Poorer families reluctant to apply to private schools ‘for psychological reasons’

POOR FAMILIES may be reluctant to apply for private schools because they do not want their children to feel uncomfortable or out of their depth, a leading headmistress has suggested.

Most independent school leaders would be in favour of offering more full 100 per cent bursaries for the poorest youngsters, but there are significant barriers in getting these youngsters to even consider a private education, according to Gwen Byrom.

The incoming president of the Girls’ Schools Association (GSA) said that more work needed to be done to encourage disadvantaged families in the country to apply for places at fee-paying schools.

Mrs Byrom, who is also head of Loughborough High School, a fee-paying girls’ school in the East Midlands, said independent schools were often criticised for not doing enough to help the children who needed it most – such as those from the very poorest areas.

While it is easy to suggest that fee-paying schools should offer more financial assistance, in reality, there were “social and psychological hurdles” in getting families that would be eligible for such support to apply, she said.

Mrs Byrom, who becomes GSA president in January, said: “I would like to see the sector offering a lot more 100 per cent bursaries. I think we all would; I don’t know a head who wouldn’t say they wanted to see more 100 per cent bursaries offered by independent schools.”

She said there were conditions to this – for example, some private schools may not have the financial means to do so. “But the other caveat I would add is that just because a school offers 100 per cent bursaries, it doesn’t necessarily mean that families will be falling over themselves to apply.”

The school leader, who said she was currently doing a doctoral qualification based on bursaries and why families do not apply for them, said: “There are social and psychological hurdles towards applying to an independent school if that is not part of your background.”