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.

@Tobstar106 i am paying for the fees through my own money. The bursary system is also using my money. I get that the kids have to ‘bring something to the table’ or they wouldn’t get the opportunity as the school has to have a way of differentiating. However, that doesn’t take away from the fact that the recipient of the bursary is not spending their own money to do something i am now paying through the nose for. I don’t need to feel joy at that prospect.

@Treesinsummer I think you are mistaken , the bursary money does not come from the fee payers ! Your money goes towards the teachers and running of the school not the bursary kids , donations from alumni ect donate hundreds of thousands for boys who would not be able to be educated in such schools , you are definitely not paying towards kids on bursaries, who gave you that information ?

My DD has a 110% from her school. Its paid, usually from the schools very wealthy foundation OR past alumni - I was asked in yr7 would I want her bursary to be 'attached' to an old girl or foundation. I asked for the old girl (I understand she's a City lawyer & thats about as much as we know, but I'd couldn't thank her enough if I ever met her)
DD takes part in bursary funders & has an offer for Oxford, she says she will always try to support her school.
Her bursary has been transformational - 45 Secretaries of State for Education since my grandmother was born & left school at age 12 & it only took one woman to break the cycle of uneducated women in family.
Gratitude doesn't cover it.

@GirlsInGreen well said !

Different schools fund bursaries in different ways - many are funded by endowments, and donations from former pupils, but equally many are funded partly or entirely be the fees of current pupils.

At our school the bursary fund comes entirely from fees of current pupils.

Some money is saved each year, we build up a surplus so that if there was a sudden issue (like the government suddenly imposing VAT!) and our income goes down then hopefully we can ensure current pupils can finish their education, so I suppose part of the current fund comes from fees paid over the previous 5 years.

It’s definitely the case that at a lot of schools the fee-paying parents are paying for the kids on bursaries and when they’re also being charged VAT that’s starting to sting for some people.

@DreadPirateLucy gosh! I have never heard of this ! Crikey that is terrible , certainly does not work like that at the schools I know

My DS got a 35% bursary and 10% scholarship. I know of other kids who got higher, and it is negotiable (discovered this afterwards!) this was last year after VAT

It worked that way at the private school I went to (they even helpfully informed all parents how much of the fee went to the bursary fund), and at the school I now work for (admin not teaching, I’m involved in applications and bursaries).

My kids‘ school has a small endowment that they are steadily building up with donations from parents - those are technically voluntary but included in the fees if you don’t opt out.

So from my experience it’s pretty widespread.

@DreadPirateLucy i suppose there is no choice in the matter ! I am sure if any of these parents are struggling they too can ask for help in the form of a bursary ?

Was it much of the fee @DreadPirateLucy eg £200 out of £20k or £2000 out of £20k?

@SheilaFentiman - this was back in the 90s and our fees were around £1200 a term, I think the “bursary donation” was about £50 so not a huge amount but did stack up pretty well!

50 / 1200 is about 4%. ISC claims that their member schools gave means-tested bursaries of about 5.5% of nominal fee income in recent years. I imagine that schools which need to fund bursaries out of tuition because they don't have large endowments or big donors will be able to afford less than the average, so your example sounds quite normal.

What I’m seeing is that many schools are pulling bursaries in their entirety for sixth form, as it’s a natural transition point, and they want to redirect funds towards new

We’re seeing the opposite. 6th form burseries have become something only teachers and those who’ve been with the school since primary get.

@Tobstar106 It's quite simple. If the school needs the money to support the bursaries, whatever the intent regarding separating it off, it will be taken from a more general pot of funding as they will see it as their duty to those students. However, as fewer alumni may decide to make such a contribution to pay it forward in the future because they have such high fees now, this could put extra pressure on the school to find the money elsewhere if they maintained the level of bursaries as it stands.

Don't get me wrong, it's not in any way a deal breaker for me. My 3 will go through that school whatever happens. I value the school and what it does far too much. But on the general principle of paying for others to take advantage of that education when I have to pay such a huge sum of money, as well as VAT, as well as tax for school places I don't use, it's just not something I take joy in.

@Treesinsummer i guess there are private schools that do that and then there are the top tire schools that rely on the donations . This does include incredibly wealthy parents donating to the bursary funds , it doesn’t come from the school fees by any means . Not in the top tier schools ! I know that it is done separately from anyone’s school fees .
but I am referring to the very wealthy long established schools .

@Tobstar106 DC go to a school where it is officially the foundation that pays it forward and all that. The point still stands. Money, from whatever source that goes to people who are on bursaries, can’t be allocated to other things. And there will be those who chose not to contribute to the foundation on the grounds that they paid £25k a term per child which we do now and so are just less inclined to have people at the school who’s parents can’t afford the fees. It’s just human nature so stop trying to bait that this is somehow unreasonable or the school can’t cope. Thats the stupid thing about this policy - schools like DC’s will always survive. Those schools this vat policy is looking to destroy but close ranks we will.

This is incorrect.

Google your schools accounts - you'll find they expenditure items and there is usually some amount allocated to bursaries.

Bursaries are normally funded by charitable donations but there is some shortfall paid out of school's income which is fees paid by parents.

When my DC were at private I actually checked this - bursary spend out of school budget divided by number of pupils gave me about £600 of my annual fees went for other kids bursaries without me donating to this explicitly.

@Treesinsummer you know what it is the bursary children that are getting the scholarships for their schools or getting into the top unis . They only take very able children on full bursaries. Top sports man , top musicians, high flying academics not the full fee paying kids that are mediocre . These children are worth every penny the school invests in them . The top schools need them children
for the majority of full fee paying clients to see they feed into top schools and unis ! You just don’t get it .

@Tobstar106 I get it thanks and yes there are those who do exactly that but I can think of the majority of my DC’s compatriots, and DS who take the school to the various national championships and beyond who funnily enough pay the fees. As has been mentioned before 4% get these scholarship. That doesn’t make a hockey, rugby, football or hockey team.

@Tobstar106 assumption everyone else who pays the full fees is mediocre. Bitter much?

@nearlylovemyusername
the schools I am talking about have a few million pound funds only for bursaries ! it is set aside for very bright children who will bring kudos to the school . My sons school tells us excactly what they have for bursaries , they fund raise solely for children in need of a bursery

@Tobstar106 so does your child have a bursary? Or is he just mediocre? I am guessing bursary or he’s not going to care what’s allocated in that way.

@Treesinsummer sorry I’m not really understanding what you are saying. My sons school tells doesn’t have a say in the matter .

@Treesinsummer what are you actually saying ?
if you cannot afford your fees and you are finding it tough why don’t you apply to your school for a bursary ? If you are not struggling you accepted the cost of the fees so as long as your school are coming up with the goods you shouldn’t worry what the school spends their income on that’s their money you are paying for a service if you are not happy and you are not getting a good service you need to take it up with your school . Don’t get upset with the children on burseries . You never know one day it could be you knocking on the bursers door .