Scholarships and Bursaries

Rossall awards a wide variety of scholarship awards each year to current and new pupils to the School. Means-tested bursaries can be offered to further supplement these awards.

We encourage all applicants to consider Rossall, regardless of whether they think they can afford the full tuition fees. We do our best to admit and support a wide variety of students from many diverse backgrounds.

To make an enquiry about scholarships please click here

These awards are given for different reasons:

Scholarships

Scholarships are awards based on merit/excellence. They are awarded for pupils entering Years 7, 9 and 12, with outstanding talent in the relevant areas. 

Rossall offers the following Scholarships:

• Academic Scholarships

• Sporting Scholarships

  • All Rounder Sports Scholarship

  • Signature Football Scholarship

  • Signature Golf Scholarship

• Performing and Creative Arts Scholarships

  • Music Scholarship

  • Signature Piano Scholarship

  • Drama Scholarship

  • Signature Broadway / Musical Theatre Scholarship

  • Art & Design Scholarship

The Trapnell Scholarship

Roger Leigh Trapnell was born in December 1908 and at the age of eleven gained a scholarship to attend Rossall School as a boarder. During his seven years at the school he excelled both academically and on the games field and on completion of his time at the school he was awarded a scholarship to read Mathematics at King’s College, Cambridge.

During his distinguished business career Leigh always attributed his success to the start he had received at Rossall and remained a strong supporter of the school, for many years being a Member of the School Council (school governor). However, in later life he became very concerned at the trend in education generally in England of not putting enough emphasis on mathematics and the sciences.

He was particularly concerned at the considerable debate in the Press at that time, including an article in the Financial Times highlighting there were 3 million unemployed yet companies were unable to fill vacancies in electronics, telecommunications and other scientific industries because of the lack of suitably qualified graduates.

On 26th June 1984 Leigh wrote to the then Headmaster of Rossall, John Sharpe, expressing his concern that at one time Britain had been a leader in scientific development, producing such men as Michael Faraday, but was now lagging behind many other nations. Rossall needed to do its bit, he said, in helping to reverse this trend and encourage pupils to the school who had an interest and real flair for the sciences who would go on to be the scientific leaders of the future.

This letter led to the establishment of the Trapnell Fund on 30th November 1985, endowed with Leigh Trapnell’s own money, to provide scholarships at Rossall School for those pupils who fitted these criteria. The first Trapnell Scholar joined the school in 1985 and since then some 70 pupils have benefitted from Leigh’s generous endowment.

Although Trapnell Scholars can enter the school into any age group from Year 7 to Year 12, as either a day pupil or boarder, Leigh felt the experience he gained at Rossall as a boarder from age 11 was so profound that priority for the award of a scholarship should always be given to a suitably qualified younger applicant over an older one, and a boarder over a day pupil.

Once awarded the scholarship will pay for all fees and necessary extras for the whole time that the pupil is in the school.

Applications

To apply please submit our Rossall School Scholarship Application Form.

Scholarship application deadlines are in November of the Michaelmas Term the year preceding entry. Please see the Scholarship Guide for further details.

Families will be notified if an award is forthcoming soon after all the assessments and interviews have been completed in January.

Please be advised Rossall does not offer fully funded scholarships or means tested bursary support to international students. Applications for scholarships for overseas students will be considered on a case by case basis and will be assessed in a manner consistent with the UK scholarship process. Such awards, if successful, are typically extremely rare in nature and only available to exceptional candidates. 

For further guidance, please contact admissions@rossall.org.uk

A bursary (an award based on financial need) is a reduction in fees based on an assessment of the merit of a pupil and consideration of parental financial circumstances, assessed following the completion of Rossall’s financial circumstances form.

Families of Year 7 pupils (or pupils entering Year 7) and above can apply for a bursary solely or if the Scholarship that they have been awarded is not sufficient to be able to take advantage of a Rossall education. Bursaries are reviewed annually.

Scholarship and bursary awards should be regarded as strictly confidential.

For full details of our scholarships and bursaries available, please contact the Bursary: bursary@rossall.org.uk

Rossall Foundation ‘Changing Lives’ Bursary

A Rossall ‘Changing Lives’ Bursary provides means-tested bursaries, allowing students to benefit from a Rossall Education which they otherwise would not be able to afford. The Changing Lives Scholarship can provide up to 100% of tuition fees and may also cover essential extras. Presently, the bursary is available to Sixth Form day pupils. This bursary is designed to ensure that bright, talented, and ambitious children can thrive and make the most of all that Rossall has to offer. 

Our Alumni know what a positive impact Rossall can have on an individual and this is why they have generously donated towards supporting this cause. The Bursary aims to change a child’s life with the gift of a Rossall education.

FORCES BURSARIES

If a CEA allowance is awarded by the MOD, Rossall will provide an additional discount, such that the minimum parental contribution permissible under MOD CEA rules is made. Currently the MOD asks that eligible personnel make a minimum contribution of 10% towards the discounted school fees.

If a CEA allowance is not available, Rossall will award a discount of up to 25% to forces families.

CLERGY BURSARIES

Rossall School was founded in 1844 by Rev. St Vincent Beechey as a sister school to Marlborough College which had been founded the previous year. Its establishment was ‘to provide, at a moderate cost, for the sons of Clergymen and others, a classical, mathematical and general education of the highest class.’ Beechey set about finding the funds required to set up such a school and received support from many including The Earl of Derby, the Duke of Devonshire and the Bishop of Chester.

To this day, our commitment to supporting the sons and daughters of clergymen and women continues and we offer a non means tested bursary award of 50% on each child.

OTHER SOURCES OF BURSARY ADVICE:

EDUCATION GRANTS ADVICE SERVICE

FOR ADVICE ONLY – NO GRANTS AVAILABLE

The Educational Trusts’ Forum started in the early 1980s as the Joint Trusts’ Liaison Committee. It changed its name in 1988. Its membership comprises charities that are prepared to consider grants and awards to assist children in need whose families cannot afford educational or boarding fees. Pupils may be at Independent schools or State schools where a boarding fee is charged.

Access the Educational Grants Advice Service website here.

*Bursary applications for entry into Rossall will only be considered from September to April preceding the year of entry when bursary support is needed.

For information on sibling discounts, please visit the Fees page.