Introduction to Assisted Places
The aim of the Assisted Places scheme is to allow able pupils who perform well the Forest entrance assessments to attend Forest School, even if they do not qualify for a Scholarship and their parents cannot afford to pay School fees.
Assisted Places at 11+
We have seven Assisted Places available to pupils at 11+ for September 2024 entry. These will be offered as free places (i.e. only 100% fee remission). They will be awarded to pupils who meet the financial criteria for 100% fee remission only and demonstrate the most potential to benefit from an academically challenging all round school like Forest. Parents are advised to carefully read the Assisted Places Policy & 11+ Guidelines before applying.
How to Apply for 11+ Assisted Places
Families who want to be considered for an Assisted Place are asked to complete an online statement of financial circumstances form. This will establish eligibility before being required to follow the full application process. The application is a means tested process. Once you have submitted your application, it will be administered on our behalf by Bursary Assessment Associates, an independent company. Please find the link to the application portal below which can be accessed by clicking on the Secure Apply logo.
Both parents are required to complete the bursary application and make a financial declaration. This applies equally to separated parents. The school will not accept an application for a child where a parent is refusing to participate in the application process. If there is a court order in place which specifically prohibits a parent from any involvement with the child, then the School may accept this as a reason for the non-resident parent not completing the financial declaration. Under these circumstances, the School will require supporting documentation such as a copy of the court order. This criteria also applies to the annual means-testing of the award.
The deadline to complete your application is by midday, Friday 10 November 2023. Please note the School will not proceed with any late applications or any applications from anyone giving misleading, inaccurate or incomplete information. It will take 30-45 minutes to complete the application form but we advise you to leave plenty of time before the deadline to complete your application as you must ensure you have all the required supporting documents to hand so that they can be uploaded as part of the process.
As there is a very high demand for these Assisted Places, the School will exercise discretion when awarding these seven places. The School will therefore consider both the families’ financial situation and the pupil’s suitability to be able to thrive in an outstanding all-round school when awarding the available funds.
In addition to establishing financial need, there may be other factors that we need to take into consideration including historical events, family history, past and present school performance. The School reserves the right, at its absolute discretion, to take exceptional circumstances into account when considering whether to offer an Assisted Place to a pupil.
Parents are asked to refer to the Income Bands to determine eligibility:
Assisted Places – How To Apply
Assisted Places at 16+
Building on our aim to allow more able pupils whose parents are unable to pay School fees to join Forest, at 16+ we introduced from September 2022 entry, one 16+ Assisted Place.
This Award will be means-tested and awarded at the discretion of the School to a candidate who performs strongly in the 16+ Forest entrance exam and subsequent interviews, meets the eligibility criteria (refer to 16+ entry guidelines & income bands) and demonstrates potential to benefits from an academically challenging all round education at Forest. This will be offered as a free place (i.e. only 100% fee remission).
Assisted Places Regulations
Assisted Places will be awarded on the basis of the pupil’s suitability for the outstanding all round educational provision offered by Forest School and their family income, as assessed by the School using the published means-tested financial bands and processes outlined in the Forest School’s Assisted Place Policy.
Bursary Assessment Associates will be acting on behalf of Forest School to review and assess all means-tested applications.
Assisted Places can only be offered as places with full 100% fee remission and the decision of the School is final.
Families who are awarded an Assisted Place will have to submit a Statement of Financial Circumstances, together with supporting documentation via Bursary Assessment Associates before the start of each academic year. The School reserves the right to remove or reduce the Assisted Place Award should financial circumstances improve.
NB: The School reserves the right to review criteria and awards annually and will give appropriate notice of any changes made.