Why scholarships are such a win-win Highfield and Brookham Schools are no strangers to scholarship success The Oxford English dictionary defines a scholarship as ‘an amount of money given to somebody by an organisation to help pay for their education’. Like bursaries, with which they are occasionally confused, scholarships are invariably a mainstay of the private school sector, but while bursaries cover educational expenses based primarily on financial need, scholarships are awarded to pupils based on academic performance. And that’s where their true value really shines through. Scholarships are a prized asset and have wideranging benefits all round – not just to a particular pupil but also to their existing school (which has placed them on a scholarship programme) and their prospective school (which has made the offer of a scholarship).
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For the pupil, receiving a scholarship offers easier access to education, access to extensive support and guidance in their specialist pursuit, looks impressive on their CV, and not needing to get a part-time job to fund their education frees up more time to study. The pursuit of a scholarship also helps pupils grow intellectually and emotionally. For the child’s existing prep school, knowing that their pupils have the ability to pick up senior school scholarships is a huge selling point when attempting to attract parents of prospective pupils and is a matter of prestige. It underlines both the quality of teaching and leadership and the calibre of pupils at the school. And for the senior school, they can gain an advantage over their rivals in the fierce battle for students and breathe easy in the knowledge that their future pupils
