Westminster Under School offers a variety of Academic and Music Scholarships, which are awarded on a strictly competitive basis and parental income is not taken into account. The School also has a system of means-tested bursaries, which enables us to offer free places or places at reduced fees to boys and girls who do well in our entrance exams but whose parents cannot afford the full fees. The School may also be able to provide some means-tested financial support to parents of existing pupils if they have a significant change of circumstances. Please click on the links below, to read about the different types of scholarships and bursaries on offer and how we may additionally support parents, including how to apply for them.
Music Scholarships
A number of awards of up to 10% remission of current academic tuition fees with free instrumental tuition are offered annually for candidates at 11+ who show outstanding potential on at least one instrument. Candidates should have reached at least Grade 5 on their principal instrument and, though not essential, some skill on a second instrument is encouraged. Award holders will be expected to play a full and lively part in the musical life of the School.
How to become a 11+ Music Scholar
In order to be considered for a Music Scholarship, a child must be invited back to sit the School’s own entrance examinations in January; please refer to 11+ entry for further information. Instrumental auditions will also be held in January. The closing date for entries for these awards is in the October before the year of entry, but the Director of Music will be pleased to meet prospective candidates beforehand by arrangement. Enquiries should be addressed to the Registrar.
During Instrumental auditions, candidates will be required to play two contrasting pieces on their principal instrument and one piece on their second, to read at sight and to attempt a few ear tests. Choristers are also invited to sing. An accompanist will be provided by the School, so we ask that candidates do not bring their own. Plenty of time is allocated for rehearsal.
Academic Bursaries
Westminster’s programme of bursary support provides approximately £1.7m each year to pupils at both Westminster Under School and Westminster School. This allows pupils of exceptional talent and promise to benefit from a high-quality education regardless of their background or financial position.
Means-tested day bursaries of up to 100% of fees are available for pupils and are awarded to pupils according to individual need. Bursaries awarded at 11+ entry continue, subject to satisfactory academic performance, until the boy leaves Westminster School, should he decide to continue his education there. We aim to act as sensitively as possible; very few members of staff and none of the other pupils will be aware that a boy is receiving financial assistance.
If it is established that a boy’s parents are unable to pay some or all of the fees, an appropriate remission of the fees may then be applied. When a full bursary is awarded it will cover the cost of uniform, equipment and compulsory school expenses such as term-time trips.
All bursary awards are decided by the Master of the Under School and the Head Master of Westminster School on the advice of the Bursar. It is not possible to give a forecast of the level of any bursary award in advance.
Bursary eligibility
To be eligible for a bursary, at least one of the parents and the child must have lived in the UK continuously in the two years prior to application. Parents who qualify under this criteria must also live in London; the expectation is that their child will commute from home to school each day, with a maximum journey time of one hour door-to-door.
For more information about eligibility for bursaries, please refer to our Bursaries Policy, which is available to download from the Policies and Reports page.
Applying for a bursary
As with all other entrants, pupils hoping to benefit from a bursary must first gain a place at the Under School on academic merit; a boy must be invited back to sit the School’s own entrance examinations in January; please refer to 11+ entry for further information on the application process.
Stage 1
Upon 11+ application the School, parents applying for a bursary must upload copies of their passports, as evidence of eligibility to apply for a bursary on grounds of nationality.
Stage 2
If eligible, parents must then complete an initial, confidential financial assessment form (Bursary Part A) designed to establish the level of financial support required. This must be completed by the October deadline when registration for 11+ entry for the following year closes. Any relevant background information should be included in the ‘Additional Comments’ section of the Part A form.
For applications from single parents, the following information regarding the child’s circumstances must be provided:
Where is the other parent now?
Has the child’s other parent remained in contact?
If not, when did their contact cease?
Does the child’s other parent contribute financially for the child?
If not, when did they cease contributing?
Stage 3
If a candidate is called back to sit the School’s own entrance examinations in January, his parents will receive an email with a link to the Bursary Part B form. All information will need to be uploaded electronically by the date given. Part B will ask for several pieces of information about income, assets, etc., and supporting evidence. It is essential that the Part B form is completed in full and that copies of all supporting documents required are provided. The School will need to make a full assessment of a family’s financial circumstances and needs.
Stage 4
If the School decides that a candidate is eligible for a bursary based on the information provided on the Bursary Part B form, and providing that candidate has met the criteria at the exam and interview stages, the Bursar will make a home visit in February to determine whether a bursary should be awarded. The candidate’s parents will be informed of the School’s decision shortly afterwards.
Significant change of circumstance
The School may be able to offer temporary financial assistance to parents (of pupils already at the School), who suffer a significant and unexpected change of financial circumstances, impacting on their ability to keep their child at Westminster Under School. The financial assistance will be means-tested through the George Herbert Hardship Fund.
Further enquiries should be directed to the Finance Bursar.
