Scholarships & bursaries

To register for a place at St Mary’s Senior School, please complete the registration form below and pay the non refundable £150 registration fee.

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Daughter’s name *

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Date of Birth *

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Parent 1's email address *

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Parent 2 Title *

Parent 2's name *

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Current School Name and Address (If applicable)

Names and dates of birth of siblings who you may potentially be interested in a future place at St Mary's for

Payment of Registration Fee

• Debit/credit card (contact Finance Department to arrange this)
• Cash
• Internet banking

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St Mary’s understands and acknowledges that it is a data controller in relation to the personal data that you have provided. We will ensure that we comply with all legislation and regulatory requirements in force relating to its use. For more information about how we use the data and your rights, please read our Privacy Notice.

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On occasion we may contact you with information that may be of interest to you, for example upcoming admissions deadlines, news and events.

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Note - you may withdraw consent at any time by contacting the School’s Data Protection Manager at dpm@stmaryscolchester.org.uk. This will not affect the lawfulness of any processing carried out by the School before you withdraw your consent.

Submit

Please ensure the non-refundable registration fee is received by the Registrar within seven days of the registration form being submitted. For information on paying the registration fee, please see below:

How to pay

Parents are welcome to pay the School Registration Fee of £150 (non-returnable) and Entry Deposit by internet banking, or by debit/credit card.

The Kindergarten Admissions Fee and the School Acceptance Fee are due at the point of accepting an offer of a place and further information will be provided at the point of an offer being made.

Internet banking

To pay by internet banking, please use the following account information, quoting your daughter’s first name and surname as the reference:

ST MARY’S SCHOOL INTERNET BANKING

By credit/debit card

Please contact the Finance Department on 01206 572544 (option 4) to arrange.

A bursary is a means tested financial aid that is intended to support current pupils and families who have suffered an unexpected change to their financial position by contributing towards the fees so that they can remain at St Mary’s and avoid disrupting their education by having to move schools. In exceptional circumstances, for example a change to financial circumstances during the admissions process, bursaries may be awarded to new pupils.

No. Bursaries and Scholarships at St Mary’s are completely separate. Scholarships are awarded, generally as part of the admission process into Year 7, based on exceptional ability in a range of areas, e.g. academic, music, art etc. Bursaries are linked to a family’s financial situation and are unrelated to the ability of a pupil in any area.

Yes, absolutely. The two things are unrelated, and it is entirely possible to still qualify for a bursary even if your daughter already receives a Scholarship. Similarly, you do not have to be in receipt of a Scholarship to qualify for a bursary.

No. Bursary awards are reviewed in the summer term every year. Families in receipt of a bursary will be asked to complete the bursary application form annually so that the Bursary Committee can assess whether their financial circumstances have changed and whether they still qualify for the bursary award either at the same level or at a different level.

Bursary awards are determined on a case‑by‑case basis, considering individual circumstances and using a range of criteria to assess whether a family qualifies for a bursary and at what level. While the award level varies, even for exceptional cases it will not exceed 40%. The school does not offer full bursaries.

No. Bursary awards relate only to fees and are not applicable to the cost of any extras, such as uniform, trips etc.

Unlike other schools, St Mary’s does not have an endowment or a specific bursary fund, and it does not receive donations to fund bursaries from alumni. As such, bursaries can only be funded from the fee income the school receives and so care has to be taken to ensure that funds are used fairly. We understand that many of our families make significant sacrifices to enable a St Mary’s education for their daughter and so we have to ensure that bursaries are only awarded in exceptional circumstances.

No. Even though the school does not benefit from a specific bursary fund, we are committed to helping all parents who apply and qualify for a bursary. Each bursary application is considered individually, regardless of how many and the value of other bursaries that may have been awarded already that academic year. All bursary applications are assessed in exactly the same way and using the same criteria to ensure that all awards are made fairly and consistently. The School has retained its charitable status and part of the School’s vision is to empower girls to thrive at school and beyond. We understand how important it is for pupils to remain at their school of choice and therefore, would not want an unexpected financial change to a family’s circumstances to disrupt their education.

The school has a Bursary Committee which is comprised of three members of the governing body, the Principal and the Head of Finance & Operations.

When a bursary application is received, it is reviewed by the Head of Finance & Operations who provides a detailed report to the rest of the Bursary Committee.

The Committee will then discuss the application, and all members of the Committee must agree with the decision before it is communicated to the family.

As there is no bursary fund, it is imperative that bursaries are only awarded to those families who are truly in need of financial support.

As such, the bursary application form is detailed, however, it is important that it is completed in as much detail as possible. It is best to be completely honest and transparent and provide whatever information is required of you and supports your case. We also ask that bursary applications are submitted along with a covering letter that supports your application and explains why the bursary is required and what the change in financial circumstances has been.

As bursaries are drawn from fee income alone, the Bursary Committee must ensure that those funds are being awarded fairly and appropriately, therefore, it is important that full financial due diligence is completed. If incomplete applications are received or appropriate supporting evidence for the application is not provided, then, unfortunately, the bursary application will be refused.

It is recognised that judgements about what sacrifices a family should make to pay school fees will be personal. However, the School has a duty to ensure that all Bursary awards are well focused and so, as well as current earnings, other factors which will be considered in determining the necessary level of grant will include:

• The ability to improve the financial position or earning power of the family. For example, where there are two partners, both would be expected to be employed unless one is prevented from doing so through incapacity, the need to care for children under school age or other dependents, or the requirements of their partner’s work.
• Opportunities to release any capital. Significant capital savings and investments would be expected to be used for the payment of school fees as would available equity values in houses.
• In cases of separation, the contribution made by the absent parent.
• Contribution to household costs by other, wider, family members, any adults unrelated to the child or by outside sources.
• Where fees are being paid to other schools (or universities) the School’s grant will take into account all these outgoings. Bursary applications are unlikely to be approved if a family has subsequently enrolled a sibling into a fee paying school knowing that financial affordability was an issue.
• If families have savings available to them then these would be expected to be used towards school fees as a priority and not be saved for other future and/or discretionary expenses such as home improvements or university fees.
• Levels of expenditure on luxury or discretionary items or experiences, such as frequent or expensive holidays, new or luxury cars, significant home improvements or additonal property or land purchases.

There is no bursary fund from which to make bursary awards, therefore, any awards issued are drawn from fee income. As such, the Bursary Committee must ensure that the funds are being awarded fairly and appropriately. Many of our families make sacrifices to enable them to meet the cost of a St Mary’s education for their daughter, therefore, we have to be strict with the criteria set for qualification for bursary support to ensure fairness to all.

The Governors at St Mary’s are volunteers, many of whom continue to work full time in their own careers, therefore, they are not always able to review and respond to applications immediately. Generally, bursary applications will take around 4 weeks to be processed and reviewed, however, this process may be quicker or slower depending on the time of year.

There is no appeals process, and the decision of the Bursary Committee is final. It is therefore important that you provide as much detail as possible when applying for a bursary.

Any family at the school may apply for a bursary, however, bursary support is generally reserved for families whose daughter already attends the school rather than parents new to the school. Bursary support is also generally awarded to families who have suffered an unexpected financial set back, e.g. job loss or serious illness, that has significantly affected their ability to afford the school fees.

Absolutely. All information disclosed is handled sensitively and confidentially. Only those individuals who sit on the Bursary committee and the Assistant Head of Finance will see any information provided in association with a bursary application and applications are not discussed with anyone outside of this group.

The school offers a direct debit scheme allowing parents to spread termly payments over three months, interest free.

In addition, Mrs Shiret, Assistant Head of Finance, is always very happy to discuss individual financial circumstances to assess whether the school is able to offer any additonal payment solutions.