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Bursaries (Fee Assistance)
Bursaries (Fee Assistance)
The Council of St George's School aims to keep fees
as low as possible, while maintaining the best educational
standards and the development of its facilities.
The School has no major endowments, but it is as generous as its
funds will allow in offering bursaries to those who cannot afford
the full fee. St George's seeks to be accessible to students from a
wide range of social, economic and cultural backgrounds. The School
recognises that both working and single parents wanting the very
special education it gives to girls and young women may face
sacrifices in meeting the fees.
We have tried to provide answers to the questions most commonly
asked about bursaries at St George's by parents of current and
prospective pupils.
Further enquiries should be made to the Treasurer:
Jeremy Chittleburgh, Chiene + Tait CA, 61 Dublin Street,
Edinburgh EH3 6NL.
jeremy.chittleburgh@chiene.co.uk
Just Giving - Donate Online
We hope you may wish to contribute to our bursary fund, which
helps to support new students from families on lower incomes and
current students who face financial difficulties. In these
uncertain times, we can never be sure who may need financial help.
It is also important that the school provide bursary money so that
it may keep its charitable status, which will help to ensure St
George's future success, whatever the economy's ups and downs.
To make giving to the bursary fund as simple as possible, we now
have this "Just Giving" link. Thank
you for your support.
How are Bursaries awarded?
Bursaries are awarded on the basis of financial need. All
applicants are required to complete an application form which
provides details of their income and capital. Where there is no
financial need, no bursary can be given. The level of awards varies
significantly and in exceptional cases can be as much as 100%, but
awards tend to be in the range of 20% - 40%.
How many Bursaries are awarded each year?
St George's has finite resources from which it can offer
bursaries. A range of factors is considered in making the awards
and there are no hard and fast rules. As a result, the number and
size of bursaries can vary considerably.
When can Bursaries be awarded?
The main point at which bursaries are awarded is at entry to S1
in Scottish secondary education, known as Lower 4 at St George's.
This is the equivalent of Year 8 in the English system. In
such cases the award will continue throughout the student's
education at St George's. The level of award will be reviewed from
time to time, to ensure that the family's financial circumstances
have not improved sufficiently to reduce or remove the need for a
bursary. A limited number of awards are granted, from P1 -
S6, St George's Primary 1 - Upper 6. These are
determined by the availability of bursary funds at the time. Many
of these awards are intended to assist existing students where
there has been a change in financial circumstances which threatens
the continuance of their education, but awards can also be made to
new applicants.
How should I apply for a Bursary for my daughter?
In the case of new students, an application to attend St
George's is required first. When making this application, parents
should contact the Admissions Manager, should they wish their
daughter to be considered for a bursary. They will then be sent a
bursary application form to be completed and returned to the
Treasurer. Parents of existing students seeking a bursary
should contact the Treasurer's Office directly for an application
form.
What information is required?
The application form for a bursary requires details of the
family income and regular commitments, such as mortgage payments.
Unearned income must also be shown. Details of other children in
the family are required with information about their current
status: whether they attend school, college or university, or are
employed. This is intended to provide a clear picture of the
family's position, to allow the Treasurer to make a fair
assessment. In some cases, the parents will be invited to a short
meeting with the Treasurer.
What is the application process?
Wherever possible, applications for bursaries should be returned
to the Treasurer's Office as soon as possibly and certainly by the
end of term prior to the school session for which the bursary is
sought. The application will be confidential to the Treasurer, but
he may need to consult the Head, or the Finance and General
Purposes Committee of the School's Council. He will then decide on
whether an award can be made and at what level. There is no process
of appeal from this decision. If awarded, the bursary will be
deducted from the tuition fee and will be shown on the fee note
sent out by the Treasurer. No actual payment is made to the
parent.
Are there conditions for the holding of a Bursary?
Bursaries are normally awarded on the basis that financial
assistance with fees will be required for as long as the student
remains at St George's. All awards are granted for one year and are
then subject to review. If the financial position of the family
changes, the Treasurer should be notified. This may lead to a
change in the level of the bursary. In all cases, bursaries are
conditional upon the student's commitment to learning and
appropriate standards of behaviour. A bursary may be withdrawn,
after a warning, in the event of serious misconduct or persistent
misbehaviour.
Are there other sources of financial assistance?
There are a number of educational and charitable trusts which
provide assistance with tuition fees. In the majority of cases,
these are to assist children who are already attending a fee-paying
school and are unlikely to remain, as a result of a change in
financial circumstances. In addition, such trusts tend to be
reluctant to commit funds for more than one or two years, and are
most likely to consider applicants who are in the middle of
examination courses. St George's encourages parents to apply for
support where there a good case can be made. Most trusts will
contact the school directly to seek information about the student's
commitment to learning and behaviour.
Further information on applications to
trusts may be obtained from:
The Scottish
Council of Independent Schools
21 Melville Street
Edinburgh
EH3 7PE
Tel: 0131 220 2106
Email: information@scis.org.uk
The Joint
Educational Trust
6 Lovat Lane
London
EC3R 8DT
Tel: 0207 283 3445
Email: admin@jetcharity.org