Bursary info please

[hermanmunster]

There are 2 types of "discount" on fees

1) scholarship, a non means tested award - can vary hugely in the amount of fee reduction. Some require the child to continue with music lessons, be in the orchestra, play sports at specific times etc etc

2) Bursary or means tested award - usually only given to high acheivers in the exam. Some limited to kids of clergy, armed forces, old boys etc etc Others open to anyone. Often require detailed financial info.

some kids are awarded both at the same time.

[sherry_d]

From the handful of schools I have looked at typical scholarship these days is between 10-20%. I have only seen one so so school offering 50%. This is purely based on how your child perfoms and is based on merit and a Billionaire's child can get it. I hope that makes sense. Most schools used to offer substantial scholarship in the days but no longer do so because they need to fulfill the requirements for charities commission (almost all the good schools have charity status) which specifically requires them to provide Bursaries. This has led to most schools reducing the amount awarded as scholarships to cover bursaries as required by the charities commission.

Bursaries are assesed based on your income and can cover up to 100% of the fees. However to get 100% you need to have a household income of around £16 000p/a as a general figure. Above this bursary will be awarded at a sliding scale. The maximum household income for most schools to be awarded any bursary at all is around £45 000. A few are below this and I have only so far seen one exception KES Birmingham that awards bursaries up to £70 000. Please note for boarding schools the income threshold will be a be higher as they are more expensive.

Quite a number of the schools I have looked at just require you to pass their entrance exam before being considered for bursary and some specify you need to have passed a scholarship to be eligible. If you are considering applying for bursary you need to fill in the bursary application form when you submit your application otherwise it will be late applying for after your child has passed scholarship. The main advantage of passing scholarship is almost all the schools would consider you for bursary if you cant afford but you still need to notify them when you submit application that you will need a busary for you to afford the fees.

[muvvalac]

From the handful of schools I have looked at typical scholarship these days is between 10-20%. I have only seen one so so school offering 50%. This is purely based on how your child perfoms and is based on merit and a Billionaire's child can get it. I hope that makes sense. Most schools used to offer substantial scholarship in the days but no longer do so because they need to fulfill the requirements for charities commission (almost all the good schools have charity status) which specifically requires them to provide Bursaries. This has led to most schools reducing the amount awarded as scholarships to cover bursaries as required by the charities commission.

Bursaries are assesed based on your income and can cover up to 100% of the fees. However to get 100% you need to have a household income of around £16 000p/a as a general figure. Above this bursary will be awarded at a sliding scale. The maximum household income for most schools to be awarded any bursary at all is around £45 000. A few are below this and I have only so far seen one exception KES Birmingham that awards bursaries up to £70 000. Please note for boarding schools the income threshold will be a be higher as they are more expensive.

Quite a number of the schools I have looked at just require you to pass their entrance exam before being considered for bursary and some specify you need to have passed a scholarship to be eligible. If you are considering applying for bursary you need to fill in the bursary application form when you submit your application otherwise it will be late applying for after your child has passed scholarship. The main advantage of passing scholarship is almost all the schools would consider you for bursary if you cant afford but you still need to notify them when you submit application that you will need a busary for you to afford the fees.

thx for the detailed reply

[hermanmunster]

Thanks for the info Sherry, I had the feeling that the value of academic scholarships had dropped - they certainly used to be 50%.
The problem with bursaries and sliding scales is that many people feel that they are not generous. KEHS/KES are indeed very generous but even at 70K, the take home is 3900 a month and each child would cost you 800 a month or over 20% of take home pay.

In uncertain times it is a big commitment.

[sherry_d]

And 45K gross income down South and in London isnt much but I suppose they want to please the master Charities Commission so the less it then the better it looks for them. In my head I think the more "exciting" or rather depressing your life story is then the better your chances are.

The Commission found that of the five schools it assessed, Highfield Priory School Ltd and St Anselm’s School Trust Ltd were not able to show that there was sufficient opportunity to benefit in a material way for those who could not afford the fees, including those in poverty. This means that the second public benefit principle (Principle 2: Benefit must be to the public, or a section of the public) was not met. The questions applied by the Commission were:-

* Does the level at which high fees are set have the effect of preventing people who are unable to pay the fees from benefiting from the services or facilities?
* In relation to those who cannot afford to access the services because of charges made, to what extent are those charges moderated (in whole or in part) in order to:
*
o permit access to the services charged for;
o give other access to benefits of the charity.

The Commission maintains that it looked at the totality of benefits provided by the schools including means-tested fee reductions, non-means tested fee reductions and other measures to provide access to some of the benefits provided by the school. However, as the Commission has previously said, means-tested awards are the most “obvious and simplest” way of demonstrating public benefit and this seems to have been confirmed by these assessments. Whilst other measures such as use of schools facilities by local children, hosting events with other schools, access to lessons etc. were deemed to provide some opportunity to benefit and added to the totality of benefits offered, in the absence of some form of means-tested assistance these alone will be insufficient.

Tories did say that they would persuade charity commission's view to be more broad but with other matters in their hands now like academies, I doubt we would hear a wisper about this.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/ed ... emand.html

[Gman]

Given the national average wage of £26,020 (2008 published figure), then a bursary upto £50k and above is very generous.

If you earn over £45k you are in the top 5% of all income brackets.

[mad?]

Given the national average wage of £26,020 (2008 published figure), then a bursary upto £50k and above is very generous.

If you earn over £45k you are in the top 5% of all income brackets.

Not if you earn 22.5k each...

[Maybelle]

[quote="sherry_d"] And 45K gross income down South and in London isnt much but I suppose they want to please the master Charities Commission so the less it then the better it looks for them. In my head I think the more "exciting" or rather depressing your life story is then the better your chances are.


Have to disagree with that presumption - A few years ago, our family's lives turned into an implausible soap opera. We are still trying to cope with it all (wish I could sack the script writer). Bias as I am, I had thought that we were the prime candidates for a bursary should a school place be offered - but it was not to be - although there is an outside chance, perhaps, that another pupil who has a bursary offer might still decline a place? of course it could just depend on the school and what part of the country you live in?

[sj355]

A friend of mine was offered a 100% bursary for her year 7 entry daughter and simultaneoulsy an 80% bursary for her year 9 entry sister who decided to join the same school as of the coming academic year. My friend calculated her available income (adding tax credits etc minus mortgage, tax etc) at £12,000. Remember your available income may differ significantly from your gross annual income. The school in question is outside London.

Having said that she still has to brace herself for the remianing of the tuition fees for the older child, plus lunch fees for the first two years (lunch is compulsory in Years 7 & 8 at this school) plus school trips plus uniforms (which hower she can find second hand).

[muvvalac]

what is the school name what the child got 100% bursary please