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Criteria to apply for a full or partial bursary
The application for a full or partial bursary from Michael Mount Waldorf School is only targeted for financially challenged families.
The Council for the Michael Mount Waldorf School has formulated the criteria which will be used in evaluating the awarding of a bursary to any particular family. Please read through these carefully and contact the School Bursar directly (bursar@michaelmount.co.za).
- Application for a bursary or partial bursary may only be made by those families whose children are enrolled in the 2024 academic year at Michael Mount Waldorf School. Unfortunately, no applications will be accepted for pupils that were not enrolled during 2024 at the school. Applications for 2025 bursaries have now closed.
- Applications will be accepted for pupils attending from Grade 1 up to and including Grade 12 at the school (i.e., all grades in Primary and High School). No applications will be accepted for pupils for Baby Care, Play Group, or Nursery School.
- Bursaries are allocated for one year only and all parents need to reapply for the following year.
- The Bursary Committee may review bursary allocations on a termly basis should information regarding a family’s financial affordability come to light. In this regard the Bursary Committee may require updated evidence of the family’s financial status.
- Bursaries are awarded following an evidence-based means test assessing income, housing costs and assets. Full or partial bursaries will be awarded only to financially constrained families.
- There is no Bursary appeal process, the Community Bursary Fund Committee’s decision is final.
- The granting of bursaries will only be on the condition that monthly school fees are kept up to date. Failing this, bursaries may be withdrawn.
Please read our full policy for further details on the fund
Michael Mount Waldorf School is a private, non-profit school that raises income through school fees and fund raising, in order to provide the best education possible, whilst remaining financially viable. However, the school believes that Steiner/Waldorf education should be accessible to as many children and their families as possible. Therefore, families who find themselves unable to meet the required school fees for the year can apply to the Community Bursary Fund for financial assistance.
Award of a bursary is only made following an evidence-based means test which assesses your income, housing costs, assets, and lifestyle measure. Each bursary application will be considered on an equal basis, using a standardized calculation and the same process. As such, we are required to ask for confidential information about the finances of all those making an application to the Community Bursary Fund. This information will be treated as confidential, and we will use and store it securely.
Note that the school has a limited budget for fee assistance and bursaries therefore will only be awarded to existing Michael Mount Waldorf School students. The school cannot guarantee awarding a bursary to any particular family even if they meet our eligibility and financial criteria. A bursary application must be made for each school year. Existing bursary recipients must reapply for the next academic year (i.e., previously agreed upon bursaries are NOT rolled over into the coming year.) A suitable percentage discount of the school fees will be awarded.
The fund will consider all applications fairly before making any awards and endeavours to offer assistance to all those genuinely in need of support. However, the Bursary programme has a finite/limited budget, so this cannot be guaranteed in any particular case. The School reserves the right of absolute discretion in the provision of fee assistance through the Community Bursary Fund. Bursaries are applied for, considered, and awarded on a yearly basis. As such, the award of a bursary in one year will not automatically guarantee a bursary award in the following or subsequent years, even if the applicant's circumstances have not changed.
The application form for the Community Bursary is available from the Bursar (bursar@michaelmount.co.za) upon request. Current families/students wishing to apply for a bursary for the following academic year must do so by completing and returning the form with the accompanying evidence requested before the deadline stated on the form. Bursaries will only be awarded to those genuinely unable to afford the fees in full. Please note that the application must show all relevant information for all legal guardians of the child/children concerned. If a child’s parents/carers live separately, the relevant information must be supplied for all parties. The income and expenditure of all parties will be taken into consideration. If you have any questions in relation to the bursary application process, please discuss these with the School Bursar.
Applicants are required to fill out a Bursary Application form, which is available upon request from the Bursar (bursar@michaelmount.co.za). Applications can only be assessed if fully completed and all necessary supporting information has been provided. The Council of Management will select a Bursary Committee, which will include at least one non-community/school member where possible. The Bursary Committee will review each application and supporting evidence once received. You may be invited in person to meet with the Bursary Committee, or member(s) of the Bursary Committee, to discuss your application. Please make every effort to be available for this meeting should one be requested.
The School is aware that a family's circumstances may change dramatically during the school year. While funds may be limited, once the initial Bursary Fund has been allocated, the Bursary Committee may accept and consider applications during the academic year for families in exceptional circumstances (ie. an unexpected life change such as redundancy, divorce, the death of a partner, etc) only. Please contact the School Bursar if you wish to be considered for an exceptional bursary award.
Applications accepted during the year in either of these situations must be completed using the standard Bursary Application Form and submitted to the School Bursar. As and when exceptional bursary applications are received, the Bursary Committee will meet at its earliest convenience to assess these and will inform applicants of the decision as soon as possible. There is also no appeal process for exceptional bursary applicants and the decision of the Bursary Committee will be made at its total and unfettered discretion. Their decision is also final. Please remember that all school bursary awards are funded from community donations and fundraising and there is a finite and limited amount of funding available. We urge applicants only to take recourse to the Community Bursary Fund as a last resort.
The Hardship Policy is in place to offer assistance to families who may be experiencing unexpected and unplanned financial difficulties due to life events such as sickness, death, loss of employment, loss of housing or separation.
Please note that the Hardship Policy does not include any reduction in fees, but provides a more flexible approach so that an alternative payment schedule/payment holiday can be agreed upon on an individual basis. If you feel that you qualify for the above, please contact the School Bursar directly.
If your application is successful, you will receive a letter notifying you of the discount percentage. This letter constitutes an agreement between yourself and the school, which you will be required to sign and return. You will be bound by the same requirement as other families to make payment of the remaining fees promptly and in full on or before the date they fall due. If you have not been successful in your bursary application, you will be informed of this in writing as soon as possible. The decision by the Bursary Committee is final and made at its total and unfettered discretion. There is no appeal process.
The Bursary Committee reserves the right to review all applications on a termly basis, at which point you will receive a written request to provide a new statement of income and expenditure, and to disclose any changes in your financial circumstances that may affect your ability to pay fees. As with your initial application, evidence will be requested to support this review and your bursary may be withdrawn if you do not provide this information by the date requested.
At any stage, if you are awarded a bursary and your financial situation improves during the school year to the point at which you can reasonably afford to increase your contribution to the fees, you are obliged to declare this to the Bursary Committee (via the School Bursar). The Committee will then consider whether to reassess your situation for the remainder of the year, at which point your bursary may be amended or withdrawn (although you will not be asked to repay any awards made up to the point at which your circumstances changed) and a revised invoice issued.
Michael Mount Waldorf School is a private, non-profit school that raises income through school fees and fund raising, in order to provide the best education possible, whilst remaining financially viable. However, the school believes that Steiner/Waldorf education should be accessible to as many children and their families as possible. Therefore, families who find themselves unable to meet the required school fees for the year can apply to the Community Bursary Fund for financial assistance.
Award of a bursary is only made following an evidence-based means test which assesses your income, housing costs, assets, and lifestyle measure. Each bursary application will be considered on an equal basis, using a standardized calculation and the same process. As such, we are required to ask for confidential information about the finances of all those making an application to the Community Bursary Fund. This information will be treated as confidential, and we will use and store it securely.
Note that the school has a limited budget for fee assistance and bursaries therefore will only be awarded to existing Michael Mount Waldorf School students. The school cannot guarantee awarding a bursary to any particular family even if they meet our eligibility and financial criteria. A bursary application must be made for each school year. Existing bursary recipients must reapply for the next academic year (i.e., previously agreed upon bursaries are NOT rolled over into the coming year.) A suitable percentage discount of the school fees will be awarded.
The fund will consider all applications fairly before making any awards and endeavours to offer assistance to all those genuinely in need of support. However, the Bursary programme has a finite/limited budget, so this cannot be guaranteed in any particular case. The School reserves the right of absolute discretion in the provision of fee assistance through the Community Bursary Fund. Bursaries are applied for, considered, and awarded on a yearly basis. As such, the award of a bursary in one year will not automatically guarantee a bursary award in the following or subsequent years, even if the applicant's circumstances have not changed.
The application form for the Community Bursary is available from the Bursar (bursar@michaelmount.co.za) upon request. Current families/students wishing to apply for a bursary for the following academic year must do so by completing and returning the form with the accompanying evidence requested before the deadline stated on the form. Bursaries will only be awarded to those genuinely unable to afford the fees in full. Please note that the application must show all relevant information for all legal guardians of the child/children concerned. If a child’s parents/carers live separately, the relevant information must be supplied for all parties. The income and expenditure of all parties will be taken into consideration. If you have any questions in relation to the bursary application process, please discuss these with the School Bursar.
Applicants are required to fill out a Bursary Application form, which is available upon request from the Bursar (bursar@michaelmount.co.za). Applications can only be assessed if fully completed and all necessary supporting information has been provided. The Council of Management will select a Bursary Committee, which will include at least one non-community/school member where possible. The Bursary Committee will review each application and supporting evidence once received. You may be invited in person to meet with the Bursary Committee, or member(s) of the Bursary Committee, to discuss your application. Please make every effort to be available for this meeting should one be requested.
The School is aware that a family's circumstances may change dramatically during the school year. While funds may be limited, once the initial Bursary Fund has been allocated, the Bursary Committee may accept and consider applications during the academic year for families in exceptional circumstances (ie. an unexpected life change such as redundancy, divorce, the death of a partner, etc) only. Please contact the School Bursar if you wish to be considered for an exceptional bursary award.
Applications accepted during the year in either of these situations must be completed using the standard Bursary Application Form and submitted to the School Bursar. As and when exceptional bursary applications are received, the Bursary Committee will meet at its earliest convenience to assess these and will inform applicants of the decision as soon as possible. There is also no appeal process for exceptional bursary applicants and the decision of the Bursary Committee will be made at its total and unfettered discretion. Their decision is also final. Please remember that all school bursary awards are funded from community donations and fundraising and there is a finite and limited amount of funding available. We urge applicants only to take recourse to the Community Bursary Fund as a last resort.
The Hardship Policy is in place to offer assistance to families who may be experiencing unexpected and unplanned financial difficulties due to life events such as sickness, death, loss of employment, loss of housing or separation.
Please note that the Hardship Policy does not include any reduction in fees, but provides a more flexible approach so that an alternative payment schedule/payment holiday can be agreed upon on an individual basis. If you feel that you qualify for the above, please contact the School Bursar directly.
If your application is successful, you will receive a letter notifying you of the discount percentage. This letter constitutes an agreement between yourself and the school, which you will be required to sign and return. You will be bound by the same requirement as other families to make payment of the remaining fees promptly and in full on or before the date they fall due. If you have not been successful in your bursary application, you will be informed of this in writing as soon as possible. The decision by the Bursary Committee is final and made at its total and unfettered discretion. There is no appeal process.
The Bursary Committee reserves the right to review all applications on a termly basis, at which point you will receive a written request to provide a new statement of income and expenditure, and to disclose any changes in your financial circumstances that may affect your ability to pay fees. As with your initial application, evidence will be requested to support this review and your bursary may be withdrawn if you do not provide this information by the date requested.
At any stage, if you are awarded a bursary and your financial situation improves during the school year to the point at which you can reasonably afford to increase your contribution to the fees, you are obliged to declare this to the Bursary Committee (via the School Bursar). The Committee will then consider whether to reassess your situation for the remainder of the year, at which point your bursary may be amended or withdrawn (although you will not be asked to repay any awards made up to the point at which your circumstances changed) and a revised invoice issued.