Music and sports scholarship

[lovepenguin]

My son will be applying in two years time. He's excelling in 2 instruments and two sports, one of county level. I noticed on kings website they you can not be a scholar in both. Can one share their experience? Does he have to choose one at which a young age? I am hoping that schools would appreciate both

Check other schools you may be interested in applying and their policy.
Please note friends’ DC had injury and that put a stop to sport scholarship route.
Also, is this a fixture sport? Friends’ DC very good in squash but scholarship route did music since squash not recognised as rugby, cricket, football etc.

It's probably because they can overlap - as a condition of a scholarship you generally have to commit to the team or the orchestra, these might be at the same time.

They will both come with conditions and maybe in practice you cannot meet both so he may need to choose. Each school will set their own criteria.

Has anyone heard of a child receiving this combination?

Which school is this for?

It's a bit pointless. If your DC has a sport or music scholarship, it doesn't stop them taking part in other activities.

But scholarships generally come with conditions - having to take Music or PE for GCSE, taking part in choirs/orchestras/ensembles or team matches. Both can take huge amounts of time and probably not possible to do both properly.

Scholarships at private schools are generally fairly token in terms of discount - 10% maybe or free coaching/music lessons.

Appreciate in what way? Financially they tend to be low, more the opportunity for free music tuition, sports coaching and exposure, but in return commitment to rehearsals, performances, team practice and matches, which may well conflict.

Kings Wimbledon. However I'm looking at schools in the Sw London area. I just wonder if schools aren't as transparent as Kings but have the same 'policy'

He loves it all, the fixtures over the weekend, orchestra, ensemble, choir and chamber choir. He is doing it all atm. I guess I like like schools won't appreciate that. 10% discount is still a good amount, in our eyes

It's not a given that you get both sums added with two scholarships.

I've seen that with children who have Academic plus one other.

A place at the school?
Generally access to things like specialist coaching?

I have a DD on a music scholarship - she gets free tuition in one instrument, but of far more value are things like access to trips, concerts, masterclasses, scholar's sessions etc.

King's appear to offer £400 off the fees for both Music & Sport. Music also gets free lessons.

So it's more the honour rather that a significant chunk financially with that particular school.

Think very carefully about what you are signing up for. My DD basically lives in her school's music department (voluntarily).

My son got offered academic + music (not at the schools you mentioned) but I don’t think you can do sports and music as they are both huge time commitments. Music scholars I know are busy every lunch time and most days after school with different rehearsals, they are expected to attend all orchestras plus choirs and chamber music. Sports scholars are playing matches or training most evenings. They can’t do both

Depends on the school but very rarely it can happen. Schools that are very oversubscribed (like in SW London) probably don't need to as they have so many impressive candidates that they have plenty to pick from.
But also once they're at the school, not having a scholarship doesn't stop them doing anything. They're not going to stop a music scholar being in a sports team or vice versa!
Fitting it all in on the other hand is very tough, especially as work starts to ramp up. And the teachers can get irritated sometimes if they want a child playing the oboe at the same time as said child is meant to be doing the high jump!
I wouldn't get too hung up about it. If it's money that's the issue, better to go for a bursary; if it's the kudos, there's plenty of that with just one; if it's the opportunities, a school will try to encourage top notch performances, be they in music or sport regardless.

Thank you that is reassuring. Yes we play the school should be able to work it out

i don’t know the specifics but I know any of the W London schools have reduced or removed the scholarship money so it’s in name only now and if you need financial assistance you apply for a bursary. The issue with scholarships is in students changing their interests once at school (and why on earth shouldn’t they?) and then not being much use to the music or sports depts as scholars but then the issue of parents who have taken the place on the basis of the scholarship and then what happens if the scholarship is withdrawn? So this new approach is supposed to address that problem

Many not any!