We offer Help With Fees bursaries to children whose families cannot otherwise fund a place.
If your child would thrive in an academic environment, with access to an outstanding programme of Music, Drama, Sport and co-curricular activities, then we’d love to hear from you. We can give you full information on the application process and guide you through every stage.
Our Admissions team has helped dozens of pupils and their families through the process of applying for Help With Fees and will be able to give you personal advice and answer any questions that you may have.
All enquiries and applications are handled in confidence. Your details will only be known by the very small team that processes and assesses your application, and awards of fee assistance/bursaries are kept confidential throughout a child's time with us.
We offer honorary academic scholarships to pupils who perform exceptionally well at GCSE. We also offer music scholarships, some of which come with fee remission. New for Sixth Form applicants for 2024 and beyond is the the Ginetta STEM scholarship, aimed at pupils with a strong interest in a career in design, technology or engineering.
Stage 1: Get in Touch
If you think you may need fee assistance, please get in touch as soon as possible, as every year we receive more applications than we are able to grant assistance to.
We have helped dozens of pupils and their families through the process of applying for Help With Fees and will be delighted to give you personal advice and answer any questions that you may have.
Get in touch as soon as possible
Stage 2: Visit us
We will invite you to visit us informally so that you can meet teachers and pupils, as well as see our facilities and campus.
It is important that you feel you have all the information that you need, so we encourage you to ask as many questions as you have, and return for another visit if you feel it would be helpful. We can also arrange for you to meet specific members of staff to help with any particular areas you wish to discuss.
Visit us a few months before applying.
Stage 3: Submit your application
Fill in our Application Form and our Help With Fees form.
It is important that we receive these forms together. If you cannot submit both forms at the same time, you must let us know you wish to apply for fee assistance when you submit your application form.
We will check your application and ask you for any further details or supporting evidence that we need.
You should submit your application by 31 December.
Stage 4: Entrance Exam
We will invite your child to sit our entrance exam at the school. The same entrance exam is taken by all pupils applying to St Peter's, regardless of whether they are applying for Help With Fees. No additional study or preparation should be needed.
Exams take place in November for Sixth Form, January for Year 7 and Year 9, for a start date of the following September.
How to Apply
The deadline for Help With Fees applications for 2023 entry is 31 December 2022. When you are ready to apply, please contact our Admissions team for a confidential chat about the process and to request a copy of our Help With Fees Form.
Mrs Gillian Bland, Admissions Officer
Fees assistance can make a lifelong difference to a child. Not only do these children contribute hugely to the community of our school, through their talents, curiosity, enthusiasm and ability to build relationships, but they themselves benefit from the St Peter's experience, for the rest of their lives.
Pupils benefit from teaching that is rated excellent, pastoral care that focuses on helping each child thrive, a better learning environment with exceptional facilities, a vast programme of after-school activities, help for the future through our Careers and Higher Education provision, and a community with shared values.
You may be eligible for assistance covering between 10% and 100% of school fees. Your eligibility will depend on your income, assets and necessary outgoings. We will try and build up a full, accurate and fair assessment of your particular family circumstances.
If you're not sure if you would qualify, or you're unsure of the level of fee assistance that might be available in your circumstances, we are very happy to talk through your situation and advise. We can't give a final decision without you completing the application and assessment process, but early advice can give you some indication of the level of assistance we may be able to offer.
Our fee awards are means-tested.
We can cover between 10% and 100% of school fees, depending on your financial circumstances.
For those who need 100% support, we can also contribute towards the cost of uniform and some trips and activities.
Our assessment of how much help you need will take into consideration all your financial circumstances. As well as income and savings, we will also consider assets, including the family home, and your outgoings.
Help with fees is usually only available to pupils entering Year 7, Year 9 or Sixth Form.
If your child is not yet old enough to apply, you may wish to register an early interest and we will be in touch at a future date.
You should get in touch with us as early as possible, and certainly by no later than mid-December in the year before you would like your child to join us.
- September - November: Visit us, so that you can get to know us better and ask any questions you might have before you apply.
- December: Send your application form and Help With Fees application form to us.
- November: Sixth Form entrance exams
- January: 11+ and 13+ entrance exams
- February: We consider all applications for help with fees in the first half of February, and we will be in touch as soon as we reach a decision.
We are keen to offer Help With Fees to children who will:
- Bring their own talents, passions and personalities to our school
- Make the most of the opportunity that a St Peter’s education represents
- Contribute to the enjoyment and success of their fellow pupils through their willingness to get stuck into a wide range of activities
Every child brings their own mix of talents and personality to our school. There is no single 'type' of child who thrives at St Peter's. We have made awards to help with fees to a wide range of pupils over a number of years, for both day and boarding places.
Many are attending an independent school for the first time and we are experienced at helping pupils and their families settle in quickly and feel part of the St Peter's family.
Pupils likely to be successful at application will have a strong academic record and are likely to have other interests and talents, such as (but not exclusively) sport, music or drama, which will help them make the most of the opportunities at St Peter's. Pupils should also be able to form friendships and work with others and be willing to try new things and participate enthusiastically in all activities.
During the application process, we will be looking for an understanding and commitment from your child to our core values of friendship, trust, wisdom, compassion, endurance, humility and hope.
The majority of our awards are for day pupils and for that reason a large number of our fee assistance awards are made to pupils in York and the surrounding areas.
No, you do not need to reapply, although we will check your circumstances again at the end of Year 8 and Year 11. We will also ask you to complete an annual declaration, confirming that your circumstances have not changed.
If your family's financial circumstances do change, though, you must tell us as soon as possible.
If your income or assets increase significantly, we may need to reduce the level of fee assistance we offer, or withdraw it altogether. We have limited funds available for fee assistance, and it is important that they are allocated to those most in need.
How we make the decision
There are two separate decisions that the Head Master, Bursar and Governors need to make. Firstly, whether your child will be offered a place at the school and secondly, whether or not the school will offer help with fees, and the amount of financial support we can offer.
The offer of a place
We will consider the examination and interview performance of each applicant but we will always consider your child's potential. Reports from your child's current school as well as their performance in interview will give us an indication of this and will be considered alongside actual achievement. The pupil's entrance interview and previous school reports will assist in forming a view in this regard. Bursary funds are limited and, all things being equal, priority will be given to those likely to gain most from the educational provision at St Peter's.
Each pupil to whom support is offered must, in the opinion of the Head Master, be likely to make sound academic progress at our school and have the potential to develop the quality of their work, and benefit from participation in the wider, co-curricular activities on offer at the school.
We will also look at what previous school reports say about your child's behaviour.
The Offer of Help With Fees
If we decide to make an offer to help with fees, how much we offer depends on the extent of your family's financial need. It does not depend on, and is not affected by, your child's academic or other performance.
The following questions are typically considered by the Head Master, Bursar and Governors when deciding on the level of award
Does your family have the ability to improve its financial position?
For example, if there are two partners, we would expect both to be working in paid employment unless one is prevented from doing so through illness, or because one partner needs to care for very young children or for other dependants.
Could you use funds that you already have?
If you have significant savings or investments, or have a lot of equity in your house, we would expect you to use this before we could give help with fees.
Do you have other sources of household income?
We may need to take this into account.
Are you paying fees to other schools or universities?
If so, our level of support will need to take this into account.
Inspiring Futures | A Guide to Help With Fees
Our Help With Fees booklet explains the application process in more detail with a step-by-step guide.
Music Awards and Scholarships
Music awards are available at 13+ and 16+ entry. Please note that these awards can be supplemented by means-tested bursaries. Scholarships are available to young instrumentalists and singers who can offer a broad range of skills to the Music School.
At the audition, we would normally expect a level of Grade 5 on the first instrument for 13+ entry and Grade 7 for 16+. We would also expect to see a second instrument offered but potential is the most important aspect. The ability to play an orchestral/band instrument is essential and singing is an advantage. A good background in music theory is also recommended.
Albert Edward Long was a former member of staff who generously left provision for a number of music scholarships to be awarded each year.
One scholarship is available each year for a Minster chorister only. Dr Eric Milner-White was Dean of York and Chairman of Governors at St Peter’s School.
These awards are made available to young instrumentalists or singers who show ability and potential at audition. The awards recognise how we value our young musicians and the importance we place on nurturing their talent. The award covers the cost of tuition on an instrument/voice.
The music scholarships can carry a concession on fees ranging from 10-30%. This may be increased for exceptional candidates. The scholarship awards also cover tuition on up to three instruments and instrumental examination fees. Award holders have their tuition within the department with one of our specialist visiting team. It is expected that award holders study academic music to GCSE and the majority continue to A level. The progress of award holders is continually reviewed by the Director of Music.
What now?
If your child would benefit from and contribute to our school, but paying our fees is simply not an option for your family, please speak to us.
We are here to help.
You can call us on 01904 527305
For more information on other factors and confidentiality, click here.