Talk to me about bursaries and scholarships?

[Mybobowler]

My daughter is only in Y1 but seems to be very academically able - not a genius, but she seems to love learning. Neither myself nor my husband were privately educated, we both went to very average state schools and did well.

We currently live in the catchment area for a really terrible secondary school. It's been in special measures on several occasions, has come in and out of different academy trusts and is currently rated as inadequate. I think it's unlikely that it'll undergo a transformation in the next few years (although, of course, it could happen!).

Our household income is c. £60K - likely to increase in the next five years but not by much. School fees are obviously out of the question. It's unlikely we could afford a home in the catchment for our better local state school, so I'm already looking at alternatives. How do bursaries and scholarships work for private schools? We have a number in our local area. Do they only take children are at the top end of talent and ability? What's a typical application/admission process? What's the income threshold for applying for financial support? It feels very early to be enquiring direct to schools but it'd be good to understand if this is something worth pursuing.

@copperfrogs that's a relief to hear that we aren't living in cloud cuckoo land! It would be for 11/13+ - she's at a brilliant primary and really settled.

We don't have any hidden or enormous assets, very little equity in our house yet (we were renting until 3 years ago), no wealthy relatives or expensive habits. We're a completely ordinary family, but we really value education and, like everyone, want to give our children the best chance we can.

We're in the South West (Devon/Somerset) but a quick search of our local schools doesn't give much away in terms of bursaries - I guess I'd need to call them to discuss.

I'm glad I started this thread, it's given me a lot to chew over so thanks to everyone for replying. Fortunately, we have a few more years for us to consider options.

@Mybobowler you really shouldn’t have to call a school for basic info on bursaries. If they’re not making everything absolutely clear on their website and any accompanying prospectus they probably don’t have a well established bursary process.

You don’t want a place with one bursary a year that goes to the daughter of one of the head’s chums. You want somewhere with a sizeable proportion of the pupil body receiving some level of bursary. And the money should ideally come from endowments rather than current parents’ fees.

You also need to avoid any school that is desperate to offer you one before you’ve properly begun the application process. MN posters have fallen for this - thinking themselves very fortunate - only to have the school collapse with no notice whatsoever soon after they’ve moved their child to it. Be wary, check the financial status of any school you’re interested in.

Agree with the above. Look for schools with clear bursary info on their websites. It's a good sign that not only are bursaries potentially generous, but also that the school has a positive attitude to bursary recipients. Not many schools publish clear bursary figures on their websites (which is a shame), but they should still ideally have some clear info about the process (and be happy to talk to you about it). And no, you're not living in cloud-cuckoo land, but you do need to have a suitable school (or ideally schools plural) within reach.

www.millfieldschool.com/admissions/scholarship-bursaries

@MsWintertowne As an example, Millfield is very well established and they don’t give much away on bursary levels other than saying what they will look at and indicating the highest levels are unlikely,

This gives schools flexibility on a year by year and case by case basis.

Devon has quite good state grammars. Any of them an option?

@SheilaFentiman yes, that's exactly the sort of info I can find, but there's no guidance on specific income thresholds or other criteria (which makes sense, as you said, to give the school flexibility each year).

You might find some info on the elevenplus forum, which is parents posting (for the most part) not schools.

@SheilaFentiman I didn’t mean information on exact amounts that might be awarded. I meant clear guidance on the schedule and process for applying, and what they consider when making awards.

@MsWintertowne OK - it really wasn’t clear to me what you meant by “basic information” - given that the thread is focused largely on £ and %.

DC's former school has a long web page detailing income thresholds (50k for a free place, 115K cut off), what they take into account and how to apply.

They're not unique in providing this info.

Some average private schools offer 50% scholarship just to attract students, otherwise, they are not competitive enough to survive even before VAT crisis. You can consider grammar schools which is not too diffcult to get in in some area.

Do you consider St Paul's Girls an average school? They even offer 100%, clearly they must be sinking...

50% scholarship for a lot of applicants

SPGS offers bursaries not scholarships at 11+. There are no academic scholarships available for this age at St Paul's Girls' School. The bursaries are means-tested and more than half awarded are for 100% (which also means extras like money towards books, trips and music lessons). They do not take into account the value of a family home suitable for the needs of the family. I imagine places like the boys' school are similar and a household income of £60K would absolutely be likely to attract a very substantial fee remission. As someone said upthread, the richer/grander schools are the best place to look for help of this kind.

The best bet for anyone thinking of a bursary place is to contact the schools you are interested in and ask to talk to someone about finances in detail. A good school that genuinely wants to attract good applicants regardless of ability to pay will be more than happy to go through figures and give a ballpark figure of what you might be eligible for.

It's too much of a long shot.

Use what resources you have to prioritise getting into a better catchment. You have a few years.

Look at income/expenditure.
Move to a totally different area.
Move into a smaller property in catchment even for only a year or 2.
2nd jobs/ career change.

many scholarships are now linked to bursaries too. So if you need a bursary, many schools will prioritise those who would also be scholarship level in something they want.