Applications

Scholarships & Bursaries

(Senior School and Sixth Form only)

What is the difference between a scholarship and a bursary?

A scholarship is awarded on academic merit as measured in a competitive entrance examination and is granted irrespective of financial means. The maximum value of a scholarship is 50% of the published fees.

A bursary also takes into account academic merit, but a bursary is means-tested and its 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.

Around 20% of the pupils in GDST senior schools hold Trust scholarships or bursaries.

The Trust Scholarship and Bursary Schemes

The Girls’ Day School Trust introduced its own bursary scheme to replace the Government Assisted Places Scheme which ended some years ago. The Trust scheme aims to ensure that GDST schools continue to be accessible to able girls who would benefit from a Trust education, but who could not afford it without financial help. We believe that the presence of a significant proportion of academically able and well-motivated girls from families of modest means is an important factor in achieving and maintaining high academic standards for the benefit of the whole school.

Trust scholarships and bursaries are available to any girl aged 11 and over and most scholarships and bursaries are awarded pre-entry either for Year 7 or on direct entry to the Sixth Form. The 11-plus Entrance and Scholarship examination is usually held in mid-January each year and the Sixth Form Scholarship examination towards the end of that month. For further details of the dates of the next examinations, please see Entrance Exams

In planning to apply for a bursary, parents need to take into account that, while a bursary could be for the published fees, they might still have to pay for lunch, uniform and travel to and from school. However, if they receive Family Credit or Income Support, grants will be made automatically towards these costs. A family may be eligible for bursaries for two or more daughters simultaneously.

Sixth Form Scholarships

Sixth Form Scholarships worth between 5% and 20% of the school fees are available to current pupils and girls wishing to join the Sixth Form from other schools.

Scholarships are awarded based on excellent performance in the scholarship examinations which are held towards the end of January each year. All candidates sit a core multiple-choice paper and their second paper is in a subject of their own choice. The subject chosen should be one of the subjects the candidate intends to study for A-level. The scholarship examinations are based on the work the students have been studying at GCSE and no additional preparation is required. Candidates choosing Drama, Art or Sport will be assessed by interview, in addition to taking the core paper.

Approximately six Sixth Form scholarships are awarded each year, depending on the ability of the candidates. A small number of exhibitions (worth £100 each) may be awarded for candidates who perform exceptionally well in their chosen subject but less well on the core paper.

For students not currently at Sheffield High School who are applying to study Maths and Physics at A-level, there is also the possibility of applying for an Ogden Scholarship – see The Ogden Trust

Bursaries in the Sixth Form

Sixth Form Bursaries (worth up to 100% of the fees) are available for current and prospective pupils and are dependent on the family’s income. Bursary applications are available from the School Office.

HSBC Scholars

One or two scholarships covering 100% of fees are offered and funded in equal proportion by the HSBC and the GDST. These scholarships are available to able pupils from state primary schools and they cover fees for the duration of the pupil’s secondary education within the Trust. The awards are made on the basis of outstanding academic merit and are means-tested. GDST bursary forms must have been requested and returned in order to be eligible for the HSBC scholarships.

Further Information

Scholarships or bursaries are transferable if a girl transfers to a different Trust school because of a family move. Please note that all our scholarships and bursaries are dependent upon satisfactory work, progress, behaviour and attendance and can be withdrawn at the discretion of the head in the event of unsatisfactory work or conduct.

As scholarships are not means-tested, no financial information is required unless parents ask for financial assistance in excess of the value of the scholarship awarded. Because bursaries are means-tested, they are reviewed annually and may be adjusted in value up or down as family income changes.

If a family does not accept the monetary value of a scholarship, then this may be surrendered in order to assist another pupil, but the girl who won the scholarship may retain the honour by the announcement of an Honorary Scholarship.

In order that parents can budget, all scholarships are ‘index-linked’ in that they are awarded as a percentage of the published fees, so that when the fees increase, the scholarship automatically increases. Bursaries are re-valued annually on the basis outlined above. A girl may hold both a scholarship and a bursary on condition that the total value does not exceed the full fees.

Details of bursaries awarded by the school are not published to protect the privacy of students and their families.

How much financial help can you expect?

Most bursaries will be awarded to girls from families with a total income of less than £13,000 per year and with no capital assets other than their home. It is unlikely that a bursary would be awarded to a family whose gross income is more than £38,000 other than in exceptional circumstances. The maximum award for bursaries is the full fees. For scholarships it is half fees but a scholarship can be supplemented by a bursary.

How do you apply?

Enquiries about Trust scholarships and bursaries should be directed to the Headmistress, Mrs V A Dunsford. Enquiries should ideally be made during the autumn term, with a view to girls taking part in the entrance procedure including interview during the spring prior to their date of entry.

All scholarships and bursaries are awarded on the basis of performance in the standard school entrance procedure in January. Following this, the Head may offer a place and at the same time indicate whether a scholarship is to be awarded or if a bursary is available.

Parents do not need to apply for scholarships (other than for direct entry to Sixth Form), as these will be offered automatically on the basis of performance in the entrance examination.

Parents must however apply in advance for bursaries, so that a financial assessment can be made before the entrance examination is taken. Parents can then receive an indication of the likely value of any bursary before deciding whether or not to accept the offer of a place.

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

Short-term Assistance

Bursaries are intended to provide financial assistance throughout a girl’s time in the Senior School. However, it is recognised that occasions will arise when some form of short-term assistance is required and a small fund (the Centenary Fund) exists for this purpose. It is the policy of the Trust to make every effort to help if possible in order to avoid disruption of a girl’s education at a critical point in cases of unexpected family financial difficulties.

This web site 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.