Community
Celebrating our Past
by supporting our Future
Growing bursary provision to offer opportunities for all.
When our first Headmistress, Dorinda Neligan, opened the doors to the first all-girls school in the local area back in 1874, one of its founding aims was to provide opportunities to girls from all financial backgrounds. This remains a guiding principle to this day.
As we celebrate the GDST’s 150th year in 2022, followed by the celebration of Croydon High’s own 150th anniversary two years later, our focus is even sharper than ever as we continue to recognise both the need and the impact of a bursary award. The impact of the global pandemic is well documented and has particularly highlighted the educational inequality that exists in the UK.
Enabling more bright girls from local, financially disadvantaged circumstances to benefit from and contribute to our outstanding Croydon High community, is a goal that the school is actively pursuing.
The primary funding for bursaries comes from an agreed proportion of the fee income we receive, but also via philanthropic support in the form of charitable donations and legacies. The generosity of our alumnae, former staff and friends of the school has enabled us to increase bursary funding, but there is still an enormous shortfall, between what we have and what we would like to be able to award.
We are seeking increased support to ensure that even more girls are offered access to the outstanding opportunities Croydon High provides, ensuring that talented girls from all backgrounds can fulfil their potential.
“One generation plants the seeds, another gets the shade”
“When I found out I was going to Croydon High School, I was overwhelmed. I was really surprised to be accepted and am so grateful to my family who helped me get where I am today, I’ve had an amazing time since joining in September 2020 – I’ve loved all of the varieties of lessons. One of the best things is there’s so many extra-curricular activities to choose from. I’ve signed up for Enterprise Technology and coding. I don’t know what I want to do when I leave school yet, but I enjoy singing, sports and hope to be able to travel the world. I would like to say to those who give money to bursaries, thank you so much for providing such a great opportunity for me. I will make the very most of it.”
Find out more about Phoebe’s story.
Learn More
To find out more about how you can support bursary provision at Croydon High, visit the GDST website or download a brochure.
Donate
To support our bursary scheme and give the life-changing gift of education
Bursary FAQs
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A bursary enables bright girls from local, financially disadvantaged circumstances whose families would otherwise not be able to afford fees, to benefit from and contribute to our outstanding Croydon High community.
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The amount varies, dependent on each individual applicant’s financial circumstances and academic performance – it can be up to 100% of tuition fees.
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Bursaries are awarded to pupils at entry in Year 7 and Lower Sixth.
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Bursaries are awarded to the very highest performing candidates academically, whose financial circumstances meet means tested financial criteria. Eligibility is assessed based on a family’s income and financial resources.
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Year 7: At Year 7, girls are assessed via a combination of an on-line adaptive test which assesses numeracy, problem solving and vocabulary. They also take part in a collaborative lesson after which they produce a piece of creative writing. The assessment is designed to find out how applicants think and learn, rather than what they know.
Sixth Form: Girls applying for a bursary will sit for academic scholarship assessment in the same way. The results of this, their financial circumstances and GCSE results are taken into consideration when awards are made.