Scholarships And Finance

Admissions > Scholarships and Finance

Scholarships and Bursaries

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Up to 45 Scholarships are offered for award each year at 13+. In a typical year there are awarded some 21 academic scholarships, 10 or more Music scholarships, 5 or 6 Art, Drama or Technology scholarships, 3 Cowdrey scholarships for sport, and 2 or 3 Sixth Form academic or Music scholarships. The top academic award, the Ainslie Scholarship, may have a value up to 50% of the school fee. The other academic scholarships may have a value up to 10%, though the value of any scholarship awarded may be increased by a supplementary bursary, by any amount up to the full school fee, if assessment of the parents' means indicates a need.

The academic Scholarship Examination is held at the school over three days at the beginning of May. Those who win an award are guaranteed a place in the school whether previously registered or not. Scholarship candidates who do not win an award, but whose performance in the examination reaches a satisfactory standard, are admitted to the school without the need to take the Common Entrance Examination, provided they have been previously registered for entry. Copies of each year's examination papers are sent to Prep schools, and are available on request from the Admissions Secretary.

The Music, Art, Drama, Technology, and Cowdrey Scholarship examinations and assessments are held in late January or early February. Candidates must also satisfy the academic entry requirements of the school, through the Common Entrance or the academic Scholarship Examinations. These scholarships may have a value of up to 10% of the fee, although some Music Scholarships may have higher values. The value of any scholarship awarded may be increased by a supplementary bursary, by any amount up to the full school fee, if assessment of the parents' means indicates a need. A Music, Art, Drama Technology, or Cowdrey scholarship may be held in addition to an academic scholarship, or otherwise combined. The award of a Music scholarship includes free instrumental tuition on two instruments at the school. Those who come close to scholarship standard may be awarded a Music Exhibition, which offers the same free tuition on two instruments. Cowdrey scholarships are offered to boys of character and integrity who display both sporting ability and sportsmanship.

Further information may be obtained from the Director of Music, the Heads of Drama, Art and Technology, or the Director of Sport at the school, who will be happy to discuss their son's possible candidature with any interested parents.

Applications to take the Scholarship Examinations (Academic, Art, Drama, Technology, or Cowdrey) may be submitted at any time up to four weeks before the date of the examination. Applications for the Music Scholarship may be submitted by the end of the previous term in December. Brochures giving details of the academic and other scholarships are published each year, and are sent to Prep schools together with application forms: the brochures and application forms may also be obtained from the Admissions Secretary at the school.

Scholarships for Sixth Form Entry

Academic or Music scholarships can be awarded by examination or audition to outstanding candidates for entry to the Sixth Form. Those wishing to be considered for academic scholarships should register by the end of October for examinations in early November. Auditions for Music scholarships will be held at Tonbridge.

More information

For more information about the scholarships, you can download the following PDF files:

The Foundation Awards Programme

The Foundation Awards Programme exists to provide access to a Tonbridge education for boys who are not in a position to sit the typical range of Scholarship or Common Entrance papers in Year 8. For this reason, the Programme may be more suitable for candidates coming to Tonbridge from maintained schools.

Foundation Awards provide means-tested support (up to 100% of the full school fee) for a Tonbridge education to boys who can clearly and substantially benefit from what the school has to offer. Awards are made at three ages - in Year 6 (for entry to Tonbridge in Year 9), in Year 8 (for entry to Tonbridge in Year 9) and in Year 11 (for entry to Tonbridge in Year 12). Boys who earn an Award in Year 6 will receive means-tested support through preparatory school (for Years 7 and 8); this should put them in a position to sit the Tonbridge School Scholarship Examination in Year 8 (although the place at Tonbridge is guaranteed from Year 6).

Our Foundation Awards Programme brochure provides further information on this scheme.

Other Awards

Junior Academic and Music Scholarships

Scholarships are offered each year for award to boys aged 10 or 11 of outstanding academic or musical potential who attend an independent Prep school and would otherwise have to leave their Prep school at 11+ for a maintained school on financial grounds. An award takes the form of an "Advance Scholarship": that is, the guarantee of a remission of fees on entry to Tonbridge.

All Junior Scholarships are awarded on the basis of examinations or auditions and interviews held in November. The academic examination consists of papers in English and Mathematics, together with a general intelligence test. The value of any scholarship awarded is determined by assessment of the parents' means.

Full details, and an application form, may be obtained from the Admissions Secretary.

Judd Foundationer Status

Judd Foundationer Status may be awarded to the sons of parents of limited means who live within ten miles of Tonbridge Parish Church. The grant of Judd Foundationer Status confers the remission of one-third of the tuition fees. Further details and an assessment form may be obtained from the Bursar.

Choral Boarding Places

Choral Boarding Places, with a value of 10% of the school fee, are awarded to Choristers of Cathedral or other Choir Schools who otherwise satisfy the entry requirements of the school. These awards may be held in addition to any other award.

In addition

The school disposes of a number of other funds from which Bursaries can be awarded to boys already in the school whose parents suffer a change of financial circumstances such that they would not otherwise be able to keep their son at Tonbridge. Specific grants for educational purposes not included in the school fee can also be made in cases of clear need.

A 10% remission of fees is given to the third son (and any subsequent sons) of the same family to attend the school.

Public Benefit

Tonbridge foregoes about £1.3m each year in fee remission for scholarships and bursaries. While the 'standard' scholarship award is now set at 10% fee-remission, up to 100% remission is available where a scholar has clear (means-tested) financial need. In addition, the school shares its facilities and expertise with the local community in a wide variety of ways.

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