Admissions
Foundation Bursaries
General
The Governors of the Loughborough Endowed Schools are committed to broadening access to the schools by offering to eligible parents/guardians means-tested financial support towards the payment of school fees. Such support is under the terms of the Articles of Association known as Foundation Bursaries and may be awarded in the form of a discount of up to 100% of the tuition fees payable, depending upon the financial, compassionate or other pertinent circumstances of the applicants.
Foundation Bursary Awards are subject to the testing of parental means each year and may be varied depending upon the parental circumstances. Awards are made on the basis of the Loughborough Endowed Schools Scale of Awards, which sets out the recommended level of award in relation to a family’s financial circumstances. The Scale of Awards is reviewed and revised annually, to reflect any changes in tuition fees, and is approved by the governors. Although awards are generally linked to this scale, they may be varied depending upon individual parents/guardians circumstances, including their savings, investments, realizable assets, income, size of the family, dependent relatives, and any compassionate or other pertinent considerations.
Requests for financial support toward the tuition fees normally fall into one of two categories:
- New applicants to the Grammar School and High School, where a place has been offered but parents/guardians are unable to fund the tuition fees.
- Existing pupils, where a change in the circumstances of the parents/guardians has resulted in difficulty in meeting the tuition fees and may result in a pupil being withdrawn part way through the relevant stage of education.
New Applicants to the Schools
Foundation Bursaries are made available to the parents/guardians of children entering Loughborough Grammar School and Loughborough High School. These awards are made at the discretion of the Governors, and the relevant Head and the Foundation Secretary & Treasurer are responsible for the management and co-ordination of the process.
The Application Process:
- Step 1. Parents/Guardians seeking a Foundation Bursary are required to complete an application form which seeks to establish the financial circumstances of the household. The form, which requests detail of income and capital, and which must be accompanied by full documentary evidence, can be obtained from the relevant Head or the Foundation Secretary & Treasurer. The completed forms together with the necessary documentary evidence, are to be submitted to the school no later than the date of the entrance examination in any year for the awards to start in the following September.
- Step 2. The finance staff assess all applications in order to establish the likely level of support which will be required in order to allow a child to attend one of the schools. This process may involve the Foundation Secretary & Treasurer, or his representative, visiting the parents/guardians home to ensure that the information has been correctly interpreted and that the basis of the financial assessment has been fair.
- Step 3. The finance staff prepare a recommendation in accordance with the Scale of Awards which is considered with the relevant Head; a joint decision is then reached.
- Step 4. The parents/guardians are advised by the relevant Head whether their child is to be offered a place at the school and of the foundation bursary offer.
- Step 5. Parents/Guardians are required to sign a letter accepting the place at the school and acknowledging the conditions relating to the provision of the foundation bursary.
The Case for Financial Assistance
The relevant Head and the Foundation Secretary & Treasurer will consider a number of factors when making a judgment as to the justification for support, and the extent of such support. In the main, a child’s suitability for the school in question is the first consideration in granting support.
- Suitability. In assessing a child’s suitability, attention will be given to the academic result of each applicant but potential will also be considered as well as achievement. Foundation Bursary funds are limited and those judged most suitable will be given priority as those who are likely to gain most from the educational opportunities. Each pupil to whom support is offered must, in the opinion of the relevant Head, be likely to make sound academic progress following admission, must possess the potential to develop the quality of his or her work, and benefit from participation in the extra-curricular activities on offer at the appropriate school. Previous school reports will be consulted for evidence of good behaviour.
- Financial Limitation. The amount of the Foundation Bursary award is not influenced by the level of the academic ability of the child but by the extent of financial need. Each case is assessed on its own merits and awards are made accordingly, subject to the Foundation’s ability to fund the awards. It is recognised that judgments about what sacrifices a family should make in order to pay school tuition fees will be personal. However, the Schools have a duty to ensure that all Foundation Bursary awards reflect all of the circumstances which are relevant.
- Other Factors.It is recognised that in addition to academic ability and financial constraints, there may be other circumstances which should be considered. These include:
- Where a child has a sibling or siblings at the school.
- Where the social needs of the child are relevant.
- Where a parent/guardian is terminally ill or is unable to secure permanent employment due to ill-health.
- Where a separation has resulted in the child having to be withdrawn from the school adding to the stress of coping with parents/guardians separating.
Existing Pupils: Change in Family Circumstances
Within the overall budgetary constraints, the Schools in normal circumstances have funds available for cases of sudden, unforeseen need or where applications meriting Foundation Bursary assistance are received out of the normal cycle. Parents/guardians with a child at the school whose financial circumstances suddenly change may contact the relevant Head or Foundation Secretary & Treasurer, to explain their situation and apply for an award. In this event, the application will be considered by the Bursary Committee. Existing pupils, where a change in the circumstances of the parents/guardians has resulted in difficulty in meeting the tuition fees and may result in a pupil being withdrawn part way through the relevant stage of education. Assistance of this nature may be provided to pupils at all of the schools within the Foundation.
Annual Review
All Foundation Bursary awards, regardless of the circumstances which have justified them, are subject to a review of the parental means each year and may be varied depending on the parental circumstances. Current Foundation Bursary holders will be issued with a repeat means-testing form each year and these forms should be completed by the 1st June in the year in question. For those previously in receipt of a Foundation Bursary, the relevant Head and Foundation Secretary & Treasurer have the discretion to reduce or withdraw an award not only where a pupil’s progress, attitude or behaviour have been unsatisfactory, but also where the parents/guardians have failed to support the school, for example by the late payment of any contribution they make towards the tuition fees.
Confidentiality
The Schools respect the confidentiality of all Foundation Bursary awards made to families. Recipients of these awards are expected to do likewise.
