Valued openion from all parents of private school please

Independent Schools as an alternative to Grammar

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omismum
Posts: 74
Joined: Fri Sep 09, 2011 1:32 pm

Valued openion from all parents of private school please

Post by omismum »

Hi all,
I got a letter from leading private school in Reading that my DD is been offered 10% scholarship.
One of my friend says that, this is a catch... how they convince the parent by giving token amount.

My question is does that happen to every single applicant or they offer 10% to only bright girls?
Is my DD really got good score or its just to convince us?
I am really confused about this scenario . we come from state school and have very limited knowledge about independant schools and its system.

can anybody guide me in any direction
Thanks in advance.
hermanmunster
Posts: 12819
Joined: Fri Sep 15, 2006 9:51 am
Location: The Seaside

Re: Valued openion from all parents of private school please

Post by hermanmunster »

It is tricky with these scholarships - they are for relatively small percentage of the fees (50% would be a lot more attractive).

When looking at senior schools for DCs I was aware of schools giving lots of small scholarships for art / drama / all rounder - many parents turned them down to take up places at schools they preferred.
Upshot as far as the fees were concerned - the scholarships tended to bring the fee level down to that of other local schools ie the more scholarships available, the higher the fees in the first place.

I have also come across some schools offering tiny music scholarships that give little more than the Kudos and various obligations to play in orchestras etc.

re the offer you have - you need to look at all the options and if you like the school then go for it but don't feel you have to go just because of the 10% scholarship
rubidium
Posts: 30
Joined: Wed Jan 23, 2013 9:38 pm

Re: Valued openion from all parents of private school please

Post by rubidium »

Would you send your child there regardless of scholarship offer?
Tinkers
Posts: 7240
Joined: Mon May 16, 2011 2:05 pm
Location: Reading

Re: Valued openion from all parents of private school please

Post by Tinkers »

Have sent you a pm
omismum
Posts: 74
Joined: Fri Sep 09, 2011 1:32 pm

Re: Valued openion from all parents of private school please

Post by omismum »

Rabidium..i think no.
omismum
Posts: 74
Joined: Fri Sep 09, 2011 1:32 pm

Re: Valued openion from all parents of private school please

Post by omismum »

Thankyou hemmuster and all its helping me to get a clear picture.
lefol
Posts: 382
Joined: Mon Oct 18, 2010 11:13 pm
Location: Bexleyheath

Re: Valued openion from all parents of private school please

Post by lefol »

Hi Omnismum,

Well done to our dd for getting a scholarship. Schools tend to offer a small number of scholarships to kids who do well in the exam and interview . They are not offered to all children. If it is a school that you really want , 10% off the fees may make a small difference which you might appreciate given the cost of school fees these days . It will also help to boost your dd's confidence that she did well enough to have been offered a scholarship .
Reading Mum
Posts: 1841
Joined: Tue Oct 04, 2011 9:44 am
Location: Reading

Re: Valued openion from all parents of private school please

Post by Reading Mum »

Making an educated guess at the school, then no they do not offer to everyone a scholarship. It is purely on the exam score so your DD has done very well. They offer approx 10 out of a year group of around 100.
It is more a matter of kudos rather than finance - 10% is not enough to influence a buying decision.
moved
Posts: 3826
Joined: Fri Oct 12, 2007 1:42 pm
Location: Chelmsford and pleased

Re: Valued openion from all parents of private school please

Post by moved »

Some private schools offer the child £100 and the title of scholar. Many schools only offer scholarships on financial need.
estelle
Posts: 55
Joined: Mon Feb 13, 2012 6:19 pm

Re: Valued openion from all parents of private school please

Post by estelle »

Many independent schools detail the number/amount of scholarships on their website-you may find this is the case for this school. I think it very unlikely that they would offer a scholarship to all. At my son's school the top scholarship is 50% of the fees. At my daughters school the top scholarship is only £1000. The kudos is the same but the financial difference is enormous!
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