At the latest BWS Foundation Trustees’ Meeting (last Friday evening), we looked at the activities that are planned for the next few months to engage the entire school community. On Thursday this week there will be a get-together for London-based Wordsworthians at the East India Club in St James’ once again, and I do hope that once again a good number of ex-boys take the opportunity to come along after work and enjoy good company in some splendid surroundings. I think that I have persuaded a number of my current and ex-colleagues to attend; as I said on LinkedIn ‘now is the chance to finally submit that missing chemistry homework from 2005. LOL, as the current dialect would have it! Then there is the Ball, the Antiques Road Show and the Last Night of the Proms – lots to look forward to, and lots going on besides.
The Foundation is not just events-driven though, as one of its prime objectives is to encourage boys to apply to take the 11+ who would not do otherwise. This may be because Mum and Dad never considered a grammar school, because none of their friends have, because their school has never sent a boy to BWS or because Bishop’s might be too expensive once you get there. There’s a lot that can be done to address all of that and this year, for the first time, I will be telling parents who come to the Open Afternoons about the opportunity to apply for a bursary from the Foundation to help with any additional costs. Here is the draft text that will go out:
"Applying to secondary school can be a daunting prospect – will the school be right for my son, will the teachers be kind and approachable, will the other boys be friendly, might I get lost walking between my lessons, will I get time to eat my lunch and what will the food be like? The questions come thick and fast, as they will when he joins his senior school wherever that may be. That is part of life.
But there are particular challenges if your son comes to Bishop’s. He will have to wear a uniform and make sure that he looks smart in it. He will need to wear our PE and Games kit, both in lessons and if he represents the school in fixtures. He will be expected to work and play hard and do his best at all times, whether that is in lessons or outside them, and he will have lots and lots of opportunities to take part in activities which will stretch him both mentally and physically. It is precisely that richness which makes life at this school so special. Boys do really well if they are kept busy, and thrive if they are challenged.
We know that parents and boys love all of that, but we are also realistic about the costs of school as well and we know that those additional expenses are not always easy to meet for some families. It is even possible that some families may be put off applying for a place at Bishop’s in the first place. That is why the BWS Foundation will be starting to offer means-tested bursaries from September 2019. Here is a list of the areas where we may be able to help:
- Travel - Wiltshire Council no longer offers to pay for bus passes for children travelling to any other than their closest eligible school. A means tested bursary can offer a subsidy for boys applying to BWS from outside Salisbury.
- Uniform - though most of the BWS uniform is relatively inexpensive, the total cost (including games kit etc) may be offset by a bursary
- Music Lessons - the cost varies but is typically around £25 for a 30 minute lesson, with 10 lessons each term. In addition here is the cost of either hiring or outright purchase of an instrument and also the cost of examination as the boy moves through the examination grades.
- Sports - if a boy is gifted at a particular sport then his parents incur additional costs through (a) school sports subs, (b) purchase of additional specialist kit depending on the sport concerned, (c) regular specialist coaching time outside school and (d) travel to and from regional, national and even international fixtures, sometimes including overnight accommodation where large distances are involved. A bursary could help to offset these costs and so help him to excel.
- Travel to competitions - it is usual for a number of teams and individuals each year to be successful in a range of different competitions, and success will mean that the boys will need to travel to the regional or national venue to take part at the next level. Parents inevitably have to fund these trips, and so a bursary may help.
- School Trips - while trips that form an essential part of the curriculum will usually be covered by the school in terms of costs, there are a wide range of other trips on offer to boys that do so much to enrich their educational experience. A bursary can help a trip to happen if affording the cost is difficult.
- Books - costs for delivery of the curriculum are borne by the school, but there are frequently additional costs for recommended study support purchases, for example Languages work books, Science Revise Guides and Maths study materials.
As you can see, there are a lot of ways in which a means-tested bursary could help to make a truly World-Class Education a reality for your son. We really do hope that this will encourage you to apply to Bishop’s, and further details on how to apply for a bursary from the BWS Foundation will be available with the joining papers if your son secures a place with us."
Of course all of the above apply to boys who are already with us, and I will shortly be promulgating the BWS Foundation Bursary Scheme to parents. This, together with our existing hardship fund could make a real difference to some. Being at a school like Bishop’s should present the opportunity to shine, and finance should not be a barrier that cannot be overcome.
SDS
