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.

Fees - Eton College
School Fees | Westminster School

Boarding fees aren't that far from 25k per term.

Why to accuse this poster of lying without spending 15sec on google?

As to begrudging - why is this always attitude "if you can afford X you shouldn't complain about being forced to pay Y"?
The same logic would apply "if you can pay for heating now, why moaning when prices go up 10%"?

Paying in a range of 200k pa for 3 kids, of which over 30k goes into VAT, whilst also forgoing about 21k pa of cost of school state places for 3 kids, this is all on the top of already taxed income - I'd imagine this feels plenty without being forced to pay for someone else's bursary

The school my nephew went to was mixed and in Surrey. He originally lived in Devon. Some of the charities were private individuals. It was the school bursar that told us about it. They do of course means test.

@dragondrive - “God forbid” is a confusing phrase, as it either means:
”I sincerely and genuinely hope this does not happen” or it means
”Only twats would hope this does not happen”.

You have to guess from context which the speaker means.

In this case I think @Elembeeee is saying “it would be ridiculous to suggest that fee paying pupils and bursary pupils should not mix”.

In the vast majority of schools none of the kids will know who has a bursary and if they do know or guess it shouldn’t be an issue.

@nearlylovemyusername exactly

But how is she or anyone else being forced to pay someone else’s bursary if as she claims paying 25k a term. fees if £25k a term
are Tier 1 schools which as you point out are Eton, Brighton etc. and they do not use fees to pay for bursaries they use their endowment etc. It is fairly obnoxious view. Like all if us they have has a choice but to suggest they are propping up bursary DC is a nonsense. As for VAT that’s been discussed to death on Mumsnet…….

If the demand for 25k per term boarding schools goes down, those schools will just end up offering more day places at a cheaper price. Some are already doing it, including big name boarding schools. It is also why London independents are still doing OK because a lot of the people priced out of top boarding/unwilling to fork out 25k have simply switched to day options.

@GentlePearlBear Let me try and explain it one last time. I am doing our financial planning for next financial year. We have more enough already in one budget line from what was saved last year towards one particular thing. We are slightly shorter than I would like in one other area so I have transferred some money from one pot to another. It’s not beyond the wit of man that this may increasingly happen even with the tier 1 schools as people decide not to pay for endowments as they just get more sick and tired of having paid VAT throughout their own children’s education, and the older generation may be paying more towards grandchildren’s fees leaving less to be left for said endowments. I am not saying it’s widespread yet but it’s an increasing risk. It already happens in the state system where for example money is given to a school for SEND but the money doesn’t quite end up where it should. The government would still argue they gave the money for that budget area tho even tho everyone who works in that area knows it’s a bit naive.

In addition, it hasn’t escaped those of us that are paying those fees that it might be more political for the schools to adapt to the times and maybe adapt the articles so the money from endowments could be used to do something like say ‘protect the schools future’ which may well concentrate on helping ensure the future of the school for those within it or their future generations of children and grandchildren. I would be much more likely to do an endowment on that basis than for bursaries. That’s just human. It might not suit your ‘well you pay this so suck it up’ but it’s not reality. Anyone can run out of money no matter how much you have.

I absolutely get where you are coming from @Treesinsummer unfortunately the boat has sailed on VAT for now. I hate the fact that the fees I pay have gone up by 20% VAT and since Jan 2025 and then a further 5% in September 2025 and most likely another 5 - 7% for 26/27 and things are tighter than they should be thanks to VAT but I don’t begrudge the DC on bursaries the opportunity that I’ve been fortunate to give my DC because I’m not poor enough to need a bursary or rich enough to not have to budget. Schools will adapt and you are right some may change etc. their ethos etc. but as I said I know that all bursaries at tier 1 and done tier 2 schools are paid out of endowments.

And govt guidance says that all children with SEND in the state system are supposed to get £6k a year in support. Except they don’t. Don’t be so naive.

i think there may be something wrong with you

@GentlePearlBear noted