Sixth Form Bursaries
Our School was founded on the principle of creating educational opportunities in Southampton. This founding ethos remains as important to us as ever. We are proud to offer a number of Bursary Awards every year, including to applicants for Sixth Form.
Our Bursary Awards either completely or partially cover a pupil’s school fees. For the 2025-26 academic year, subject to your capital assets, if your gross family income is below £46,000 you may qualify for a full Bursary Award, covering 100% of fees. Between £46,000 and £92,000, a sliding scale operates for partial Bursary Awards. This scale is subject to annual review.
Thanks to a generous gift from the Frank Misselbrook Foundation, from the 2025-2026 academic year onwards, new 100% Bursary Award holders will be eligible to receive support with extra costs. This includes:
- School lunches
- Travel on school buses, when living more than two miles from the School
- A device for learning
- An allowance to spend on school trips at any time whilst at KES
The School will confirm more details about extra costs with families once a bursary has been awarded.
To apply for a Bursary Award, please contact our Admissions Team, who will send the application form to you. Families will need to pay a reduced non-refundable application fee of £30 plus VAT (£36) alongside application.
In assessing eligibility of the bursary, we partner with Bursary Administration Limited. They will request information on all relevant sources of income and capital assets, and pass this to the School.
Following the results of the admissions examinations, families will be notified if they have been successful in securing a Bursary Award in March. Once awarded, the entitlement to a Bursary Award will remain with a pupil throughout his or her time at the School, subject to financial circumstances being reviewed annually.
EPA Sixth Form Bursary Award – additional biology and chemistry bursary
New for the 2025-26 academic year, thanks to the generous support of the EPA Cephalosporin Fund, we are pleased to offer the EPA Sixth Form Bursary Award.
This bursary is in memory of Sir Edward Penley Abraham (EPA), who studied at King Edward’s from 1924-32 and went on to become a noted biochemist. Sir Edward was instrumental in the development of the first antibiotics penicillin and cephalosporin. The EPA Cephalosporin Fund, a charitable trust Sir Edward established before his death, wish to support promising young scientists in Southampton who would like to study at KES, but may not have the financial means to do so.
The EPA Sixth Form Bursary Award covers 100% of school fees, so you will need to have a household income below £46,000 to apply. You also must be applying to join our Sixth Form from a state secondary school and choosing to study either Biology or Chemistry at A Level. The chosen recipient will have high predicted GCSE results in Biology and Chemistry and perform well in subject interviews.
The EPA Sixth Form Bursary Award complements our wider bursary offering, and if you wish to be considered, you should apply for this in addition to our normal bursaries. By applying for the EPA Sixth Form Bursary Award, families will have a greater chance of securing a bursary. Please follow the usual bursary application process and indicate on your application form that you also wish to be considered for the EPA Sixth Form Bursary Award.
Frank Misselbrook Sixth Form Bursary in Business and Economics
Thanks to generous support from the Frank Misselbrook Foundation, we are pleased to offer the Frank Misselbrook Sixth Form Bursary in Business and Economics.
This Bursary Award covers 100% of school fees and is for young people with a passion for Business and/or Economics.
The awarding criteria is as follows:
- Applicants must be joining KES for sixth form from a state school.
- Your household income must be below £46,000.
- Applicants must be planning to study Business or Economics at A level.
- You must have a strong overall grade profile.
- You will perform well in an interview with the Head of Department for Business or Economics, displaying a genuine passion for the subject and ideally a desire to study Business or Economics at University.
Whilst the School advertises this Bursary Award every year, we will only award it when an outstanding candidate is available.
To apply, please contact our Admissions Team.
