Widening Access - RGS Pass it On Campaign

We cannot say we are truly needs-blind at this stage, but we have the thirst for widening access and we have a vision and a strategy for how to do this.”

Headmaster’s Address, Prizegiving 2018

We have made huge strides to widen access over the last decade.

We work actively with local primary schools as part of our partnerships and outreach activities, including a popular masterclass programme for gifted and talented boys and girls. As a result:

176 schools are now represented at the RGS.
Nearly 40% of pupils now come to RGS from state primary schools.
The number of state schools sending applicants has increased by 20% since 2010.

At the heart of our widening access agenda is our bursary programme. Since 2008, we have:

Reduced the value of scholarships by 20%, in favour of means-tested bursaries.
Nearly quadrupled our financial commitment to bursaries.
Increased the number of boys receiving means-tested financial support by 88%.

Our challenge is to realise our founding mission to provide exceptional education for bright boys from all sections of our local community.

We know there are bright boys in our community for whom finance is a barrier. We also know that finance may not be the only barrier. Lack of awareness of bursary availability; the cost of the deposit, uniform, travel and school meals; misconceptions about who we are as a school or what an RGS education is. These are all very real concerns and if we are committed to widening access to our school, it is our responsibility to work to understand these barriers and to break them down.

Looking ahead

Widening Access: The RGS pathways project is the name we have given to the activities required to identify, reach and recruit more eligible bursary boys. As we prepare for forthcoming growth in the scale of our Bursary Programme, we have:

Created a new senior leadership team position of Assistant Head: Partnerships, Outreach & Widening Access and appointed Mr Tom Shimell.
Set up a new School Governor Committee for Widening Access to guide and oversee activity and ensure it fits into the heart of School strategy more widely.
Consulted bursary parents and boys via a survey and consultation evening in November 2018, to help us to identify potential barriers to access and start to put in place measure to overcome them.

“

We knew of the existence of the School and never had any doubts about or son’s academic ability, but we had never considered it as an option open to us because of our financial circumstances.

Parents of Oliver WhiteOG ‘15

Unlocking Potential: The RGS bursary programme

Offering means-tested fee assistance to bright boys, from all sections of our community, to help realise their potential.

Learn more