School fees

[Fay19]

hi so my daughter recently received a scholarship up to 20% of school fees we contacted the school and they told us to apply for a busary up to 50% maximum but that’s not enough as I’m a single mum and my income is very low. What do I do now?

So that's a 50% bursary (max) plus the scholarship so 70%? Had you applied for a bursary with the initial application? Were you previously told that all of the fees might be covered? I would fill in the forms and write an accompanying letter explaining your situation, though the numbers will speak for themselves. Good luck.

How were you expecting to pay for fees when you applied for the place?

I'm afraid there isn't a huge amount of choice. Did the school say at any point what their highest bursary figure was? Did you ask? You will have to go back to the school and say that you can't manage on 70% of the fees being paid and is there any more money available - though if they have said 50% maximum it sounds like that might be it. What amount can you afford to pay? Can you say to the school you could manage 20% or 25%? See if you can bargain a bit?

If they say no, they don't or won't go above 50% plus 20% scholarship and you cannot make up the fees each year for 5 or 7 years, then you cannot take the place.

I'm sorry, but you may well have to accept the fact that you cannot afford to send your child there and take the state offer - I really hope you applied for state schools because you must have realised applying privately without the funds to cover any shortfall was always going to be a gamble.

What do I do now?

You have to send her to her allocated state school.

educational-grants.org/find-charity/?all=1

There are some funds which will help people who have been awarded a scholarship.

Have a look on here but there are other funds out there.
Google is your friend.

Having said that it would be very insecure sending your kid to a school when you have to reapply for top- up funding every year. Most grants are there for people who applied for private school in the reasonable expectation that they could cover the fees, but their circumstances changed beyond their control.

Did you not realise this sooner in the process? Seems a shame to have entered your dd and raised her hopes if there was no realistic chance affording it. Even if you could now it could be reevaluated each year. Do you have a state school back up?

Do the school normally offer fees up to 100%? If so, might be worth you going back to the bursar and asking why this wasn't offered? Maybe (for example) they have chosen to give smaller bursaries to a wider range of people).

Otherwise your options are basically generate more income or send your child to a state school.

I thought it would be paid if she passed.

Fair enough, did they tell you this and had you already spoken with bursar.

@Fay19

I thought it would be paid if she passed.

That is very unusual. Most schools process bursary application during the assessment process and include them with the place offers. Did you perhaps omit to do so, missing out, and are now reliant on bursary funds for existing pupils?

I assume that your daughter is very bright that the school would like to offer bursary as much as possible but their bursary fund have already been allocated to whom those applied on time and 50% would be their maximum. If I were in your situation, I would calculate how much I can afford and have a meeting with the bursar after I fill in the form. If someone who was offered bursary turn down the place, I think your daughter still have a chance for further top up.

If it’s not successful, I may give up and send her to state school. She would be fine anywhere as she was in her primary school.

Hi @Fay19

I would work out what you could afford and speak to the school. Most schools can be flexible for the right candidate.

Good luck!

I don't believe it is 70% off fees. Just make sure you understand how your school calculates funding.

If bursary is 50% then the 20% comes off what is left after the bursary.

Option 1: 20k fees - if 70% = £6k to pay

Option 2: 20k fees - 50% bursary = 10k fees

10k fees - 20% scholarship = £8k fees

It could be different across schools but option 2 is what happens at my DC school.

Also bursaries move up and done. In the first yr DC received 80% bursary with 35% scholarship and the amount of bursary has fluctuated 50% - 85% over the years depending on family income.

70% is a lot of support, many schools cap overall assistance at 50%. Your option is to go what the rest of us fo and use the state system

What do you do now? You take up your child's state school place. The vast majority (93%?) of children go to state school, despite what you may think from the many MN threads about private schools..

Well done to your DD on passing and gaining the scholarship; if she is bright I am sure she will do well in a state school as well.

Did the school tell you her full fees would be covered? Did they say if that was for the next five years? If not, I don't think you have many options tbh.