Scholarships are awarded in recognition of outstanding ability in a number of areas: academic, art, drama, design and technology, music and sport. We value our scholars highly and support them through the Highly Able Pupils programme as well as through diverse and vibrant teaching, instruction and coaching.
Scholarships
The number of scholarships awarded in any one year will depend upon the number and quality of applicants. Potential pupils are invited to visit us, at an Open Morning or for a personal tour. Once registration is complete, we ask for a reference from a candidate’s current school as well as any other pertinent references. Assessment for Scholarship usually takes place in November before entry the following September, and dates are found on the website and in the Admissions Booklet you will receive upon enquiry to Denstone. Scholarships at Denstone are fiercely contested and as such we expect the highest level of academic, sporting, and creative achievement.
The Scholarship will not carry any financial concession as financial support is only available to those students who may not be able to access a Denstone College education otherwise. However, the award of a Scholarship carries other non-financial benefits.
We wish to encourage students from all academic backgrounds to apply and as such, financial bursaries are available. Families must apply for the bursary at the same time as applying for admission to the school, and further details can be found below.
Scholarships are available at 11+ (Year 7), 13+ (Year 9) and 16+ (Year 12) although other entry points may be considered in exceptional circumstances.
First to Fourth Form Assessment and Scholarship Booklet 2024 Entry | 2.6MB
Sixth Form Assessment and Scholarship Booklet 2024 Entry | 2.3MB
Bursaries
A small number of bursaries are available each year to pupils whose parents could not otherwise afford the fees. They are open to pupils joining in any year group, and are not strictly limited to scholarship candidates.
They can be any value; in some circumstances, up to the full amount of the fee. The demand for bursaries is often oversubscribed, in which case performance in the Entrance Assessments will be a key factor in prioritising support.
For your son or daughter to be considered for a bursary, it will be necessary for you to complete a Financial Circumstances Form | PDF 382KB which is submitted, in confidence, to the Bursar to enable her to make a recommendation to the Head. This form should be fully completed before the entrance examinations are taken.
Support is based on an in-depth financial assessment taking into account all financial circumstances including capital assets and investments, and not just income and expenditure. A home visit may be undertaken and any bursary awarded will be reviewed annually and may change according to circumstances.
For pupils already in school, whose family circumstances have unexpectedly and significantly changed for the worse, the application process is the same and is managed on a case by case basis throughout the year. However, except in very exceptional circumstances, it is unusual for an award of this nature to be made within the first two years of a pupil’s career at Denstone as we assume that there are sufficient financial resources at the point of entry to cover this period.
There are a number of charitable organisations which exist to offer support in cases of financial difficulty, albeit that the current low-interest rates limit their available resources and they often have quite tight criteria. Details are available at educational-grants.org.
Our Financial Circumstances Form is downloaded below. If your son or daughter is not yet in College, and you would like to discuss your situation or require further information, please contact Admissions. If you are already a parent of the College, please contact the Bursar directly.
Financial Circumstances Form | PDF 382KB
Siblings
We are delighted to offer a sibling remission of 10% for a third child and 15% for a fourth+. This discount remains valid whilst all of the siblings are attending the school and the remission will be adjusted as older siblings leave.
