Create Boundless Futures Supporting Bursaries at King Edward’s
Ever since our founding, providing educational opportunity has always been core to the KES ethos. By supporting bursaries at KES, you can create boundless futures for more young people in our city. - Mr NT Parker, Head
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31
90% Bursary Award holders currently at King Edward’s
Over
Bursary Award holders receiving 100% fee remission of full Bursary Award holders live in Southampton postcodes (SO14-SO19)
A Need for Opportunity
In 1553, William Capon left money in his will to establish a grammar school for the ‘poor scholars of Southampton’. Ever since, creating educational opportunities for local young people has been core to our ethos at King Edward VI School.
Southampton is a wonderful place. A historic port, our city is the jumping off point for millions, en-route to new horizons and adventures. Our bursary programme mirrors this. We want our pupils to aim big – broadening their horizons and dreaming about what might be possible. No matter what a young person’s background is, if they have the ambition to succeed, we provide a space for those hopes to grow.
Southampton does have pockets of significant deprivation, where greater educational opportunities are much needed. Rates of young people in care in our city are also above average. Whilst KES cannot solve these challenges singlehandedly, we want to play our part in supporting talented and motivated young people who wish to excel.
For many years, KES has provided several bursary places each year. However, bright and deserving young people are currently missing out. For each of the past five years, we have had more bursary applicants finishing in the top 100 of our entrance exam than bursary places available.
We want to be able to offer more bursary places in the years ahead. Even as the introduction of VAT on independent school fees makes things more challenging, our School remains committed to maintaining our current bursary funding. However, increased philanthropy is the only way we will be able to create additional places, and a brighter future for more young people in Southampton.
Our Bursary Programme at King Edward’s
Award Support Impact
Applicants with a household income below £46,000 are eligible to receive a 100% bursary, and for families earning between £46,000 and £92,000, a sliding scale operates for partial bursaries.
We partner with Bursary Administration Limited to undertake financial assessments on families applying for a bursary. Each award is a significant investment in a young person, so through these checks, we ensure that school funds and donations are spent in the most impactful way possible.
Prospective bursary holders will then sit our entrance exam in January. We award bursaries to pupils scoring highly in the entrance exam, showing their potential to thrive in the learning environment here at KES.
KES is a fantastic school but we recognise that it may be very different from any environment which our new Bursary Award holders have experienced before. Our aim is not just to take care of the school fees, but to ensure that every Bursary Award holder has the financial and pastoral support they need to make the most of their time here.
In response to feedback from previous pupils, for the first time in 2025-2026, all 100% Bursary Award holders will receive funding for extra costs like uniform, learning technology, lunch, travel and a school trips allowance. We hope that this will remove barriers to applying and foster a greater sense of belonging once pupils arrive at KES.
We have also introduced other new measures like optional peer support, with older Bursary Award holders mentoring younger ones. Our Registrar acts as the contact point for families, so that they know who to call if there is any issue. On top of our wider pastoral support, we hope this enables Bursary Award holders to be the best they possibly can be.
We talk to our Bursary Award holders whilst in our Sixth Form, to understand their reflections on their time at KES. We use this feedback, whether positive or constructive, to develop our programme.
We always ask our pupils what difference the Bursary Award has made to them. Their responses are varied, but common themes are:
• KES gives me the confidence to make bold decisions.
• My teachers encourage academic curiosity, not just passing exams.
• KES makes me feel physically safe coming to school.
• My teachers really care and give me time to talk.
• Bursary Awards make our school a better place.
• My Bursary Award has had a ripple effect on my family.
As our Bursary Award holders move on to university and various careers, our hope is that they are equipped academically, socially and with a strong moral compass. We like to stay in touch and are delighted that many of our former Bursary Award holders are giving back to the School in some way.
Emily
(KES 13-20)
My name is Emily and I am halfway through my Veterinary Science degree at the University of Surrey. I am so grateful to be where I am now and I know that I have developed the skills and perseverance to face any challenges that come my way.
I came to KES on a bursary between 20132020, which was brilliant for me. I ended up studying Biology, Chemistry and Maths at A Level, which set me up perfectly for
my degree. I was also involved in lots of co-curricular activities like the Charities Commission, Tap Dance and Street Dance, which I loved being part of. I made friends for life at KES and, to this day, we still meet up as much as our now busy lives allow.
I know that many alumni and supporters donate to fund bursaries like mine – so I’d like to say thank you. There is a huge amount of untapped potential amongst young people in Southampton, and KES is a place where that can be cultivated. I grew up fairly close to the School but would never have been able to attend if it wasn’t for a bursary. KES has been a huge part in shaping the person I am today and my path could have looked very different otherwise.
One of the best things about KES is that everyone is treated as an individual –there’s no one size fits all approach. I developed great working relationships with teachers, who helped me to grow in my knowledge and confidence to face challenges. I’ve taken this into my Veterinary degree, where the strong communication skills I developed at KES have been crucial, as on a day-to-day basis I meet so many people with different needs.
Aged 11, it is so hard to know which is the right school for you. With the benefit of hindsight, I’m so glad my parents took the opportunity for me to attend KES. I’d encourage any parents or guardians of a young person with a passion for learning and co-curricular activities to apply for a bursary. My interests were science and dance, and KES helped nurture and
KES has been a huge part in shaping the person I am today and my path could have looked very different otherwise.
develop those, but for others it might be different. That’s one of the best things about KES – there is such a wide variety of opportunities and a place for everyone, whatever their interests are.
I could talk about my personal experience of KES for pages and pages but walking around the School recently and looking at some of its history on show, I had the sense that every pupil including myself is part of something really special. I’m so glad to have studied at KES for seven years and to know that those memories will stretch on far longer.
In my final year at KES, I studied four A Levels in Maths, Further Maths, Computing and Physics. I was delighted to achieve four A*s and am now studying Mathematics with Mathematical Computation at Imperial College London. For now I am uncertain about the specific direction I want to take with my career. I am currently exploring creative paths outside of pure STEM, an area that I really enjoyed in school, with hopes to incorporate these somehow into my career. I envisage myself somewhere in the likes of academia, AI, or entrepreneurship: all I can say is, watch this space!
The day I found out that I had been offered a full bursary place was a happy and emotional one for me and my family.
My first exposure to KES was with the partnership programme that was running with my primary school. I came along with my class and took part in Science, Art and Philosophy sessions and my Head Teacher subsequently encouraged me to apply for a place.
The day I found out that I had passed the entrance exam and had been offered a full bursary place was a happy and emotional one for me and my family. We held a big party to celebrate and I was even prouder when I first started in Year 7 when the Head came up to me and told me, “Your paper is one of the best that I’ve read”.
Alongside working hard on my academics, I was heavily immersed in co-curriculars at KES, attending somewhere in the region of 30 different clubs over the seven years. I found these to be a really valuable opportunity to delve into my interests outside of the curriculum, and to see practical applications of my classwork. Greenpower was a highlight for me, and we built and designed a kit car that we raced at Goodwood. I was also an active member of Lunar Society, delivering several maths-themed lectures, and I served as Head of Sustainability in my Upper Sixth year.
KES was instrumental in helping me get to where I am today. Being surrounded by so many like-minded people within my peer group under the guidance and nurture of my teachers was my favourite part of KES. It provided me with the perfect forum to explore my passions and develop my intellectual curiosity. This spark is something that has somewhat contagiously caught on in my sisters and
other family members too, with the effects of me going to a school like KES echoing well beyond my own individual growth.
I would encourage anyone thinking of applying for a bursary to attend KES to ‘Go for it’. Although it might all seem a little daunting, joining a brand new school, and leaving behind a lot of your friends, there were so many benefits to coming to KES, some that I’m only realising now, and I can’t imagine myself having been anywhere else.
I am truly grateful to all those who have supported the King Edward VI Foundation, and I want you to know that your generosity has reached far beyond a simple scholarship. A KES Bursary truly transforms lives: it fuels success stories, cultivates a community where diverse perspectives converge, and empowers all individuals to thrive. I look forward to being able to give back in whatever way I can to the school that has helped me so much.
(KES 17-24)
Afjal
How You Can Help
You can create possibilities for future bursary pupils by making a gift of any level. Some of our alumni and supporters have chosen to make a difference in the following ways:
By starting a direct debit of £10 or £20 a month, you can join with other likeminded donors to create brighter futures for years to come.
Any donor who gives £1,553 or more to KES automatically joins our 1553 Circle. This is a community of donors making a bigger impact on our School through philanthropy, just as our founder William Capon did in 1553.
We have a small number of generous donors funding full bursaries. The current KES fee is £21,294 and by making a gift of this size each year, you could create a life changing opportunity for a local young person.
We take a personal approach to working with our supporters, so if you would like to know more about any of these ways of giving, please contact Richard Wilson, Director of Development.
Please phone 023 8070 4561 or email edwardians@kes.school.
Remembering KES in your will is an excellent way to make a difference to pupils in the future. This is straightforward - all you need to include is:
Our address: King Edward VI School, Wilton Road, Southampton, SO15 5UQ
Our Registered Charity Number: 1088030
The best way to make your donation is online, via our KES Alumni Hub.
Scan QR Code to access the KES Alumni Hub
When I studied at KES in the Grammar School days, the education was completely free. Looking back across my life and my career, I realise that my time at KES was very formative for me. As a family, we wanted to make a gift to the School that will help today’s pupils, especially those who are not able to afford the fees but who would hugely benefit from the quality education KES continues to provide.
Chris Avent, Donor
If you would like to speak in more detail about making a donation, please phone 023 8070 4561 or email edwardians@kes.school. The best way to make your donation is online, via our KES Alumni Hub. Scan this QR Code to access our hub.
King Edward VI School | Wilton Road | Southampton | SO15 5UQ | Our Registered Charity Number: 1088030 kes.school