Is it true thatmany applied bursary didn't get through indis

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curiousappa
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Is it true thatmany applied bursary didn't get through indis

Post by curiousappa »

I have seen some one saying in this forum in one of the thread. it's purely business
People who apply for bursary didn't get through
Daogroupie
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Re: Is it true thatmany applied bursary didn't get through i

Post by Daogroupie »

Not true. I personally know several students with 100% bursaries at Habs, NLCS, St Albans and Queenswood. DG
kenyancowgirl
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Re: Is it true thatmany applied bursary didn't get through i

Post by kenyancowgirl »

If private schools want to keep their Charity status (which most of them are and do) they HAVE to provide a number of bursaries and scholarships - although the level of the latter has been capped to a max 50% (I believe, although in practice, scholarships are usually offer for a max 25%). It is in their interest to offer as much support as possible to as many people as possible, and you will see that a lot of them proudly advertise on the front pages of their website things like 1 in 3 of our students receive some financial support.

However, as the pot of money is not infinite, the bursaries are likely to only go to the top performing students - and/or those who do pretty well but also offer the school something that really interests them (like being in a National Sports team of a game that the school plays). A school is not going to offer a bursary to a child who just scrapes through - or fails - their entrance test - they still want the best they can!
ToadMum
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Re: Is it true thatmany applied bursary didn't get through i

Post by ToadMum »

If the applicant has done well enough to 'pass', but not high enough up on the list of bursary applicants, do schools usually indicate this to the parents, to give them the opportunity to make other arrangements? Or is it assumed that if one is applying for a bursary, all other avenues have been explored?
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branmoment
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Re: Is it true thatmany applied bursary didn't get through i

Post by branmoment »

Daogroupie wrote:Not true. I personally know several students with 100% bursaries at Habs, NLCS, St Albans and Queenswood. DG
Indeed all independents in the area, including MTS and John Lyon, St Albans High, St Helens, have bursary funds - part subsidised out of existing parental fees - to distribute to talented students. Selection for interview is based on ability first always.
kenyancowgirl
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Re: Is it true thatmany applied bursary didn't get through i

Post by kenyancowgirl »

ToadMum wrote:If the applicant has done well enough to 'pass', but not high enough up on the list of bursary applicants, do schools usually indicate this to the parents, to give them the opportunity to make other arrangements? Or is it assumed that if one is applying for a bursary, all other avenues have been explored?
I think what schools do in this case is they send out the "acceptance" as a full fee offer...ie the school is saying, well done, your child got a place but with no financial help attached to it - Certainly I have seen people on here saying they applied for bursaries but didn't get one (but got offered a place) or got offered a smaller one than they needed. Obviously the Bursar looks at all the financial information but it is the case, (I know, as we have friends who have had this happen!) that sometimes people are offered a smaller bursary than they would ideally like, but still take the place and "find" the money somewhere. Whether the Bursar looks at some of the financial information and thinks - pfft - no chance, sunshine, you have too many savings in the bank etc to qualify, but you can have a place if you are prepared to stump up, who knows! Certainly I think some people make "hopeful" applications where a bursary would help them keep the lifestyle they have, whereas they are really meant for people who cannot make any cuts at all.
Stroller
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Re: Is it true thatmany applied bursary didn't get through i

Post by Stroller »

ToadMum wrote:If the applicant has done well enough to 'pass', but not high enough up on the list of bursary applicants, do schools usually indicate this to the parents, to give them the opportunity to make other arrangements?
Yes. At least there have been posts to that effect. (I remember them from last year's SPGS thread for example).

First of all, the child has to do well enough to be in the top X places, where X is the number of spaces the school has to offer. I believe that ranking is done "needs blind" - purely based on ranked score. Each independent school that offers bursaries has a pot of money to help families of the highest ranked children who can demonstrate that their financial circumstances would give them zero chance of taking up the offer without a bursary. Some schools ask for that information when applications are sent in, others ask for it only after they have drawn up their shortlist based on exam score plus interview. The bursar has to defend the decision about who gets the bursaries to a school board and/or higher (perhaps even external) authority. They'll want to know that the money is helping children who will in turn enrich the experience of the fee-paying children by bringing brilliance plus a modicum of economic diversity to the classroom.

At the most selective schools of all, even if the child's score ranks near the top, unless the parents are also near the top of the list of families ranked by "poor enough", a bursary won't (and should not) be offered.

The school would still like to have those who are clearly bright enough, so even if the family circumstances don't merit the award of a bursary, the schools will contact the parents and say "Little one did very well, but others who also did well are in greater need of financial assistance. You're still welcome to send your child to us if you can find the money. Please confirm with deposit by..."

Less selective schools can choose to be slightly less strict about the financial criteria, because it's more crucial for their bursaries to rent enough raw brain power to strengthen their results, making their averages look a bit better.

Scholarships are more cosmetic awards. The child must do really well in the area of the scholarship, but the monetary award is unlikely to be life-changing. Sometimes it's £500, or free tuition in one musical instrument, etc.
Last edited by Stroller on Fri Jan 22, 2016 9:38 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Ladymuck
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Re: Is it true thatmany applied bursary didn't get through i

Post by Ladymuck »

Each school has its own bursary policy - there isn't a "standard" policy as such, so schools will have different financial criteria as well as different academic criteria. 15 years or so ago, numbers applying for bursaries were relatively small - you had to be in the know to realise what might be on offer, and often ime they seem to have been awarded to the families of teachers in the state sector. In recent years the competition for bursary places has exploded, and typically many bursary awards are given to candidates at or very near scholarship level. That said, it isn't just academic ability that will be considered, and bursaries are often given to students with particular co-curricular skills.

That being the case, it is likely that any school who has already distributed its bursary pot will still make full fee offer to candidates in case a family member would be willing to pay. And of course in some parts of the country students will be applying for a number of schools and the highest performers will be offered awards from a number of schools, but can only attend one, so there is usually movement in the bursary pot in February and March.

Whilst HMC schools are limited to 50% scholarships, and as kenyacowgirl points out, many scholarships are in practice 25% or below, there are locally in South London a number of schools who do give scholarships up to 50% of fees.
J50
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Re: Is it true thatmany applied bursary didn't get through i

Post by J50 »

Bursaries should be banned. If you can't afford it then tough.
PurpleDuck
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Re: Is it true thatmany applied bursary didn't get through i

Post by PurpleDuck »

J50 wrote:Bursaries should be banned. If you can't afford it then tough.
What makes you think that, J50?
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