Let’s talk fee assistance.
Many parents believe that their child needs to be awarded a scholarship in order to receive financial help from a school. This isn’t the case.
Over 168,000 private school pupils (33% of all pupils) get some sort of financial help. The 2018 ISC annual census shows that many schools have extended bursary provision in the last year providing almost £400m means-tested fee assistance for pupils. The ways in which schools assess how they are going to give families a bursary have now become much more generous and will continue to do so.
So why do schools offer bursaries? It goes back to the mission of most independent schools, where the founders wanted to pay for poor scholars to have an education for social mobility and the alleviation of poverty. It's in the schools' ethos.
As Mark Bailey (High Master of St Paul’s School) and David Goodhew (Headmaster of Latymer Upper), both agreed in our education theatres last year that diversity in independent schools benefits all pupils. ‘Our parents want us to be a school for people from all walks of life, from diverse backgrounds, culturally, social-economically, because it helps one feel like real life in the modern world.’
David Goodhew, Headmaster of Latymer Upper
We can’t tell you how much financial aid you might receive as schools differ widely in how they make decisions and, of course, how much money they have for such purposes. Some schools, such as St Paul’s, consider families with a surprisingly high overall level of income (£120,000) whereas others have a much lower income threshold. Schools are autonomous when it comes to offering fee assistance – there are no fixed rules.
The best way to find out what each school has to offer, and if you could be considered for some sort of financial aid, is to speak individually to the schools. Charles Bonas, Director of Bonas MacFarlane, London's most successful providers of specialist education consulting and tuition, notes that a face-to-face conversation is much more effective with schools than an email chain or telephone call.
At the Independent Schools Show, we have over 200 of the UK’s leading schools all under one roof, providing parents with the perfect opportunity to meet schools one-to-one and get your questions answered. You can also hear from experts in the field in our two education theatres, covering all you need to know to ensure you select a school that is right for your child.
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