St Michael’s is very proud to support a bursary scheme aimed at helping local families access a style of education that could help their child maximise their potential, but ordinarily would not be able to afford to do so.
The bursary scheme is part of St Michael’s commitment to broadening access to the school by offering eligible parents or guardians bursaries to help with school fees. The school offers means-tested bursaries, up to 100% for entry into Year 7. The awards are intended for applicants displaying an all-round ability wishing to transfer to an on-island school in Year 10.
In conferring awards we look for individuals who will be a credit to themselves and the school.
Bursaries are awarded at the discretion of the headmaster, with the support of the board of Governors of St Michael’s Preparatory School. The bursaries are intended for pupils not currently at St. Michael’s intent on following a secondary school education on-island.
All bursary holders will play an active role in the life of the School and bursaries awarded at 11+ are tenable until the end of the Shell Year at St. Michael’s Preparatory School.
There are estimated to be around 41,000 children being financially assisted by private schools across the UK.
This number is based on research by the Independent Schools Council who have 1267 member schools, with circa 500,000 pupils. The total number of pupils in private schools is approximately 650,000 in more than 2000 schools.
We are fortunate that in Jersey we have a range of different styles of education that suit children of all levels of ability. St Michael’s is part of that mix but is sometimes overlooked. Successful applicants for the bursary scheme will be able to take full advantage of the school’s small class sizes and excellent facilities. We hope that as many interested families as possible will take up the opportunity to attend our open evening and consider applying for one of our bursaries.
The awarding of a bursary brings many new opportunities and challenges, but also the responsibility to set and maintain the highest standards at all times. With our small class sizes we are able to support all of our students in a way that allows them to develop academically and personally.
The Shell Year at St Michael’s is designed primarily as a bridging year link between Year 8 at St Michael’s Preparatory School and Year 10 (entry year) at Hautlieu School. We recognise the need to accommodate those pupils who have a desire to stay on island for secondary school education and continue in a co-educational environment. With this in mind, we have developed the curriculum for this year, called Shell Year, aligning our provision with Hautlieu’s GCSE offering in Year 10.