A bursary is means-tested financial support for school fees. The aim is to ensure that Sevenoaks School is accessible to able students, irrespective of parental income. Any prospective pupil is eligible to apply for bursarial support, including those who are hoping to be awarded a scholarship (scholarships are awarded for excellence without, currently, taking financial circumstances into account). Assistance is normally provided in respect of day fees only. Although Sevenoaks does not have a significant amount of legacy income, the School puts aside a limited amount of funding to support pupils who cannot afford to pay school fees, including pupils who are already in the school and whose families have suffered sudden and unexpected financial hardship.

For more information you can download our Scholarships and Bursaries leaflet .

Criteria

A Bursary Committee meets to consider the relative merits of applications for assistance. In making its decisions, the Committee takes into account parental income and the value of capital assets, including the family home. Applications for assistance invariably exceed the funds available. However bursaries on a sliding scale up to the value of 100% of the day fee may be awarded. Priority is given to local applicants who require either full or substantial bursary funding in order to take up the offer of a place. It is expected that such applicants would have a combined parental income of less than £40,000 per annum. Some additional funding may be available to those who have been awarded substantial bursaries to help with co-curricular activities and trips.

Application Procedure

The prospective pupil and their parents should:

• Satisfy themselves that they are likely to fulfil the academic and means-testing criteria described above.
• Complete and return a General Application Form. This is available from the Admissions office or from our Downloads page.
• Complete and return a Statement of Financial Circumstances (together with supporting evidence) to the Finance Bursar. This form is available from the Admissions office.

The Statement of Financial Circumstances should be returned to the Finance Bursar by the following dates:

• 11+ entry – by the 1st November in the academic year prior to the year of admission.
• 13+ entry – by the 25th June in the calendar year prior to the year of admission.
• 16+ entry – by the 7th September in the academic year prior to the year of admission.

If the above deadlines are missed an application may still be submitted, but the Bursary Committee may not be able to provide a response about eligibility for bursarial support prior to the date of the Entrance Test, and the available funds may already have been allocated to other candidates.

All pupils must pass the Entrance Tests and satisfy normal application procedures to be admitted to the school.