maximum of 5 (academic)?
No wonder everyone else pays such high fees when we need to subsidise all these scholarships!

Brekkie - Yes, we’re in the middle of London. They get offered academic scholarships based on the senior school’s own exams (as in the case of my DS) or if they do well at the school’s own pre test and then at the CE. So the CE kids won’t know yet, but the school my DS opted for just has their own exams, so he already knows.

For the specialist exams (art, music, drama, sports) they had their interviews in the fall.

No prep on the prep school’s part more than the regular lessons and test prep.

kalifornia and Lefay - Thank you.

Fat - given the choice between the school having a sportier image, or me paying smaller fees, I would go for smaller fees

Hmm, the scholarships come from the school's scholarship and bursary fund. Both are charitable gifts from the school, both used to attract top performers from all walks of life. The schools usually give both, often scholarships are worth very little financially.

Tbh there are plenty of cheap unexceptional private schools in the country if that's what you want! Presumably you don't want your children educated in a tiny rich bubble and would be happy for them to be educated with bright talented kids who wouldn't be able to attend normally?

Nothing wrong with supporting talented kids who need a bit of extra support.

However, your earlier post suggests that sporty kids get in purely to raise the profile of the school, ie. make the school look good, rather than to support that pupil as such in their academic (and sporting) abilities.

Maybe I mis-interpreted what you meant.

No, you didn't misinterpret it. Scholarships are given to attract the best, whether that's academically, in sport music drama or art. Of course schools want talented kids and will offer money or prestige to get them.

and a good scholarship will have a program in place to support the student in whatever it is they excel in, yes. Your children are perfectly free to apply, they are open to all!