Fees 2022/23
| Senior School | 2022/23 | £6,244 per term or £18,732 annually |
| Prep School | 2022/23 | £4,909 per term or £14,727 annually |
Fees are paid directly to the GDST and include public examination fees and most text books. Fees can be paid termly in advance or by monthly direct debit.
School lunch is charged separately and paid alongside school fees. Lunch is compulsory for students up to and including year 11. The termly charge is £257.46 for Reception to year 11.
We are an inclusive community and offer a range of financial assistance including means-tested bursaries. Bursaries and Scholarships are available to pupils joining a GDST senior school in year 7 or year 12. We regret that applications for bursaries and scholarships for students entering other year groups or applying late cannot be considered.
Please note that there are separate application forms for bursaries and scholarships which must be completed as well as the main online application for a place.
Bursaries
Sydenham High School offers a number of bursary awards which are designed to enable girls whose parents might not be able to afford the full fees to attend the school. The award of a bursary is based on financial circumstances and the candidate’s performance in the entrance assessments.
If you are interested in being considered for a bursary, please indicate this on your application form and the Admissions team will email you the details for the online application system, which must be completed in addition to the application form, when they become available from mid-September 2023. For Year 7 entry, please apply for a bursary by 5pm on Monday 13 November 2023. You will be notified if your bursary application has been successful at the same time places in the school are offered.
Sixth Form candidates (both new and progressing students) are also able to apply for bursaries. For Sixth Form entry in 2024, please apply by Friday 3 November 2023 if you wish to be considered for a bursary.
Further information about bursaries can be found here.
Scholarships
Year 7
For girls joining in Year 7, we offer both academic scholarships and scholarships in Art, Drama, Music and Sport. The amount offered for each scholarship varies but is usually around 10-20%. You may apply for multiple scholarships.
Our assessments are in person and the logistics for these will be confirmed once the application deadline has passed.
- Academic scholarships
There is no need to make a separate application for an academic scholarship as all girls are considered based on their performance in the Entrance Examination. You will be notified if your daughter has been successful when places are offered.
Opportunities for Academic Scholars
From the beginning of Year 7, A Sydenham High Academic Scholar will accelerate their cognitive skills by embarking on the Socrates Programme, which provides the following:
- Bespoke mentoring to both support and stretch the individual
- Inspiring lectures delivered by leading experts, including climate change scientists, UN delegates and designers
- Hands-on creative experiences, including ‘behind-the-scenes’ museum visits
- Academic workshops, which develop skills such as research and referencing.
This culminates in the completion of an annual individual project (Year 7 to 9) that reflects the personal interest of the pupil and demonstrates the development of an initial idea and self-reflection. In addition to a written element, final pieces have
recently included: short films, plays, models, displays and robots.Additional opportunities
- Invitations to lectures and activities in specialist areas, e.g. Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), plus Humanities, Performance and Creative subjects, when spaces are limited
- Academic extension trips
- GDST events and workshops
Subject Scholarships
The Art, Drama, Music and Sport scholarships are worth a proportion of fees and stay with a girl throughout her school career. You initially apply for your daughter to be entered for a subject scholarship and if your application is shortlisted, you will be invited for an assessment. The specific criteria and for each scholarship is outlined as part of this application form.
As your main application to the school is made online, any Subject Scholarship applications should be completed separately, no later than the application deadline of Monday 13 November 2023.
The criteria for 2024 entry are listed below:
Sixth Form
For girls joining in Year 12, there are a number of scholarships available. For the academic year 2023-24 the Sixth Form scholarship examination will be on Friday 11 November 2022. Candidates wishing to be considered for these should have applied by Friday 4 November 2022.
To apply for a Sixth Form Scholarship, click here. And to find out more about what our Sixth Form has to offer, click here.