academic scholarships london

Independent Schools as an alternative to Grammar

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apr022013
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Joined: Mon Apr 01, 2013 10:12 pm

academic scholarships london

Post by apr022013 »

Hi, where can I find more details about the academic scholarships offered by inde schools in London? any schools offering more than 10%?
hermanmunster
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Re: academic scholarships london

Post by hermanmunster »

I suspect only way of finding out is to ask the schools what they offer, there are few scholarships around over 10% as most these days are quite small - much of the funding is aimed towards bursaries which are means tested.
Kingfisher
Posts: 416
Joined: Wed Sep 05, 2012 7:08 pm

Re: academic scholarships london

Post by Kingfisher »

Hello apr.

Scholarships are awarded according to the school and each will differ from another. The highest I know of is 50% for a single child at one of the top schools, there are others amounting to a third, 25%, 10% and so on and there are more of these smaller amounts awarded. Then there are scholarships awarded for prowess in certain areas - music, art, Pe etc. Again, this is dependent on the individual school.

I have said this before on the forum - PLEASE do not assume your DC will get a scholarship. Your DC may be amazingly clever and be top of the class in your school, but you do not know the ability levels of other children sitting the exam and you cannot possibly know how your DC will fare in comparison. There are children out there with IQs in the 160s, who had adult reading and comprehension levels by the age of 6 or 7 and who are able to analyse and write like top grade A level students at the age of 10. There are also students who would pass the GCSE Maths paper with flying colours - Maths is not my area of expertise, however - but English is!

In my career, I have come across a very few children like this, but they DO exist. If you are hoping for a 50% scholarship and one of these rare children is in the same cohort, things will not be favourable for your DC in comparison, especially if this child is also articulate, opinionated and excels in interview! There will be children who are not as able as this in your cohort, but some could be close. My point is - you do not know! If you are going for one of the top schools - Eton, Westminster, CLSG, SPGS, NLCS and so on, anything is possible.

Most schools tend to put money into bursaries. You will need to contact your preferred schools to find out the cutoff point and the likelihood of obtaining one of these dependent on your salary, outgoings, etc. Be aware that the requests for bursaries far exceeds the money available so the Bursar will have to make decisions about who gets the money. S/he will start with those with the highest scores and who have most impressed at interview and work down. Not everyone will be successful.

Sit the exam and apply for bursaries. Ask about academic scholarships but do not count on being awarded one.
shootmenow
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Joined: Wed Feb 22, 2012 12:25 pm

Re: academic scholarships london

Post by shootmenow »

...can write lika an A Level student, maths genius AND is playing a sport at national level/being eyed for Olympic development AND has written and had published two novels AND plays two instruments to diploma level (above grade8).... I can tell you that these DCs are my girls' schoolmates at NLCS. We were told, very quietly, that had our DD not come up from the Junior school she might have been in with a shout for a SMALL academic award because she was one of the 10 highest scores at 11+.
The competition is too fierce to count on a significant scholarship.
irisha
Posts: 18
Joined: Wed Dec 07, 2011 1:30 pm

Re: academic scholarships london

Post by irisha »

I think if you have a very bright child and a significant scholarship is important to you, you need to be looking at 2nd/3rd tier schools where there is more realistic chance of getting a significant award.

I know less about boys' schools, but in our part of London, for girls, it's only "lower down the list" schools that give financially meaningful scholarships, e.g. Streatham and Clapham High, Croydon High School, Wimbledon High and Putney High (they give up to 50% scholarships to try get acceptances from students who also hold offers from SPGS, LEH, JAGS, CLSG). For co-ed, Emanuel and Royal Russel are generous, again in a bid to attract kids who got acceptances (but no scholarships/token scholarships from more selective establishments).

I think Eltham College has up to 50% awards - a friend's son got into Westminster Under and got a 50% scholarship at Eltham. She was a working single parent in a good profession but felt 50% off for next 7 years was very attractive, he went to Eltham, was an absolute star, now at Cambridge.
Basically, the rule of thumb is the less selective the school, the more generous the scholarships.
Immortal Dreams
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Joined: Mon Nov 11, 2013 8:59 pm
Location: North London Consortium

Re: academic scholarships london

Post by Immortal Dreams »

NLCS gives up to 50% scholarships, but as Kingfisher and shootmenow have said, there is absolutely no way you can expect to receive one. You can find the information you request almost anywhere; their websites, or if not, calling the bursar sounds like a good idea if the scholarship is that important to you.

If you feel you would struggle to fund your child through secondary school at an indie (as many do - the fees are ridiculously expensive), I suggest you apply for a bursary rather than expect a scholarship.

Best of luck.
nyr
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Joined: Thu Apr 04, 2013 11:39 am

Re: academic scholarships london

Post by nyr »

Since DS was in Y3 we'd been advised to prepare him for scholarships as he was considered to be at a very similar level academically and musically to boys who'd won full or near enough full scholarships at top London independents. We decided against this route as he'd have to work very hard and be under a lot of pressure with no certainty of winning the scholarships. We felt GS or partially selectives were far more realistic bets and as yet we don't regret our decision.

nyr
Amber
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Re: academic scholarships london

Post by Amber »

I find it quite sad on this forum every year to see parents posting that their child has been successful in an entrance exam, has 'set their heart' on School X and School X alone, and they can't afford the fees because they had been hoping for some kind of financial assistance which they had failed to secure.

Obviously you don't know ahead of time if a child is likely to be one of the few lucky ones, so I think it is really important not to let a child fall in love with a school you know you have only a tiny chance of being able to afford. Bursaries are very hard to get and are supposed to be for cases of genuine hardship+very bright child only; and scholarships are often little more than honorary titles with a small cash prize thrown in. There needs to be a back-up, affordable (state) plan which is sold to the child as just as good, to avoid heartbreaking scenes of still very young people being told they have passed an exam but can't go to a particular school, and there is nowhere else anywhere near as good. Phrases such as 'school of his/her dreams', 'has his/her heart set on x school' surely really have no place in this game - parents have to be the grown-ups here and manage expectations accordingly - as in 'it would be a lovely surprise if we got some help to send you to School X, but School Y is lovely too so let's see what happens'.

Just my view, but it is quite a strongly held one. :D
hermanmunster
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Joined: Fri Sep 15, 2006 9:51 am
Location: The Seaside

Re: academic scholarships london

Post by hermanmunster »

Absolutely agree Amber, I think it is quite often the parents who have set their hearts on the school and not the child.
Most important thing parents can do is succeed in getting the child to believe that the school they are going to is the very best for them.
Ladymuck
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Re: academic scholarships london

Post by Ladymuck »

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