Many parents decide that investing in their child’s education is a main priority for them.
A recent report by thinktank the Institute of Fiscal Studies showed that private education remains a good investment, with pupils doingwell academically, gaining places at the top universities and securing employment.
King’s regularly sees Sixth Form leavers heading to the top UK universities in large numbers: often more than 80% to the top 30 universities*, including a number to Oxford and Cambridge every year.
Academically, King’s is a high-achieving school with some of the best results in the country. See our website for results information.
*The Times
Whilst we are confident that independent education and specifically The King’s School provides good value, we recognise that, for most families, fees are a significant financial commitment. To this end, we have help and support in place.
At King’s, there are a number of schemes to help families manage the cost of school fees:
Means-tested full and part bursaries
King’s Scholar Awards
Music Scholarships
Direct Debit payment schemes
Childcare vouchers accepted for the Larks & Owls breakfast and after school clubs
King’s has been incredibly fortunate to receive donations from a wide range of supporters and other channels to assist children financially through the school. All of these donors recognise that King’s provides an excellent foundation which can transform lives and support future success.
In 1541, King Henry VIII founded The King’s School for “24 poor and friendless boys”. Today, King’s educates girls and boys in significantly higher numbers!
Since its foundation, such philanthropy has helped hundreds of children enjoy a King’s education. This heritage continues today, so it is fitting that donors continue to support pupils through the bursary schemes.
Whilst the bursary support is significant, typically supporting 8% of Senior School pupils a year, the funding is never enough to support everyone who needs financial assistance.
The school is committed to growing its financial support so it can carry on the tradition of enabling pupils of all backgrounds to access an excellent education.
King’s receives donations from individuals, organisations, trusts and foundations, helping to augment the monies the school provides for bursaries from its own income. Their individual reasons for supporting King’s vary but the common interest is a desire to help able young people to succeed.
Our King’s 100 Challenge was launched in 2016 with the vision to raise £20m by our 500th anniversary to fund a total of 100 bursaries or assisted places.
The bursary funds provide financial support for new pupils joining the school at Removes (Year 7) and Sixth Form.
This year we will be spending just under £800,000 supporting over 60 families with the cost of fees, many of whom would have been prevented from sending their children to King’s because of financial circumstances.
We are committed to helping low and middle-income families with bursary support from 5-100%, means-tested based on net disposable income which takes into account:
Household income
Savings
Benefits
Other income streams
Other assets
Equity in property
Reasonable outgoings
The bursaries are means-tested and support is awarded based upon annual household disposable income and other assets.
This means that parents will be asked to contribute to fees if their disposable income is sufficient. The decision on the allocation and awarding of bursaries is final and there is no right of appeal. Applications for bursaries are accepted on this basis.
We are always oversubscribed and allocate bursaries based on the filtering criteria:
Academic ranking
The family’s financial need
The criteria set by the donor of a specific bursary, e.g. limited geographical area
The application process will include a home visit and an interview. It is very important that the bursary form is completed fully and correctly, as re-assessment is not possible once the means-tested assessment is complete.
It is vital that you declare ALL of your household income(s) and complete the Bursary Application Form with complete honesty and to the best of your knowledge.
Any discrepancies on the form, or undeclared income that is subsequently discovered by our independent financial assessment company will, unfortunately, result in your application being immediately withdrawn.
This fair and transparent process is to ensure that our bursary funds are allocated to those most in need.
For more information see the frequently asked questions and read the full Bursary Policy here: www.kingschester.co.uk/about-us/policies
Up to 20 entrance scholarships are awarded to new Removes (Year 7) based on the results of the entry examination in Maths and English. These pupils will be awarded an Amazon voucher (or similar) to the value of £50.
King’s Scholar awards are made during the course of the lower years of the Senior School. The awards of £250 are based on the results of examinations. These pupils will have the honour of KS after their names until they reach Sixth Form.
One of King’s strengths is the quality and depth of its music. Singing, orchestras and ensembles are all outstanding, with a number of our pupils performing at national level. In order to recognise musical talent, the school provides a music scholarship each year to candidates joining King’s at Removes (Year 7).
This scholarship is allocated following auditions with the Director of Music and is equivalent to a year’s tuition in an instrument of their choice.
King’s works in partnership with The Chester Bluecoat Charity to award up to two full bursaries each year (one for girls, one for boys) to new Removes (Year 7) who attend one of our partner primary schools in Blacon or Lache.
Candidates are put forward by our partner primary schools and take the Entrance Exam in January. These bursaries are means-tested and awarded based on the same criteria as the King’s bursaries.
There are several scholarship opportunities for Sixth Form study at King’s:
Investec Scholarship worth £1,000 – this is awarded in the autumn of a student’s Fifth Year (Year 11) and is based on academic performance and contribution to school life.
Up to five King’s Scholarships worth £500 for pupils joining the Sixth Form from King’s Fifth Year (Year 11) – these are awarded in the January prior to starting King’s Sixth Form the following September. Students are invited to apply for scholarship interviews on the basis of academic performance and contribution to school life.
One King's Scholarship worth £500 for pupils joining the Sixth Form from other schools – these are awarded in the November prior to starting King’s the following September. Scholarships are awarded based on interviews and predicted grades, and are conditional on gaining eight grade 7-8 (A*/A) GCSEs.
The King’s Design and Technology Department regularly submits students for the Arkwright scholarship which recognises future leaders in Engineering. Applicants normally need to be studying Design Technology, Physics or other engineering-based subjects for A Level.
Fifth Year (Year 11) candidates must detail evidence of a technical project they have undertaken in their own time and sit a challenging technical exam. A small number are then invited to interview.
Successful candidates are sponsored by an engineering company or organisation, giving them help towards future employment or education. It also comes with monetary award of £600.
The poular Larks & Owls Breakfast and After School Club (available to Infant and Junior school pupils) can be funded with the help of childcare vouchers.
These are accepted from a wide range of providers to pay for sessions. In addition, for children in the Infant Reception class we can accept childcare vouchers against school fees up until the term they reach the age of five.
We recognise that families need to plan their finances carefully so we provide a number of ways to pay school fees:
Termly Direct Debit – Payments in September, January and May in advance of the commencement of each term.
Three Direct Debits per term – Pay three instalments each term
