Assisted Places

a picture of students in a hallway

The central aim of King Edward’s School is to provide education for able boys, regardless of the financial circumstances of their families.

Over £1.5 million per year is made available through the Assisted Places Scheme to provide support with fees and ensure the School is accessible to all boys of ability.

Assisted Places are means-tested and the amount of support provided is calculated on the basis of the total family income. An income of less than £28,000 could entitle a boy to a free place and it is then a sliding scale to the income threshold of £80,000.

Scale of Fees

In Year 7 (11+) there are up to 25 means-tested Assisted Places available, about 10 of which are free places. There are also several Assisted Places available for boys entering the Sixth Form (16+).

On the application form for Year 7 and Sixth Form entry, tick the box that asks whether you wish to be considered for an Assisted Place.

Selected boys will be invited to interview. This will take place in November for 11+ candidates. If successful in the examination and interview, parents will be asked to complete an Assisted Place application and submit the relevant evidence to the Fees Department for review.

16+ Assisted Place interviews take place throughout February and March. 

Please ensure you read through the Assisted Places Policy to ensure you meet the eligibility criteria. 

Although over £1.5 million is allocated for Assisted Places each year, there are not sufficient funds to provide for all the successful Year 7 candidates who apply for an Assisted Place.

If you meet the financial criteria for an Assisted Place and your son has done well in the entrance examination but is below the cut-off for funding, he may be offered a full fee place. Before a full fee offer is made, you will be invited to meet with the Bursar to consider whether full fees will be affordable in the long-term.

Boys on full Assisted Places may be entitled to free school meals, free travel, a uniform grant and payment for compulsory educational trips, such as GCSE field trips. Parents may also receive help with other educational trips, for example Shell Camp at the end of Year 7.

Note on the administration of Assisted Places

We understand that some families may have unusual financial circumstances, which means that although their annual income is low, and on paper they are eligible for assistance, they are still able to enjoy a very comfortable lifestyle: expensive holidays, extensive home improvements, extravagant birthday gifts (cars, etc.). Furthermore, they may have buy to let properties, live in large properties (which may be family owned), have employment through a family business or have sophisticated financial planning. 

The underlying ethos of Assisted Places is to support the brightest children in Birmingham to attend this school who could not otherwise afford to come. Should it become obvious that a pupil’s lifestyle is inconsistent with the level of his Assisted Place, the School reserves the right to investigate further and to use other alternative methods to assess affordability of fees. 

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