Scholarships - anyone on one?

[wahwahwah]

And how did you (or rather, your child) get one?

The local indie schools each seem to offer scholarships equivalent to 10 full fees, though spread across 40-60 children per year. The schools usually list the type of scholarship (eg academic, sports, music etc) and the relevant application process. Often the website/prospectus will indicate the minimum standard required eg what grades in how many instruments for a music scholarship. Academic scholarships are usually based on the entrance exam results. Some schools will also have separate scholarship papers or may have a short paper/test at an interview. Often, but not always, all pupils are automatically considered for academic scholarships.

In terms of preparation it all depends on what type of child you have and where their strengths lie, as well as considering what your preferred school is looking for.

Poor little thing is only 6! DH has directed me to 'look into' such things. Like I haven't anything else to do!

He is quite bright (and it's not me that says this) - and has quite an analytical mind. Also good at maths... not from me, I may add, but grandpop was a maths lecturer.

Scholarships tend to be about 10% off fees in my experience. Not a massive amount.

Looks like my DS1 is in the minority - he's got a scholarship for 80% of the fees as we couldn't afford any more than a 20% contribution without losing our house. He's only 4 though, so I suspect if secondary schools only offer 10% scholarships he'll be moving to the state system after he finishes at this school. It's a long way off for us. Who knows, maybe we'll suddenly start earning loads more between now and then

Agree academic scholarships tend to be for the kudos rather than £££. Still pretty competitive though. Music might get you free tuition (you'd be looking at reaching grade 4/5 by 11 or 6 at 13). Others look for all-roundedness (ie academic with strong drama/music/art etc skills) or sporting prowess. Most schools now top up scholarships with means tested bursaries (usually a cut off of £40-50k household income and take assets into account) up to 100% fees.

Think the trend is very much towards giving small amounts of cash in recognition of academic or other ability & using the cash saved to reduce fees based on need (means tested). Certainly DS's school used to offer large amounts off the fees in scholarships but this has now reduced to about £100 per term. Having said that about 30% of the pupils receive assistance with the fees based on need. This approach is very much in line with the public benefit that independent schools must offer if they are to retain their charitable status.

Our DS gets one and it is 10%.

A better way to get one is to go and work for the school. At our DSs school, teachers get a 50% fee reduction as do staff. Hence the school is full of teachers and staff with DCs at the school.

At ds1's school around half the boys receive some kind of financial assistance (school is awash with cash ...) - scholarships vary from 10% (the majority) to 50% (very rare) but are often topped up with bursaries.

One of ds1's friends has a fairly hefty scholarship, topped up to virtually full fees with a bursary and also receives help with any mandatory school trips, but he is very bright, and in the A teams for rugby, football, hockey, cricket and tennis and also plays clarinet and violin (irritatingly he is also a really lovely, modest, polite child )

Most of the boys on sports scholarships represent their county as a minimum standard, to give you an idea of what's expected sports-wise. And as well as academic and sports scholarships there are also drama, art & design, music and all-rounder scholarships (i.e. v strong academically with at least one other area of excellence)

I suspect 6 might be a little early to guage whether or not your ds is scholarship material!

I think most schools now tend to hand out more smaller scholarships than just a few larger ones.
When DS1 (now nearly 17) was in prep school he got a 10% academic scholarship in year 2 and that was topped up with a 20% bursary.

Last year he got an academic scholarship in the L6 of his new school which is worth approx 2,300 per term (full fees around 8,300 although going up to just over 9k in September) My maths is rubbish but think thats around 25 - 30%? (sitting with sleeping baby on lap and can't reach calculator)

I really don't understand bursaries.

Mainly you have to have an income of below, say, £50k. Then they say they look at your assets (how much equity you have in your house) and if both parents are working. So do people just apply on spec knowing they can't afford the fees?

Let's say you were on £30K and got 50% off the fees - how could you possibly then afford even the £5K balance?

And how many people have no equity in their home and both work full time earning a combined £30K? I'm sure many do (especially single-parent families), but I don't see their children overly represented at private schools.

I have just seen how much the fees are going up next year. Am flat on the floor. How can they justify such hikes? I have never ever got an annual pay rise (ie not with a a promotion)of 6 or 7%. And I know some of the parents are in the public sector so won't be getting any rise at all.

gramercy - I think the means test is different from school to school in how it is calculated, and that if a school really wants your child they will make it happen.

The school DS is at were really helpful - when we explained that we would be able to afford very little, if nothing, they gave us a copy of the bursary application form and said that if we filled it in they would give us an idea of what we would have to pay - non-binding of course but it meant that we applied knowing it was a good possibility that we would get something. As it is DS got a combination of scholarships and bursary which amounts to full fees.

Another school offered us less than than but it became apparent that this was negotiable when we said no!

wahwahwah I nearly died when I found the letter at Easter saying how much the fees were going up. DS hid it for the first week as he knew I'd go mad. It was an increase of approximately 11.5%. How the hell can they justify that in this day and age and the buggers know they have us over a barrel as DS is halfway through A levels so we can't exactly pull him out.

LadyPeter that school sounds very nice and helpful, shame more schools are not like that

I have also peeked at the fees for the older years in the school. Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggghhhhh There is no smiley face for this emotion