Applications

Scholarships & Bursaries

(Senior School and Sixth Form only)

Scholarships & Bursaries

The Girls’ Day School Trust offers scholarships and bursaries to ensure that its schools continue to be accessible to all able students. Scholarships and bursaries are awarded pre-entry, either for Year 7 or on direct entry to the Sixth Form. If funding is available, bursary assistance can sometimes be offered to families who encounter unexpected difficulties. Parents should contact the Headmistress for further information.

What is the difference between a Scholarship and a Bursary?

• Scholarships are awarded on merit, irrespective of financial means. Offers are made based upon performance in the entrance examinations for Year 7 or, in the case of Sixth Form scholarships, for outstanding ability demonstrated in individual subjects and disciplines. The maximum value of a scholarship is 50% of the annual fees. A scholarship can be combined with a bursary depending on financial need.

• Music Scholarships are awarded following an audition, an interview with the Director of Music and reference from the pupil’s music teacher.

Bursaries are usually awarded to pupils in the top 50% of performance in the entrance examinations. All bursaries are means-tested and their value is related to the income and financial resources of the pupil’s family. The maximum value of a bursary can be the full published fees.

Most bursaries are awarded to students from families with a total income of less than £20,000 per year and with no capital assets other than their home. It is highly unlikely that a bursary would be awarded to a family whose gross income is more than £40,000, other than in exceptional circumstances. We aim to assist as many families qualifying for bursaries as possible; however, given the demand, we are not usually able to offer support to all those who might qualify.

If bursary funding is available, assistance can sometimes be offered to families who encounter unexpected difficulties. Parents should contact the Headmistress for further information

• Will my daughter definitely get a bursary?

Each school has a limited budget available to award each year and, even though you may be assessed as eligible for a bursary, there is no guarantee that your daughter will get one. Priority will be given in the first instance to girls who perform in the top half of the ability range in the entrance test. Please be aware that, should you choose to accept a full fee paying place, you would not be eligible to apply for a bursary in subsequent years unless there was a significant and unforeseen change to your financial circumstances from the time your daughter first joined the school.

• How does the Scholarship and Bursary scheme work?

Scholarships and bursaries are available at Trust schools on the following basis:

They are only awarded to girls aged 11 or over to help finance their secondary education. Most scholarships and bursaries are awarded before entering Year 7 or on direct entry into the Sixth Form. Each school has a cash-limited budget each year and so, inevitably, awards cannot be made to all those who qualify on academic grounds.

Post-entry bursaries can be awarded to girls whose families suffer unexpected financial difficulties, and are no longer able to pay the fees in full. These bursaries are designed to avoid a girl’s education being interrupted at a critical stage and, wherever possible, are awarded so that the pupil can complete that particular phase of study.

Scholarships and bursaries may be withdrawn at the discretion of the Headmistress, in the event of unsatisfactory work or conduct. This action will only occur as the culmination of a process of communication and guidance between the school and home.

HSBC Scholarship Scheme for Sixth Form

In addition to its own scholarship and bursaries scheme, the GDST is also involved in a major national support scheme initiated by HSBC. HSBC, the international banking and financial services group, is a major supporter of educational development programmes in the UK and overseas through its own HSBC Education Trust.

The HSBC Scholarship Scheme is designed to encourage access and diversity in secondary independent education by providing financial support to able children who enter from the state primary sector into Year 7 or from a state secondary school into the Sixth Form.

Scholarship places under this scheme are awarded on academic merit and are means-tested and applications follow exactly the same procedure as for the GDST’s own bursaries. The Scholarships support the pupils throughout their sixth form career but are not transferable outside the GDST schools and only in highly exceptional circumstances between Trust schools. Scholarships are awarded to girls currently in maintained secondary schools. Awards are made based on performance in the entrance test, references from the girl’s current school and an interview following the test.

• What do you need to do next if you wish to apply for a bursary?
• Complete the bursary form and return by the date shown on the form

• Register your daughter to take the entrance examination, if you have not already done so

A separate leaflet is available directly from the School containing full information about the bursary scheme and details of how to apply and an application form.

If you need help in completing the form, please contact Miss L. Froggatt, Admissions Secretary on (0114) 266 0324 or the GDST Bursary Department on (0207) 393 6666 who will be happy to assist you.

• Discounts

Sibling Discounts
Discounts are offered to parents with four or more children at the school at any one time at the rate of 15% off the third and fourth child.

Fees paid in advance
Please contact the school office who will give you information about the reduction applicable for fees paid annually in advance.

For parents wishing to pay advance fees of more than one year, three different payment plans are available. Please contact the GDST fees department for more details.

If you have any further questions about scholarships or bursaries, the Headmistress would be happy to speak to you at any time.

If you would like to read the information above in leaflet form, you can download a copy here

This website is for information only and does not form part of any contract between parents and the Trust. The information which appears here is written in good faith and was believed to be correct at the time of its addition to the web site. For the latest information on any particular issue, you are advised to contact the School direct.