It is our aim to make a Bedford School education accessible to as many talented boys as is possible, regardless of their family’s financial circumstances. Each year we offer some financial assistance to parents of boys with significant academic, artistic, dramatic, musical or sporting potential, who would otherwise be unable to afford the annual school fees.
We welcome bursary applications from parents who require financial assistance for their son to join us at our key entry points in Year 7 (11+), Year 9 (13+) and Year 12 (16+). Further details, including the Harpur Trust’s Assessable Income and Parental Contribution table, can be viewed here.
Current parents are also welcome to submit a bursary application before their son moves into Year 7, Year 9 or Year 12, providing that they meet the criteria for a bursary award. We would ask, in the first instance, that parents contact the Bursar by emailing bursar@bedfordschool.org.uk if their financial position has changed significantly.
In exceptional cases of hardship, applications may be considered from current parents at other times, subject to the availability of funding. In most cases, hardship awards will only be considered to support a boy who is in a public examination year, and only for a short period of time to reach a suitable educational breakpoint e.g. end of GCSEs in Year 11. We would again ask, in the first instance, that parents email the Bursar at bursar@bedfordschool.org.uk.
The Awards
All awards are subject to means-testing of family income and capital, but bursaries of up to 100% of school fees (day and boarding) are possible.
In addition to assessing your family’s financial circumstances, we will also examine your son’s academic performance and consider any other areas of recognised talent.
The awards will then be allocated based on performance across the criteria set by the school. Achievement and potential are both considered. Boys with exceptional talent may also be invited to apply for an art, drama, music, sport or golf scholarship and attend the relevant assessment day.
Please note neither the offer of a place at the school nor meeting the eligibility criteria for financial assistance, mean that an award will necessarily be made. The school’s awards committee, which includes trustee representation, have only a limited amount of money available from which to make awards. These are subject to the trustees’ discretion, and many factors are taken into account before deciding on the successful applications and also the level of any award.
The amount of any bursary awarded will be reviewed by The Harpur Trust on an annual basis and may be adjusted, increased or reduced, if your financial circumstances alter.
Bursary awards normally last for the duration of your son’s time at the school (subject to your assessable family income per annum remaining within eligible levels) and will continue across the transfer at 16+ provided that the academic entry criteria for the Sixth Form are met.
How to Apply
External candidates are required to register with the school by completing the registration form and paying the school’s registration fee of £125 (if not already done so). All bursary applicants must complete the Harpur Trust’s online bursary assessment form and submit it no later than 5pm on 2 December 2024. Details on how to log on are sent following registration.
Prep School Registration Form Upper School Registration Form
Timescale for Bursary applications
The application deadline for boys wishing to apply for a Bursary is 1 December in the year prior to entry (2 December in 2024). For boys wishing to join the school in September 2025, this will be 2 December 2024.
Candidates will also need to be available to sit the relevant school assessments in January 2025.
No awards for 2025/2026 can be made on applications received outside this time frame. Decisions on bursaries are made during the spring term. All families who apply for a bursary are notified by email no later than 4.00pm on Wednesday 12 February 2025.
More Information
If you would like to find out more about bursaries, please contact Mr Richard Midgley, Director of Admissions, at Bedford School on 01234 362216 or email: admissions@bedfordschool.org.uk.
