For parents interested in sending their child to a private school, one of the big considerations is the cost, which is what makes the idea of bursaries so enticing. However, while most private schools offer some form of bursary or scholarship, each institution has its own approach, and no two opportunities are the same.
At our prep school in Devon, we’re proud to offer bursaries to certain pupils, subject to available resources and appropriate means testing. We also offer scholarships to children in Year 6, as well as advise our current pupils on how to achieve scholarships at future senior schools, so we have plenty of experience when it comes to these opportunities.
If you’re considering private school for your child and want to learn more about the bursary process, here are some common questions we get asked by prospective parents.
What are Prep School Bursaries?
A bursary is a form of grant offered by many private, independent and prep schools. While these schools operate through admission fees, bursaries allow select pupils to pay a reduced fee, or no fee at all, to attend the school.
Bursaries can take many forms depending on the institution, and can be offered in varying circumstances depending on the school’s missions and goals.
Are Bursaries & Scholarships the Same Thing?
In UK education, there are various names used for financial grants helping pupils to attend private schools, including scholarships, bursaries and fee assistance.
Bursaries and scholarships are similar in that they allow a pupil to attend an institution at a reduced price. However, while a bursary is often purely focused on reducing the cost of attending the school, scholarships often come with additional benefits.
Scholarships are usually focused on exceptionally gifted and talented pupils, who private schools seek to attract for the potential prestige of having a pupil achieve notable success when or after they leave. Alongside some support with school fees, scholarships often include things like additional mentoring or development of their talent through coaching, facilities, opportunities and more.
Because scholarships offer additional benefits, they usually don’t cover all the costs of attending the school, instead offering a discount. For example, at St Peter’s Prep, scholarships come with a 10% discount on fees. However, exceptionally talented pupils can be offered both a scholarship, to help nurture their talent, and a bursary, to ensure they can afford to attend.
What Does a Private School Bursary Cover?
The amount of financial support a bursary offers can vary massively, not just between different private schools but within the school itself.
The vast majority of bursaries are means-tested, which means the level of support offered is dependent on your financial circumstances; this will be assessed as part of any bursary application and will impact the level of financial assistance offered.
Depending on your financial situation and the level of support being offered by schools, a bursary could be anything from a 10% discount on termly fees all the way to every expense being covered, including things like uniform.
Who Qualifies for Private School Bursaries?
Private school bursaries are almost always designed to support disadvantaged pupils who otherwise wouldn’t be able to attend the school. However, many factors go into deciding whether someone can or can’t afford to attend, so it’s rarely a question of simply how much money you earn.
Various things can dictate whether you or your child are likely to be considered for a bursary, including:
- Academic Ability – While your child doesn’t need to be at scholarship level, they’ll still be expected to match the institution’s academic expectations e.g. pass the school’s entrance examinations if they are a selective school. For in-demand schools, bursaries can sometimes be offered to the most academically capable children.
- Salary – Are you earning above or below the average for the school’s area? A standard London salary may make you eligible for a London private school bursary, but that same level of income can go much further in places like Devon.
- Assets – Private schools may consider things that you own, such as businesses or properties, as additional signs of wealth.
- Holidays – If your earnings are sufficient but you can’t afford school fees because of lavish yearly holidays, you may not be seen as eligible for support.
- Behaviour – Just as when accepting any child, private schools will also assess your child’s behaviour through things like interviews or taster days before offering a place with a bursary.
Some private schools will outline certain financial or situational requirements you’ll need to prove in order to qualify for a bursary. However, because it’s often so dependent on the unique needs of each family, many schools, including ours, will assess each application on a case-by-case basis. It is not uncommon for independent schools to outsource the bursary assessment process to an agency.
How to Apply for a Bursary
While bursary applications are a separate process to applying for your child to join a private school, both usually happen in parallel. Therefore, if you want your child to join with the support of a bursary, you’ll usually need to apply for it at the beginning of the admissions process.
At St Peter’s Prep, we have bursary application forms which need to be completed to start this process. These can be obtained at our finance office, or you can contact us for a digital copy. Our Finance Director will then arrange a meeting with you to discuss the application.
Applying for a bursary early on gives both you and the school time to assess your situation and reach a decision. That way, regardless of the outcome, you have more time to decide the next steps for you and your child.
There are situations where pupils already at a school will apply for bursaries, such as a change in family circumstance. Again, in this case, it’s best to contact the school as early as possible to ensure everyone has time to assess and decide the next steps.
Are There Other Fee-Assistance Options for Private Schools?
Bursaries and scholarships are not available to everyone, and even children who are deserving of support may miss out due to there being more demand for assistance than a school can provide.
If you would like your child to attend a private school but can’t find a bursary for them, some charitable organisations also provide support for school fees. A prominent example is the RNCSF, which offers fully-funded bursaries to care-experienced young people and children from areas of deprivation.
Other charities out there offer school fee support for children in other circumstances, such as the children of military personnel or those who have experienced the loss of a parent. Explore the Educational Trusts Forum to learn more about the kinds of opportunities available.
At St Peter’s Prep, we’re proud to offer support through our bursaries and scholarships programmes, as well as other means of assistance such as sibling discounts. If you’d like to know more about our bursaries and how to apply, please get in touch with our admissions team, who would be happy to answer your questions.
