Fee Support
St Edward’s is committed to ensuring that as many young people as possible from all backgrounds are able to benefit from a Teddies education. We show this commitment by giving free and subsidised places to a significant number of our pupils.
Our next Fee Support Open Evening will be on Wednesday 15th May 2024.
The open evening is open to families whose children are currently being educated in the state sector and who are interested in finding out more about free or heavily subsidised places at St Edward’s School for entry into Years 9, 10 or 12 from 2025 onwards.
The event will therefore be of most interest to families whose children are in Years 7, 8 or 10 from September 2024.
Fee support, also known as a bursary, is a reduction in school fees of up to 100% depending on the family’s financial circumstances. Any prospective pupil for the Year 9, 10 or 12 intake who is likely to meet the entry requirements, but does not have the financial means to take up a place if offered one, is eligible to apply for a bursary.
We value the positive impact every one of our pupils makes on the life and community of St Edward’s School. Currently around 100 pupils receive fee support at varying levels, and we would like to increase this to 160 pupils (equivalent to 1 in 5 pupils) in the coming years. Our commitment to bursaries dates back to the School’s origins and remains part of our charitable purpose today.
If you would like to find out more about fee support, please register your interest by completing this form.
What level of fee support is offered?
We offer a limited number of bursaries for 100% of the school fees, and in some situations give additional financial support e.g. to cover the costs of books, equipment, exam entry fees and educational visits.
We can also offer fee support to make up a proportion of the cost of fees (relative to a family’s financial circumstances) if sufficient bursary funds are available.
Bursaries are offered for boarding and day places for the duration of a pupil’s time at St Edward’s, subject to an annual review of the family’s financial circumstances and regular formal reviews of the pupil’s academic performance, co-curricular contribution and good behaviour.
A bursary is distinct from Scholarships and Awards, which recognise excellence in academic, music, sport and arts performance, and are fixed fee awards. A prospective pupil does not need to hold a scholarship/award to be eligible for a bursary, although may wish to apply for both.
How do we work out who is eligible for fee support?
The level of fee support which might be offered is dependent on a family’s financial circumstances. The appropriate level is assessed through the bursary application process (see below). Fee support is only available to applicants who are resident in the UK.
Our ability to give a prospective pupil a funded place once they have successfully completed the entrance assessments is dependent on the School having sufficient bursary funds available. The funds are finite and the demand for funded places is high. Those assessed as likely to gain the most from a St Edward’s education, and to contribute most to the School, are our preferred recipients of funded places.
What is the application process and when are the key deadlines?
We can guide you through the bursary application process, which is open to applicants in Year 6 and upwards.
A bursary application must be submitted no later than 1st October in the academic year in which a prospective pupil is being assessed (see also How to Apply and Admissions Dates).
To make an application for fee support, request a Confidential Statement of Financial Circumstances (CSFC) from the Admissions Department and return it by 1st October deadline. In the first instance, these applications are reviewed by the School’s Bursary Committee. Those considered likely to be successful in the means-testing process are forwarded to a firm of independent assessors, Bursary Administration Limited (BAL).
BAL will get in contact to arrange a home visit, which is an opportunity to discuss the application with the family. On the basis of the CSFC form and home visit, BAL will submit a report to the School which includes the recommended level of financial assistance.
Parents are then informed by the Registrar of the indicative level of fee assistance that they could be offered, subject to the annual limits of bursary funds and the prospective pupil fulfilling all the entry assessment requirements.
For Year 9 prospective pupils, parents will be informed in March of the academic year in which the child has been assessed whether they have a place and fee support.
For Year 10 and 12 prospective pupils, parents will be informed in December of the academic year in which the child has been assessed whether they have a place and fee support.
For further information see Bursaries at St Edward’s – Information for Parents.
“I joined St Edward’s from Matthew Arnold School, and the thing that surprised me most about the School was the real opportunity to get involved in so many different activities. During my time at the School, I tried hockey and rowing for the first time, and took part in both the RAF and Army sections of the Combined Cadet Force. I also enjoyed one-to-one piano lessons in the Music School as well as seeing plays and exhibitions at the School’s North Wall Arts Centre.”
Armela – Training to be a Barrister after studying Law at the University of Oxford
“It was a substantial change for me to transfer from my regular state school in Dorset to an independent boarding school in Oxford. However it was made simple by all the wonderful people I met along the way and the incredibly supportive St Edward’s community. I will always be thankful for the opportunities that the School gave me because all the new and exciting opportunities completely changed the course of my life.”