Private school bursary - how it’s decided?

[dragondrive]

We’ve received an offer from a private school with a 25% bursary. I’m really grateful that my son passed the exam and was offered a place, and I do appreciate the bursary.

That said, given our financial situation and what I disclosed, I was honestly expecting a bit more, as 25% still isn’t affordable for us. I thought bursaries were means-tested, so I’m feeling a bit confused about how this figure was worked out.

Has anyone been in a similar position? Is there usually any room to ask for a review or an increase? A friend mentioned that other schools sometimes offer much higher support in similar circumstances.

I’m also wondering whether bursary levels are based purely on finances, or if a child’s academic performance or competition plays a part as well.

True - but you did say "places" which implied more than one school.

ETA no need for the prep school caveat - this is in Secondary School

If it’s of any interest I was thinking of places like Eton and Winchester. (I don’t keep up to date with exactly how many bursaries other public schools offer!)

At our school we really expect bursary recipients to cut back on absolutely everything in order to contribute to the fees.

I see a lot of families essentially saying “we can’t pay the fees because we don’t have that much money left over after all our current expenses”.

But really it should be a case of “we’ve cancelled all discretionary expenditure, we are only spending reasonable amounts on groceries and new clothes when the kids grow, and we drive an old car, only holiday by visiting family, and we still can’t afford the fees, could you please help”.

Our bursar has told off several families who applied, clearly expecting to maintain their current lifestyle while other families at the school subsidise their fees - and most of us are making sacrifices to pay the fees ourselves.

So have another really honest look at your finances and whether you could make any cutbacks. And then go back to the school - thank them for the offer, explain what steps you’ve taken or could take to contribute 75 percent of the fees and if it’s honestly not possible tell them how much you could contribute, and explain that unfortunately you would need a bursary for x amount and ask them if they could consider that.

Maybe they will, maybe they won’t, but you don’t lose anything by trying,

Hi everyone, thank you so much for all your input — and sorry I can’t reply to everyone individually.

Just to clarify, I applied to four independent schools, and none of them stated a bursary cap on their websites. I’m based in London, for context. It honestly felt a bit like a guessing game, as I didn’t have anyone around me who had applied to (or already had children at) the schools we’re applying to.

I did email one school to ask about bursaries, and they replied to say they won’t be offering any bursary support for the 2027 intake onwards until further notice due to funding issues — which was surprising, as it’s generally considered a well-funded school.

I’ve written to the school we received an offer from to thank them and to ask, politely, whether there might be any scope for reconsideration. Financially, we’re already running things very tightly, and even with extreme budgeting, I don’t realistically think we could save much more.

That said, I am genuinely grateful that my son passed the exam and was offered a place with a bursary — that alone is a huge achievement, and I’m incredibly proud of my DS.

Thank you again, everyone, and wishing you all the very best.

The school could still be well funded and not offering bursary support to new pupils. With the VAT and other fee increases, bursary funds may be prioritised to give fee reductions to existing pupils so that kids don’t have to drop out partway through their studies.

with respect, it doesn’t sound like you should pursue this, OP, it sounds very tight financially for you.

I am paying for 3 children to attend private school. That's the best part of £75k a year for the oldest alone and damn near close for the rest. Do it. Don't do it. But don't expect paying parents to feel joy that you are getting support to get the same at a discount and expect more.

Have you already heard from the other three, @dragondrive?

OP didn’t ask anyone to feel joy for her.

A friend of mine is a bursar and they have said since VAT they are using a far larger proportion on existing children who are now struggling to pay the fees, rather than new incoming. They prefer this as they know the children attending and abilities which is better than bringing in new children who might not compare and have to discover that over some years. Something to consider alongside the rises that occur and extra costs for uniform and the rest.

Exactly the same at DC’s indie. Scholarships are maxed at 20% and bursary funds have been cancelled and kept back for any current families who find themselves in difficulties, since the VAT introduction. The head also said that families expect any spare cash to be put towards keeping the VAT contributions as low as possible, not to be given out to new families to pay much less than everyone else.

The VAT rules have only made independent education more inaccessible for those with lower incomes.

So are you saying you can’t afford to pay anything?? The chances of an 100% bursary are extremely small and would only be for a truly exceptional student.

As I’ve explained, @Smartiepants79 - that depends on the school. Plenty of pupils receive 100% bursaries at the places I know best.

@Eucatastrophilia no but with other threads complaining about parents being asked for £120 a year contribution cos school should be ‘free’ and the majority of posters coming on to say how utterly unreasonable it is for a suggestion that people pay anything other than the woeful taxes they pay that supposedly cover education (except they don’t in the vast majority of cases) it’s pretty galling to also see people posting about their general lack of happiness regarding getting a discount of thousands of pounds on private fees when others of us are tied into paying for full fees and have the VAT hike too.

Sorry @Eucatastrophilia that was meant for @SheilaFentiman. See above

OP isn’t responsible for the other threads.

The school(s) in question have bursary programme(s) so it’s utterly reasonable that people apply for them. She applied for a bursary, as she was entitled to do, and she was granted one. However, it is less that she needs to be for her to afford the school, so she’s asking a reasonable question about whether there might be more available.

She values the opportunity for private education, as do you and as do I. She’s not hurting you by applying for a bursary and asking on MN about it, so I don’t really understand why you find that galling and are being snarky with her.

Anyway, you do you. I’ll leave it there.

@SheilaFentiman she is hurting me. I pay full fees and though schools always say that bursaries are paid from endowments we all know that even though there are individual "pots", if the school needs to use one to support another they will to keep things on track. If there is a shortfall money will be used from elsewhere and there increasingly will be.

I hope that bursaries are sacked off.

And none of the places I know offer that kind of bursary.
I assume that these kids you know have to be exceptional?

Ha! Not perhaps in the way you mean, no.

You can't afford the school. It's as simple as that.

I went to private. Honestly, don't waste your money ! Find a decent state school and supplement with tutoring. Job done. Not one of my peers sent their own children to private. We went to a really prestigious one that is still very highly regarded.

None at the 6 that I have been involved with either ras a parent or applicant either, except one truly exceptional boy that is now at uni with my eldest and lived in a one bedroom flat in a tower block with his unemployed mum and 3 younger siblings. That is the type of student that gets/got 100% bursaries. Not a normal family that aren't high earners and just cant afford it or would have to forego all holidays and sell their car for the duration.

@Eucatastrophilia are your examples recently i.e in this round of admissions or last years at a push? That after VAT was put on fees and anything before that is not relevant imo as the landscape for private schools and bursaries has completely changed as a result, for the reasons already mentioned on this thread.

Personally, I think 25% is a bit of a joke. If I could pay 75% of the fees I wouldn't be asking for a scholarship. Some countries have private schools charging a sliding scale, which is different. But if I apply for a scholarship on the basis I can't afford it, then I can't afford it. It's either a full scholarship or nothing. I'd consider it a no.

I agree with @Eucatastrophilia. At the schools we know, 100pc bursaries are still common. And NOT only for the very poorest kids, and certainly not only for ‘exceptional’ kids. People (probably understandably) get very chippy on bursary threads, but that’s just a fact. School and area dependent of course.

Offering a 25pc bursary directly excludes all but the well-off middle classes, so defeats the object.

If you want to argue that bursaries themselves should be stopped, fair enough. But while they still exist, people have every right to apply for them and give it a shot. People complaining that they fork out £75k per year also had the choice to use state education if it was a stretch. Or apply for a bursary. Anyone who can afford that sort of money from net income is eye-watering rich.

To the OP I would say ask the bursar if they can increase the award. Nothing to lose. But I also caution that bursaries can be reduced or removed without any particular rationale. So consider whether it’s worth the hassle!

Agree 100pc. Hardly going to increase socio-economic diversity if bursaries go to those who can ‘only’ afford 75pc of fees

At the schools we know, 100pc bursaries are still common. And NOT only for the very poorest kids, and certainly not only for ‘exceptional’ kids.

Are there not loads of applicants then? How does the school choose who to give the amazing 100% bursaries to, if it isn’t on financial need or exceptional performance?