ADMISSIONs
Financial Support & Eligibility Criteria
At St Mary's Music School, we believe that financial circumstances should never hinder a gifted and talented child from pursuing their musical dreams.
Financial support, up to 100% of fees, is available for eligible UK pupils based on affordability, while outstanding international instrumental candidates may also find financial assistance within reach. To do this we rely on support from the Scottish Government’s Aided Places Scheme along with parental contributions to fees and philanthropic donations from individuals, trusts and foundations, and businesses.
The Scottish Government’s Aided Places Scheme is means tested on family income and can provide up to 100% of tuition and boarding fees. Bursaries for choristers are also available, thanks to St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral, while the generosity of the School’s supporter to our School Bursary Fund and our Music Teaching Fund, all help to make St Mary’s Music School accessible to children from across Scotland, the UK and further afield.
The School Bursar, Dr JoAnna Collings, will be happy to speak to prospective parents about help with School fees at any time.
The Scottish Government's Aided Places Scheme
The Scheme provides financial assistance with the cost of tuition and boarding fees as well as other expenses for pupils attending St Mary’s Music School. The provisions of the scheme are contained in the St Mary’s Music School (Aided Places) (Scotland) Regulations 2015 (SSI 2015/248) as amended by the St Mary’s Music School (Aided Places) (Scotland) Amendment (No. 2) Regulations 2022 (SSI 2022/377).
| Eligibility |
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The minimum age for an aided place is 7 years provided the pupil will attain 8 years of age on or before 31 July next following his or her taking up an aided place. A child must have been resident in the British Islands for two years, preceding 1 January of the year in which they would take up an aided place. Special rules apply to (1) children from European Economic Area countries or Switzerland who have protected rights under the Citizens’ Rights Agreements following the UK’s exit from the EU, and children who are family members of persons with such protected rights; (2) Irish or UK nationals resident in the Republic of Ireland; (3) refugees or the children of refugees; and (4) Ukrainian children who are displaced persons. The selection of pupils for aided places is (subject to the rules of eligibility), a matter for decision by the School who will, on request, provide the necessary application forms and details of their arrangement for the selection and admission of pupils. |
| Assistance with tuition and boarding fees |
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The Scottish Government’s Aided Places Scheme provides financial assistance towards the cost of tuition fees for 55 pupils at St Mary’s Music School and the cost of boarding fees for a maximum of 35 pupils (instrumentalists). Assistance is determined by reference to a sliding scale linked to family income, referred to as “relevant income”. Relevant income will normally be the total income (before tax) from all sources of both parents or a parent and their partner (whether or not that partner has parental rights as long as they are the spouse, civil partner or cohabitee of the parent) as well as any unearned income of their dependent children (whether they hold an aided place or not) less an allowance (£2,219 in 2023-24) for each dependent child or other relative residing in the same household as the applicant and aided pupil, other than the aided pupil. Sums received from the following social security benefits should not normally be included as relevant income:
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| Assistance with other expenses |
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Aided day pupils whose parents are receiving income support, income-based Jobseekers Allowance, Child Tax Credit (based on an annual income of no more than £17,005 and also not in receipt of Working Tax Credit except in certain limited circumstances) or Universal Credit are eligible for free school meals.
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| Relevant income assessment |
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Relevant income is normally assessed on income earned in the previous tax year (eg. relevant income for the school year 2023/24 will be based on income in the tax year 2022/23). Applicants will be required to provide documentary evidence (eg. a P60 form, a completed self-assessment form or a copy of accounts, as appropriate) as a condition of being granted an aided place for their child. Special rules apply where applicants are divorced or separated; where certain disability benefits are payable; and where income is derived from a business with a special accounting year. |
| Fee payment |
| You will normally be asked to pay your share of the fees in three equal instalments at the start of each term. Please note that where Aided Places Funding has been granted, this is paid directly to the School from the Scottish Government and deducted from the fees. |
| More than one Aided Place child in a family |
| If two or more children from the same family hold an aided place, the parental contribution in respect of each child will be reduced according to the number of children holding such places. The amount of assistance will be reviewed annually and applicants will be required to provide details of their income each year to enable their contribution to the fees to be reassessed. |
| Changes in income |
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In case of hardship – for example if income falls because a parent dies or is out of work – your share of the fees may be calculated on current income, rather than income a year earlier. This can be arranged in the first year your child holds an aided place or in later years if circumstances change. |
| Applying for an Aided Place |
| An application for an Aided Place should normally be made to St Mary’s Music School when applying for admission to the school – but the Scheme is also open to those already attending the School. The School will let you know as soon as possible whether your application for an Aided Place has been successful. |
A general guide to parental contribution to fees for 2024/25
This is based on full senior instrumentalist tuition fees* and, while the relevant income scale is open ended fee remission can be given only where the parental contribution is less than the tuition fees.
Parental contribution is based on actual salary figures.
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Relevant income up to |
Day pupils - one aided pupil |
Day pupils - each of two or more aided pupils |
Boarding pupils - one aided pupil |
Boarding pupils - each of two or more aided pupils |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| £14,563 | NIL | NIL | NIL | NIL |
| £18,409 | NIL | NIL | £384 | £288 |
| £20,000 | £159 | £117 | £702 | £525 |
| £25,000 | £657 | £492 | £1,680 | £1,254 |
| £30,000 | £1,158 | £867 | £2,304 | £1,629 |
| £40,000 | £2,157 | £1,617 | £3,555 | £2,379 |
| £50,000 | £3,207 | £2,406 | £4,881 | £3,174 |
| £60,000 | £4,308 | £3,231 | £6,279 | £4,014 |
| £80,000 | £6,657 | £4,992 | £9,231 | £5,784 |
| £100,000 | £9,207 | £6,906 | £12,381 | £7,674 |
| £120,000 | £11,958 | £8,967 | £15,729 | £9,684 |
| £150,000 | £16,407 | £12,306 | £21,081 | £12,894 |
| £200,000 | £23,907 | £17,931 | £30,081 | £18,294 |
| £250,000 | £31,407 | £23,556 | £39,081 | £23,694 |
| £300,000 | £34,495* | £29,181 | £47,351* | £29,096 |
Our School Bursary Fund, our Music Teaching Fund and our Instrument Fund
Our School Bursary Fund allows us to support talented young musicians no matter their financial circumstances while our Music Teaching Fund enables us to employ the very best musicians and teachers to nurture our pupils’ innate musical abilities. Donations to our Instrument Fund, which allows the School to purchase musical instruments and keep on top of tuning our fleet of over 30 pianos, are critical. Or, you may simply prefer to give an unrestricted gift, for the School to use where it is needed most.
The Cathedral Choir Scholarship Fund
Chorister places at St Mary’s Music School can be supported by either a Cathedral Bursary or one of a small number of Scottish Government Aided Places.
Cathedral Bursaries cover a minimum of 33% of fees and additional discretionary bursary funding may be available depending on financial need.
For further details, please contact:
Dr JoAnna Collings
School Bursar
Email
