Help with School Fees
What help is available for paying school fees?
There are a number of sources of funding to help with school fees, but there are limited sums available.
Many fee paying schools offer scholarships to attract bright or talented pupils who show potential for high achievement. They are usually awarded after a competitive examination, for academic ability, or after an audition for musical or artistic merit. Scholarships vary in value but rarely cover the whole fees, typically 10-25%, although in some cases this may be supplemented by a means-tested bursary.
Many private schools also have bursaries - grants from the school itself to help pay the fees - which are often awarded after a 'means test' of family income. They are awarded at the discretion of the school, which will set specific criteria.
Some private schools offer grants to children of clergy, teachers and those in the armed forces. Others give help to children of former pupils, single parent families and orphans or offer concessions for siblings. You should contact the private schools that interest you to find out the details of any bursaries or grants on offer and how much the awards are worth.
Financial assistance may also be available from educational charities. These organisations normally reserve awards for children whose parents can show a genuine need for an independent education or to enable the child to complete the current stage of education in the event of an unforeseen change in family circumstances. Such organisations receive far more requests than they can support. They will not consider applications made purely on the grounds that parents would like an independent education for their child but cannot afford it from their own resources. Awards may be made to help with costs of school uniform or sports equipment. Sources of information on this type of help would include your town library, where you will find directories of grant-giving organisations and any professional body or trades union of which the parent is a member.