We all know that private education can be terrifyingly expensive. Yet for parents not possessed of a vast fortune, there are ways of affording it. Scholarships and bursaries are more common than you might think, and your child doesn’t necessarily have to be a genius to get one. Here, we list some of the best on offer…
| School | Location | Boarding? | For… | Annual fees | Scholarships / Bursaries Available | Criteria |
| Wycombe Abbey School | Buckinghamshire | Boarding | Girls | £29,250 (boarding) | Academic scholarships: up to 5% of fees; academic exhibitions: £600 pa | exam |
| & Day | £21,930 | Music scholarships: | ||||
| (day) | tuition on 2 instruments | audition | ||||
| Music exhibitions: | (about Grade 5 on | |||||
| tuition on 1 instrument | main instrument) | |||||
| St Paul’s | London | Day | Girls | £16,302 | Bursaries: up to 100% of fees | means-tested |
| Girls’ School | Up to 4 academic scholarships: | exam | ||||
| £250 pa | ||||||
| Up to 4 music scholarships: | audition | |||||
| £200 pa + tuition on 1 instrument | ||||||
| Lady Eleanor Holles School | Richmond | Day | Girls | £13,800 | Academic scholarships: | exam |
| up to 10% of fees | ||||||
| Music scholarships: 10% of fees | audition | |||||
| 0 | (about Grade 4) | |||||
| Music exhibitions: 7.5% of fees | ||||||
| Assisted place bursaries: | means-tested | |||||
| up to 80% of fees | ||||||
| St Paul’s School | London | Boarding & Day | Boys | £26,562 (boarding) | Academic scholarships: £60 pa | exam |
| £17,928 | Music scholarships: £60 | audition + test (about Grade 6 on main instrument) | ||||
| (day) | 0 | |||||
| Music exhibitions: | means-tested | |||||
| tuition on 1 instrument | ||||||
| Bursaries: up to 100% of fees | ||||||
| City of London School for Girls | London | Day | Girls | £13,131 | Academic scholarships: | exam |
| £500 – £1,500 pa | ||||||
| 1 art scholarship: up to £1,500 pa | portfolio, exam | |||||
| & interview | ||||||
| Music scholarships: | audition (Grade 5+) | |||||
| £500 – £1,500 pa | ||||||
| audition | ||||||
| 1 drama scholarship: up to £1,500pa | means-tested | |||||
| Academic & City Bursaries: | (disposable income up to £50,000) | |||||
| 25% – 100% of fees | exam & means-tested | |||||
| 1 centenary scholarship: | ||||||
| up to 100% of fees | ||||||
| School | Location | Boarding? | For… | Annual fees | Scholarships/Bursaries Available | Criteria |
| Magdalen College School | Oxford | Day | Boys | £13,068 | Academic scholarships | exam |
| & exhibitions: ‘modest value’ | ||||||
| Bursaries: up to 100% of fees | exam + means-tested | |||||
| (usually 10-20%) | ‘high academic ability’ + ‘substantial contribution to wider life of the school’ | |||||
| All-rounder awards | ||||||
| audition | ||||||
| 16 choristerships: | ||||||
| ‘generous scholarship’ | ||||||
| Withington | Manchester | Day | Girls | £9,810 | Bursaries: 10% – 100% of fees | means-tested (household income up to about £45,000) |
| Girls’ School | ||||||
| King Edward VI High School | Birmingham | Day | Girls | £9,735 | Small number of scholarships: up to about 50% of fees | exam + interview |
| Bursaries: up to 100% of fees | means-tested | |||||
| The Manchester Grammar School | Manchester | Day | Boys | £9,660 | Bursaries: up to 100% of fees | means-tested (household income up to about £38,750) |
| Royal Grammar School, Guildford | Guildford | Day | Boys | £13,305 | Academic scholarships: | exam |
| 5% – 20% of fees | ||||||
| Music scholarships: | audition | |||||
| 5% – 20% of fees | ||||||
| Bursaries: up to 100% of fees | means-tested | |||||
| North London Collegiate School | Edgware | Day | Girls | £13,572 | Bursaries: 10% – 100% of fees | means-tested |
| Academic scholarships: | exam | |||||
| up to 50% of fees | ||||||
| Music scholarships | audition (Grade 5+) | |||||
| Haberdashers’ Aske’s Girls | Elstree | Day | Girls | £11,490 | Academic scholarships: | exam + interview |
| up to 50% of fees | ||||||
| Music scholarships: 50% of fees | audition | |||||
| 0 | ||||||
| Financial assistance: | means-tested (household income up to about £60,000) | |||||
| up to 100% of fees | ||||||
| Westminster School | London | Boarding & Day | Boys | £29,406 (boarding) | Bursaries: up to 100% of fees | means-tested |
| £20,364 | 8 Queen’s Scholarships | scholarship exam | ||||
| (day) | (for boarders): 50% of fees | |||||
| 5 exhibitions: smaller scholarship | ||||||
| 6 music scholarships: 25% of fees + tuition on 2 instruments | audition | |||||
| School | Location | Boarding? | For… | Annual fees | Scholarships/Bursaries Available | Criteria |
| James Allen’s Girls’ School | Dulwich | Day | Girls | £12,975 | Up to 20 academic scholarships: | exam |
| £1,000 pa or £500 pa | ||||||
| 1 music scholarship | audition | |||||
| 1 art scholarship | sketchbook | |||||
| Sports exhibitions | sports aptitude test | |||||
| 17 bursaries: up to 100% of fees | means-tested (household income up to £55,000) | |||||
| South Hampstead High School | London | Day | Girls | £12,006 | Academic scholarships | exam |
| Bursaries | exam + | |||||
| means-tested | ||||||
| Music scholarships | Grade 6+ | |||||
| King’s College School | Wimbledon | Day | Boys | £16,680 | Up to 20 academic scholarships: | exam |
| £500 – £1,500 pa | ||||||
| 3 academic awards for science, modern language & classics | exam + interview | |||||
| 3+ music scholarships: up to £1,500 + free tuition on 2 instruments | ||||||
| 1 art scholarship | audition | |||||
| (Grade 6+) | ||||||
| 1+ sports scholarships | portfolio + | |||||
| interview | ||||||
| Bursaries: up to 100% of fees | fitness test + interview + assessment | |||||
| means-tested | ||||||
| Merchant Taylors’ School | Northwood | Day | Boys | £15,250 | Up to 10 academic scholarships: | exam + interview |
| up to £200 pa | ||||||
| 1 or 2 sports scholarships | fitness test + interview + assessment | |||||
| ‘high academic -ability’ + ‘substantial contribution to wider life of the school’ | ||||||
| 1 or 2 all-rounder scholarships: up to £200 pa | audition (Grade 5+) | |||||
| means-tested | ||||||
| 4 music scholarships: 10–25% of fees + tuition on 2 instruments | ||||||
| Bursaries: up to 100% of fees | ||||||
| Guildford High School for Girls | Guildford | Day | Girls | £12,744 | Academic scholarships: | exam + interview |
| up to 1/3 of fees | ||||||
| Music scholarships: up to 1/3 of fees | audition (Grade 4-5+) | |||||
| means-tested + scholarship | ||||||
| Bursaries | ||||||
| Putney High School | Putney | Day | Girls | £12,063 | Music scholarships: 5-50% of fees | 2 auditions (Grade 4+) |
| means-tested | ||||||
| Bursaries | exam | |||||
| Academic scholarships | ||||||
| Cheltenham Ladies’ College | Cheltenham | Boarding and day | Girls | £27,735 (boarding) | About 20 academic scholarships: | exam |
| £18,621 | up to 15% of fees | |||||
| (day) | Art scholarships: up to 15% of fees | |||||
| Music scholarships: up to 15% of fees | means-tested | |||||
| Bursaries | ||||||
| School | Location | Boarding? | For… | Annual fees | Scholarships/Bursaries Available | Criteria |
| City of London School for Boys | London | Day | Boys | £13,050 | About 30 academic scholarships: | exam |
| 1/6 to 1/2 of fees | ||||||
| ‘Sponsored awards’: | ‘reasoning test’ + means-tested (household income up to £60,000) | |||||
| up to 100% of fees | audition + interview (Grade 5+) | |||||
| membership of the choir (audition) | ||||||
| trials | ||||||
| Music scholarships: up to 50% of fees | ||||||
| Choral bursaries: 2/3 of fees | ||||||
| Sports scholarships | ||||||
| Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys | Elstree | Day | Boys | £14,103 | Music scholarships: up to 50% of fees + tuition on 1 instrument | audition |
| Tonbridge School | Kent | Boarding and day | Boys | £29,913 (boarding) | 1 Ainslie scholarship: | exams |
| £22,335 (day) | up to 50% of fees | |||||
| 20 other academic scholarships: up to 10% of fees | exams | |||||
| About 10 music scholarships: 10% of fees + tuition on 2 instruments | ||||||
| Choral boarding places: | audition + test (Grade 5+) | |||||
| up to 10% of fees | membership | |||||
| Up to 8 art, design, technology and drama scholarships: 10% of fees | of the choir | |||||
| 3+ Cowdrey scholarships for sport: 10% of fees | interview + | |||||
| 10 Foundation Awards: | practical assessment | |||||
| up to 100% of fees | interview + | |||||
| assessment | ||||||
| means-tested | ||||||
| Alleyn’s School | Dulwich | Day | Co-ed | £14,013 | 12 Saddler’s & Foundation | exam |
| scholarships: 1/3 of fees | ||||||
| 6 academic scholarships: | exam | |||||
| 1/6 of fees | ||||||
| 10 academic exhibitions: £500 | exam | |||||
| 2 art scholarships: up to 1/3 of fees | portfolio + | |||||
| assessment | ||||||
| 4 music scholarships: up to 1/3 of fees + tuition on 1 instrument | audition | |||||
| 6 music exhibitions: | (Grade 5+) | |||||
| tuition on 1 instrument | audition | |||||
| 4 sports scholarships: | ||||||
| 1/6 – 1/3 of fees | assessment | |||||
| 10 sports exhibitions: £250 pa | ||||||
| 5-10 academic bursaries: | assessment | |||||
| 50-100% of fees | exam + means-tested | |||||
| 1 or 2 music bursaries: | audition + | |||||
| 50-100% of fees | means-tested | |||||
| Bancroft’s School | Woodford | Day | Co-ed | £12,558 | Drapers’ scholarships: | exam + interview |
| Green | up to 50% of fees | |||||
| Up to 5 Francis Bancroft scholarships | exam + interview + means-tested (household income up to £50,000) | |||||
| audition | ||||||
| (Grade 4+) | ||||||
| 1 or 2 music scholarships: up to 50% of fees + tuition on 1 instrument | ||||||
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