Financial assistance is available to those families with pupils entering Bolton School from ages 11 through to 18.  Bursaries ensure that pupils are drawn from diverse backgrounds; 15.2% of our students are from families whose income is below the national average.  Currently, 286 pupils receive Bursary-assisted places.  This is made possible by our Open Door Bursary Fund, which aims to maintain the ethos of Lord Leverhulme who, when re-endowing the School in 1913, wanted to offer an education for all, regardless of financial circumstances.

Who's Eligible?

The School offers fee assistance to those parents whose income is such that they would not otherwise be able to pay the full fees.  The awards are based on the child's performance in the entrance examination and the degree of assistance required.  The latter is based on an annual declaration of income and assets.  The Bursary will continue for every year in which your child remains at the School.

You can download an application form for a bursary from the bottom of this page.

Parents whose income is less than £16,232 may be offered full remission of fees.  Those parents whose income to 5 April 2008 exceeds £54,108 will not qualify for assistance.

How To Apply For A Bursary

If you wish to be considered for a Bursary please tick the appropriate box on the Application Form. All parents who have ticked that box will be sent a Provisional Declaration of Income form immediately after the closing date for the submission of Applications for Entrance. That form will require an estimate of your income for the year ending 5 April 2008.  After submission of the form, there will be a parental interview with the School's Clerk and Treasurer.

If your child is successful in the Entrance Examination he/she will be offered a place, by letter on 29 February 2008. That offer will inform you of the provisional level of Bursary Award (if you qualify on financial grounds) in terms of your contribution towards fees. You should then follow the instructions relating to your acceptance of that place.

In May you will be asked to complete a Final Declaration of Income form. On this you will be asked to enter details of your actual income to 5 April 2008.  With this Declaration you will be asked to provide documentation to corroborate your income for the previous fiscal year. We will inform you of the amount of your own contribution towards fees, in writing, during the course of the school summer holiday.

The Bursary will continue for every year in which your child remains at the School. We may ask you to pay a greater proportion of the fees if your income should rise, but there is no obligation on the School's part to increase the percentage should your income fall; in the latter situation each particular case will be judged on its merits. Each Summer therefore you will be asked to complete a new Declaration of Income form and to provide details of your income for the previous fiscal year.

You will be provided with explanatory notes in order to help you to complete both the Provisional and Final Declaration forms. Alternatively you may telephone the Bursary Administrator, Mrs Thorpe, on 01204 840201 ext 329, or contact her by email by clicking here.

You may also contact the Clerk and Treasurer by email by clicking here.

You can download a brochure describing Bolton School's bursary scheme below.