Bursaries

CSYO has a bursary fund to enable us to offer some financial assistance to those who would not otherwise be able to take part. If you would like your child to apply for a place in CSYO but are concerned about affordability, please do read the information on this page to see whether we may be able to help through bursary funding.

Quick links:

How much are bursaries for?

Bursaries are not for a fixed amount: instead, you can apply for a bursary equal to a percentage of the course fees, which you specify on the application form based on your own personal circumstances. Our bursary fund is not unlimited, so we do need to consider each application carefully, and most bursaries are for a maximum of 50% of the course fee. However, this is not an absolute limit, and we are happy to consider requests for a higher amount. We do not however offer 100% bursaries.

If you have more than one child in CSYO you can apply for more than one bursary. Financial assistance is reassessed at the start of each year.

What are your criteria for awarding bursaries?

We appreciate that the cost of musical education is often already high, especially where more than one child in a family is learning an instrument, and that finding further money for course fees may be challenging for many families as a result.

For that reason, we do not apply rigid criteria when considering bursary applications. Instead, we apply a discretionary approach, and encourage any parent to apply for bursary funding if they believe their child would benefit from what CSYO offers, but they are concerned about the affordability of course fees given their personal circumstances.

By way of guidance, some examples of the kinds of cases when a bursary would normally be awarded are:

the child is being looked-after by the local authority
the child is eligible for free school meals / pupil premium
one or both parents qualifies for benefits intended to assist those on low income, such as income support, housing benefit or universal credit
single-parent family on modest income
total household income is otherwise limited

However, this is not an exhaustive list, and we will always seek to assist where a need for financial help has been shown.

If in any doubt, please do contact us rather than just assuming that you would not qualify for bursary funding. We will always be happy to provide further guidance.

How do I apply for bursary funding?

Use the link below to fill out our online bursary application form. (Please note that the link opens outside the CSYO website.)

Privacy notice:

Personal data provided on the online form will be used for the purposes of assessing your eligibility to receive bursary funding to assist with fees for our forthcoming CSYO. All information provided by you will be processed and stored securely in accordance with relevant legal requirements and will be treated as strictly confidential. For more information see our privacy policy.

You should automatically receive a response email when your form is submitted. The response email will be sent by JotForm, rather than CSYO, since our online application form is powered by JotForm. We recommend that you keep this email: it has a live link which will allow you to update the information on your application at a later date if needed.

Technical problems?

If you experience technical problems with the online application form, please contact us giving details of the problem, and we will do our best to assist.

When do I apply?

If you are applying for bursary funding and you are already a member of CSYO you must make sure you complete the bursary application form along with your commitment at the start of the academic year and by the advertised deadline. Your application will then be processed shortly after the deadline has passed and we will be in touch by email with a letter outlining what sort of bursary we can offer.

If you are auditioning to become a member of CSYO we ask that you complete a bursary application on receipt of an offer of a place. We ask that acceptance of a place and submission of a bursary application is made within one week of the offer in order that we can process them all together.

How will I find out the result of my application?

Once we have processed your application we will get in touch with you by email with a letter outlining what level of bursary we can offer.

What happens if my bursary application is unsuccessful?

We do our best to grant all applications which show a genuine need for financial support, so it would be very rare for this to occur. However, if for any reason we are unable to award you a bursary, or if you are granted a lower bursary than the amount applied for, we will write to you to let you know the balance due. This amount will need to be paid in order to confirm your child’s place; but if you decide that the course fees are not affordable for you without further bursary funding, you may cancel your application and we will refund the amount already paid.

Where can I get more information on bursaries?

If you have any queries about bursaries and eligibility for financial help which aren’t answered by the information on this page please contact us. Any information given will be treated in the strictest confidence.