Scholarships, Bursaries & Financial Assistance

Our Support

There are a number of options available for support with fees, including Scholarships and Bursaries, the awards vary according to the level of family income and are reviewed annually.

To ensure all applicants are treated fairly, we ask that all applicants for financial assistance indicate their interest in a bursary on the Registration Form. All applicants can then be considered at the same time during the main recruitment period (when children are sitting our entrance test in Spring).

Scholarships are designed to reward excellence and to celebrate exceptional talent. In recognition of this achievement, the scholar is offered a reduction in the fees (and where appropriate, other advantages) throughout his/her time at Wolverhampton Grammar School.

Key Information

Scholarships

* Please Note: Where there is more than one candidate of equal merit, the award may be shared and thus the level of fee remission offered to each individual may be lower.

Bursaries

Please Note: In offering the bursary awards, we also take into consideration a candidate’s academic performance in the Year 7 entrance process.

Further Information

Bursaries FAQ

Means-Tested Bursary Guidance

Through our assisted places scheme we are able to help between 5-10 students joining Year 7 and Sixth Form each year. Awards are based on academic assessment as well as family financial circumstances.

Every family’s circumstance and need are different. We aim to recognise this in our bursary application process. Bursaries are available to all parents including those who can afford some but not all of the fees, these can vary in amount from 15% to 99%.

After applying for a bursary the process is very straightforward. Families of candidates who are successful in our academic assessment are interviewed by senior members of staff such as the Head and Finance Director. This meeting is both to offer you an opportunity to find out more about us, and for us to find out a bit more about you.

For students joining Year 7

The Jenyns Scholarship

Named after the School’s founder, this award is means tested. Applicants must be living in the Wolverhampton area (WV postcode). Successful candidates will have a strong academic ability but will also be expected to make a positive contribution to school life; this may include (but is not limited to) areas such as art, sport, drama or debating.

The Jenyns Scholarship may be offered to one student as a full fee-paying place*, or it may be shared between multiple students as a proportion of the fees. Awards may vary according to the level of family income, however as an indicative guideline your family’s household income should not exceed £90,000 per annum.

Music Scholarship

The Year 7 Music Scholarship provides up to a total of 25% fee remission*, plus free music tuition on the instrument of your child’s choice whilst a student at Wolverhampton Grammar School. The successful candidate must still pass the School’s Entrance Test and should either be working towards or have Grade 5 in their chosen instrument (this includes singing).

Music Scholars are expected to make a significant contribution to musical life during their time at the School. This will include taking part in musical and/or other events which highlight the strengths of our music provision at Wolverhampton Grammar School.

For current students

Current WGS students are invited to sit the Year 7 Entrance Test if they wish to be considered for one of our internal Scholarships or Head’s Awards. The following are only offered to students moving up from Wolverhampton Grammar Junior School:

Junior Scholarship

Worth up to a total of 50% fee remission*, this scholarship is awarded to the highest performing Junior School students in the Year 7 Entrance Test. (This is not a means tested award).

Music Scholarship

This Scholarship provides up to a total of 25% fee remission*, plus free music tuition on the instrument of your child’s choice whilst a student at Wolverhampton Grammar School. The student should either be working towards or have Grade 5 in their chosen instrument (this includes singing).

Head’s Awards

In addition to our Junior School Scholarships, we offer a number of Head’s Awards to Year 6 pupils who have performed well in the Year 7 Entrance Test. These Awards offer 5% fee remission and are awarded regardless of family income.

For students joining Sixth Form (internal and external)

Music Scholarship

This Scholarship provides up to a total of 25% fee remission*, plus free music tuition on the instrument of your child’s choice whilst a student at Wolverhampton Grammar School. The student who is awarded the Music Scholarship must meet the Sixth Form academic entrance requirements and should be working at Grade 6 standard and aiming to reach Grade 8 standard in the Sixth Form.

The Old Wulfrunian (OW) Sports Scholarship

The OW Sports Scholarship is offered to a student as a full fee-paying place*. Applicants must be living in the Wolverhampton area (WV postcode) and must fulfil the criteria for entry into the Sixth Form and undertake an interview with the Head of Sixth Form and the Director of Sport, as well as a practical assessment. A reference will be taken up with a recognised provider of the student’s chosen sport.

Successful candidates will have a strong sporting ability demonstrated through one of the following:
County/Regional/National representation at their chosen sport
Member of Elite group and / or Academy linked to a professional sporting club or organisation
National ranking in their chosen sport

The OW Sports Scholarship is a means tested award and may vary according to the level of family income, however to be considered for the OW Sports Scholarship, as an indicative guideline the family’s household income should not exceed the region of £90,000 per annum.

The OW Sports Scholar will be expected to make a significant contribution to the sporting life at the school and to be available to represent Wolverhampton Grammar School in competitive matches and attend relevant training sessions as required.

The Cooper Science Scholarship

The Cooper Science Scholarship is available thanks to a generous gift of a benefactor who is an alumnus of Wolverhampton Grammar School. The Scholarship is worth up to 100% fee remission. In order to be considered for this Scholarship place, as a guideline your household income should not exceed £90,000 per annum and you should live in a residential address with a WV postcode.

The Cooper Science Scholarship is exclusively awarded to students who intend to develop their science-based skills in Sixth Form and university as preparation for a career in a science-related field, as well as the following:

Achieve at least a level 8 grade in their GCSE subjects required to study their chosen subjects at A Level and attain an average score of at least 7.5 in mock GCSEs.
Demonstrate their passion for their chosen Science subject at Sixth Form (Biology, Chemistry or Physics).
Have a passion to pursue their scientific choice at University.
Can demonstrate a desire to undertake a career that utilises at least one of those specific skills and abilities.

For current students

Current WGS students are invited to apply for one or more of our Sixth Form Scholarships as they progress from Year 11 into Sixth Form. The following are only offered to students moving up from Wolverhampton Grammar Senior School:

Governors’ Academic Scholarships

Awarded to current Wolverhampton Grammar School student(s) entering the Sixth Form who demonstrate the highest levels of academic endeavour and achievement. The Governors’ Academic Scholarship provides up to a total of 50% fee remission* and is based on the outcome of the mock GCSE examinations. No application is necessary, all current students will be considered for an award.

Year 7 Entry (11+)

The School offers several means tested bursary awards annually to entrants at Year 7. Awards of up to 99% may be offered dependent on family circumstances and availability of funding. However in order to be considered for a bursary place, as a guideline your household income should not exceed £90,000 per annum.

Sixth Form Entry (16+)

The School offers several means tested awards annually to entrants joining the School for Sixth Form. Awards of up to 99% may be offered dependent on family circumstances and availability of funding. However in order to be considered for a bursary place, as a guideline your household income should not exceed £90,000 per annum.

More Information

To apply for a bursary simply tick the appropriate box on the School Registration Form and a separate application form will be sent to you. This should be returned to the School at the earliest opportunity, as it is unlikely we will be able to offer support to those who apply for assistance outside the main recruitment period.

Bursaries are reviewed on an annual basis and are offered for a full academic year unless there are significant changes in your circumstances during that period.

Bursaries FAQs

We want to offer a Wolverhampton Grammar School education to all deserving applicants regardless of ability to pay fees.

Get in touch

If you have any further queries, do not hesitate to call our Admissions team:

01902 422939

Further Information

Means Tested Bursary Guidance

When you submit your online registration form, you indicate on it that you are applying for a bursary, either full or partial.

On completion of the registration form and payment of our registration fee of £60, our Admissions team will send you a Statement of Financial Circumstances Form (KSB1) which seeks to establish the financial circumstances of the household.

After the entrance exams in January or Sixth Form interviews in the Spring, if your child meets the academic and financial criteria, we will invite you for a meeting at School. You will need to submit the following documents to support your application for a bursary:

P60 or tax return for the current tax year.
Payslip (last 3 months).
Any Universal Credit entitlement or proof of benefits.
Bank statements (last 3 months).
Copy of HMRC tax calculation issued under Self-Assessment (if applicable).
Mortgage statement/Rent agreement (if applicable).
Approximate market value of property if owned – this may be photo of Zoopla (or other website) valuation for a similar property.
Copy of Company accounts (if applicable).

As a guideline, in order to qualify for any level of assistance your household income should not exceed £90,000 per annum.

We are very aware that school fees are a significant expense and we look to make plenty of awards at all levels. Last year besides free places we awarded partial bursaries ranging in amount from 15% to 99%. These examples may help to show the type of families who have been awarded bursaries in the past:

Single parent family, one child, mother working in low income job, rented accommodation. Bursary of 99% awarded.
Family with three children, one much younger. One parent currently working with low income, own home with little equity. Bursary of 99% awarded.
Family with two children. Both parents self-employed with low to moderate income, not always stable, rented accommodation. Bursary of 70% awarded.
Family with two children. Both parents working with moderate income, own home with mortgage and some savings. Bursary of 50% awarded.
Family with three children. Two parents working with moderate income, own home with significant mortgage and other financial commitments. Bursary 25% awarded.

The number of bursaries available is limited and therefore academic performance also forms part of the application process.

Every year is different, but it is normal for us to receive around 90 applications each year for the 5-10 places available in Year 7 and Sixth Form.

For students joining in Year 7 in receipt of a bursary, we pay for their iPad and the Year 7 Residential Trip. Financial assistance may be available for trips to our bursary students. Further information can be sought from our Director of Finance.

The School is enormously proud of its bursary holders but we do not identify them in any way. Most of the students who benefit from a bursary are proud and happy to share this information. We often find that our older pupils want to act as Ambassadors to both encourage other students to apply, and donors to be generous. We are keen to get the message about our Bursary Programme out to as wide an audience as possible.

We review bursaries every year in case financial circumstances have changed. We ask all bursary families to undertake an annual financial review in the Spring term of every year. Reductions in bursary may occur if there is a large new source of income or a change in job which results in a substantial increase in income. Please note that adjustments to bursaries are generally by mutual agreement. If your child has qualified for a bursary, it is unlikely that this will be removed unless there has been a significant change in circumstances.

We understand that the concept of an annual review of a bursary may cause concern. In order to give this some context, of the hundreds of bursary recipients in School, following an annual bursary review, there were no changes to the bursary awards.

In addition to a financial review, we will also check that the expectations of students have been met in terms of behaviour and academic progress. A student who is awarded a Bursary Award is required to work hard, to contribute positively to the life of the School, to be a credit to the School and to set a good example to other students and comply with the School Rules.

Whilst some our scholarships are also means-tested and based on family income the following awards are available and awarded purely on academic merit: