Where you come from is not the point;
where you are going is.

How to apply for an Arnold Foundation Award

A place at Rugby School provides a life-changing experience. The Arnold Foundation Award offers up to 110% means-tested bursary support towards fees and extras for each academic year.

You are welcome to make an application for this Award if you are a parent, guardian or a partner organisation. Students can enter the school either at 13+ (year 9) or at 16+ (year 12). We have listed the relevant timings, deadlines and details below, together with an outline of what is involved.

If you would like any extra information or clarification, please call Becky Witcomb on 01788 556267 or email her at rw2@rugbyschool.net. She will be happy to help.

Our eligibility criteria

The Arnold Foundation Award is here for students who show the potential to excel academically. We also consider talented young people with the potential to flourish in activities such as sport, music, art or drama, provided they can thrive academically.

A boarding school education is not right for every child. For students ready to embrace the opportunity, Rugby provides a unique experience which nurtures the whole person. To grow as a rounded individual, students are expected to embrace the two-way nature of their award and make a positive contribution to the school community.

To qualify for bursary support, all parties with parental responsibility must be assessed as eligible, through our means-testing process. Full details will be provided during the application process.

Applying for a 13+ (year 9) place

The application process begins in the June before the year of entry (c.15 months in advance).

1. The student is nominated by a partner organisation and invited to complete and return our Preliminary Information Form. The deadline is the end of August.

2. A visit is arranged for the student by October.

3. Students are invited to return in November to sit entrance tests in English and maths.

4. If a child is taken forward in the process, they are invited for final, formal interviews in the January* with the Deputy Head (Pastoral), the Assistant Head (Middle School) and members of the Arnold Foundation Board.

*Parents or guardians need to complete a bursary form and return it to the Bursary before the final interviews.

Applying for a 16+ (year 12) place

The application process begins in the June before the year of entry (c.15 months in advance).

1. Application forms have to be submitted by the end of August*.

2. Students should arrange to visit the school at either our June or August Open Day, or by personal visit before the October of Year 11.

3. Parents or guardians also need to complete and return a Award by the 30th September deadline.

4. Students sit entrance examinations and attend interviews in November at Rugby School. (In exceptional circumstances we can make arrangements for children to sit entrance tests either at their current school or at an agreed testing site.)

5. Students being taken forward are invited for final, formal interviews in the following January with the Deputy Head (Pastoral), the Assistant Head (Upper School) and members of the Development Board.

*We set a minimum entry criteria based on GCSE results. Students require at least three GCSE passes at grade 7 and a further three at grade 6 or above. These passes should include English, maths and the subjects to be studied at A Level or for the International Diploma.

Find out more about The Arnold Foundation ➜