Life-changing financial assistance
16+ Bursaries
“I’m tremendously grateful to have had access to all the exceptional facilities and resources Highgate has to offer. I’ve made a group of lifelong friends. I genuinely believe this bursary has changed my life.”
Louis, previous bursary recipient now studying engineering
We offer substantial means-tested fee-assisted places (known as “bursaries”) because we believe wholeheartedly that the first-class education our pupils experience can transform children’s lives, and greatly increase the opportunities available to them in adulthood.
Many schools offer smaller “top up” bursaries of 5% or 10%, but at Highgate we concentrate on life-changing larger awards.
We currently have almost 100 bursary holders in the Senior School, most receiving substantial awards covering 90%-100% of their fees. Many of our bursary holders also receive assistance with additional costs such as IT, school trips and uniforms. We want a Highgate education to be accessible for all, and for bursary holders to be able to participate fully in every aspect of school life.
We strongly believe that bursaries have a positive impact not only on an individual recipient, but on the whole school. Our bursary holders enrich and diversify our school community.
Bursary application timeline: 16+ 2025 entry
Applications for 2025 entry are now open, and our closing date is Friday 18 October 2024.
If you wish to apply for a bursary, please make this clear on your application form. If your total family income is less than £45,000, we will reduce the size of the application fee from £150 to £30. (If you can’t afford the £30 fee then please let us know.)
We will then send you a financial assessment form, plus guidance on how to complete it. You need to send us the completed form by the application deadline of Friday 18 October 2024.
Please note that you information will remain strictly confidential and will not affect the outcome of the academic assessments, which take place in December and are designed to check if candidates would be able to cope with the fast-paced learning here at Highgate.
If your child is invited to a second round interview, you will be invited to attend an online meeting with a representative from BAA (Bursary Assessment Associates). BAA are an expert independent company we use to help us assess bursary candidates. They will treat your information in total confidence, and will help to guide you through the process. You can read more about them here:
Information for parents | Bursary Assessment Associates
In your online meeting, the BAA representative will go through your completed financial assessment form with you, ask any questions, answer any questions that you might have, and give you the chance to explain anything that might be unclear from your application form. They will then make a recommendation to us regarding your suitability for a bursary.
If your child is successful in the second round of assessments, we will then make a final decision on the size of the bursary to award, based on BAA’s recommendation, the number of candidates and the amount of money we have available. We will write to you with an offer of a place, and with information on the size of the bursary.
Please click here to see further information about 16+ 2025 entry.
How much might I receive?
We realise that it is helpful to estimate the size of the bursary support that may be awarded to you. BAA judge each application carefully, taking into account factors such as:
- sources of income
- outgoings
- assets
- liabilities
- the value and council tax band of the family home
- the size of the family
As a very rough guide, if your total family income is less than £40,000 and if you do not have significant assets (e.g. savings), then you could be entitled to a 100% bursary, as well as additional help with uniforms, IT, educational trips, etc. If your total family income is more than £70,000 then it is unlikely you will be eligible for a bursary.
However, these very rough figures are for guidance only. As we noted above, BAA will take into account a number of factors, so if you think that you may be eligible for help then please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Key worker bursary
Each year, we make available one full-fee equivalent bursary for children of parents/carers who are key workers living in the local area.
We define a key worker as someone who is employed by the public sector, in a frontline role, delivering an essential public service. Examples of such roles include: clinical NHS staff (other than doctors and dentists), teachers in schools and in further education and sixth form colleges, police officers and community support officers, prison officers, probation service staff, firefighters, ambulance service crew and members of the armed forces.
Our key worker bursary provides an enhanced level of support over a wider range of total family income: for this bursary, you can consider applying if your total family income is up to £125,000.
NB: Whilst this bursary is aimed at families where both parents/carers are key workers, in a situation where only one is employed in such a role, careful consideration will be given to the circumstances/employment of the second parent/carer in deciding whether this specific bursary should apply.
Bursary FAQs
For further information on bursaries and if you feel you cannot afford our application fee, please contact our Senior School Bursary Officer if you have any questions about the process. Please also review the Bursary policy.
Email: bursaryadmissions@wordpress-297050-2769296.cloudwaysapps.com
Tel : 020 8347 4499
- How do I apply for a bursary for my child?
If you wish to apply for a bursary, please make this clear on your online application which must be submitted by the deadline published on our website. Your application will be acknowledged and you will be sent a financial assessment form and guidance about its completion.
- Is your academic selection process separate to your bursary application?
Yes. Your child has to be considered for a place on academic merit alone, before being considered for a bursary. Those marking the tests and carrying out the interviews will not know that you have applied for a bursary. Therefore, our academic selection process is separate from our bursary process, so if your child meets our academic standards, he/she will still be offered a place, regardless of being awarded a bursary.
- Are test results taken into account when awarding a bursary?
Yes. Applicants have to be considered for a place before we consider them for a bursary. When deciding whether to award a bursary, a number of factors are taken into account, including academic performance in our assessments and interview, current school reports and predicted GCSE results, as well as financial circumstances. However, academic performance will have no impact on the size of the bursary we decide to award.
- Is the bursary guaranteed for every year that my child is at Highgate?
All bursary awards are subject to review of parents’/carers’ financial circumstances each year, and may be varied upwards or downwards, depending on changes in circumstances. Parents/carers of bursary holders in Years 8, 10 and 12 are required to complete a full financial review in June. Parents/carers of bursary holders in other years are asked to sign a declaration that their financial circumstances have not changed since the preceding home visit.
- Is there any further funding for associated costs?
Highgate School recognises that families in receipt of bursaries may find it difficult to meet the wider costs associated with secondary education. In addition to school fees, means-tested support may be available for extra-curricular school trips, exam fees and university Admissions courses.
- What factors are considered when assessing the size of the bursary that might be given?
We judge each application carefully, taking into account:
- all sources of income
- all outgoings
- all assets (e.g. property, savings, shares)
- all liabilities (e.g. mortgage, arrears, loans)
- the value and council tax band of the family home
- the size of the family