UK/EEA Banded Scholarships

David Game College Banded Scholarships
2026

How the scholarship assessment works: Testing dates: Saturday 23rd  May 2026 and Saturday 30th  May 2026

 

At a glance

  • 100 scholarships available each year across GCSE and Sixth Form entry.
  • One digital STEM assessment, automatically marked, containing sections for Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry and Physics
  • Testing on Saturday 23rd May 2026 and Saturday 30th May 2026 under secure supervised conditions.
  • Scholarships are awarded by ranked performance within each entry cohort and point of entry.
 

What is the Banded Scholarships Programme?

The Banded Scholarships Programme forms part of David Game College’s 50th Anniversary Legacy Initiative. It has been created to recognise academic excellence in STEM, support social mobility, and encourage progression to leading universities.

The programme runs alongside the College’s normal admissions process. A scholarship award is based only on performance in the scholarship assessment and does not in itself guarantee a place at the College.

Key information

Details

Who can apply?

Applicants seeking GCSE entry (Year 10 or Year 11) or Sixth Form entry (Year 12 or Year 13) who are assessed by the College as eligible for Home fee status for the relevant academic year.

Assessment date(s)

Saturday 23rd May 2026 and Saturday 30th May 2026. Individual attendance arrangements will be confirmed by the College.

Assessment format

One digital STEM scholarship examination, automatically marked, under secure supervised conditions.

Subjects tested

Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry and Physics. All candidates sit all sections.

Scholarship bands

20 awards at 80% fee remission; 30 awards at 50% fee remission; 50 awards at 30% fee remission. Split between GCSE and Sixth Form entry

How the assessment works

  • Content is aligned to Key Stage 3 standard for GCSE entry and higher-order GCSE standard for Sixth Form entry.
  • The test will be 1.5 hours in duration with 20 questions in each of four equally weighted sections for: Mathematics Physics, Biology and Chemistry
  • Tests contains Multiple Choice Questions only

How scholarships are awarded

  • Candidates are ranked from highest to lowest within their own entry cohort, with GCSE and Sixth Form applicants ranked separately.
  • Scholarships are awarded in descending score order until all available awards have been assigned.
  • If scores are tied at an award boundary, the Mathematics score is used as a tie-breaker. If a tie remains, a supervised and documented random allocation process is used.

Contextual uplift and additional support

Any recipient of the 80% scholarship band who is currently attending a state-funded school will receive a guaranteed uplift to 100% fee remission.

Recipients in any scholarship band may also apply separately for additional means-tested bursary support in line with the College’s Bursary Policy.

Access arrangements

Reasonable adjustments may be applied where a candidate has established and documented access arrangements. Evidence must be submitted by the College’s published deadline, 14 days before the scholarship test date.

Important points to note

  • The programme is open only to applicants who qualify for Home fee status for the relevant academic year.
  • Participation in the scholarship competition does not guarantee admission. All applicants remain subject to the College’s usual admissions requirements, including interview, references and conduct review.
  • If fewer than 250 eligible applications are received in the admissions cycle, the number of scholarships available may be reduced proportionately.
  • Scholarships normally run from the year of entry through to the end of Year 13, subject to attendance, academic engagement and conduct.

Next steps

  • Submit an application for admission and register for the scholarship process in line with the College’s published process.
  • Provide any requested fee status evidence and access arrangements documentation.
  • Attend the scholarship assessment on Saturday 23rd May 2026 or Saturday 30th May 2026, as confirmed by the College.
  • Await the scholarship outcome and any separate admissions decision.

Please refer to the Banded Scholarships 2026 Terms and Conditions for full details.

Terms amd Conditions

These Terms and Conditions set out the basis on which applicants may be considered for a David Game College Banded Scholarship for the 2026 admissions cycle. They should be read together with the College’s admissions materials and any published instructions relating to registration, testing, evidence and deadlines.

1. Purpose and status of the programme

  1. The Banded Scholarships Programme forms part of David Game College’s 50th Anniversary Legacy Initiative.
  2. The programme has been established to recognise exceptional academic performance in STEM disciplines, advance social mobility, strengthen progression to Russell Group universities, and sustain academic ambition at the highest level.
  3. The scholarship competition operates alongside, but independently from, the College’s standard admissions process.
  4. Admission decisions and scholarship awards are determined through separate mechanisms.
  5. A scholarship award depends upon, but does not constitute an offer of admission.

2. Eligibility

  1. The programme is open only to applicants whom the College assesses as eligible for Home fee status for the relevant academic year.
  2. The College may require such information and evidence as it reasonably considers necessary in order to assess eligibility
  3. The programme is open to applicants seeking entry at GCSE level (Year 10 or Year 11 entry) and Sixth Form level (Year 12 or Year 13 entry).
  4. Scholarships are not limited to particular subject enrolments, but the scholarship assessment evaluates performance in core STEM disciplines.

3. Testing dates and assessment arrangements

  1. For the 2026 admissions cycle, scholarship testing will take place on Saturday 23rd  May 2026 and Saturday 30th  May 2026.
  2. The College will confirm the relevant sitting and attendance arrangements for each candidate.
  3. All scholarship applicants must complete a single, digitally delivered STEM scholarship examination under secure, supervised conditions.
  4. The assessment includes sections in Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry and Physics, and all candidates must sit all sections.
  5. Assessment content is aligned to Key Stage 3 standard for GCSE entry and higher-order GCSE standard for Sixth Form entry.
  6. Questions include multiple-choice only

 

4. Access arrangements and reasonable adjustments

  1. Reasonable adjustments will be considered where a candidate has established and documented access arrangements.
  2. Adjustments are intended to reflect the candidate’s normal way of working, remove substantial disadvantage, and preserve the academic standard being assessed.
  3. Examples may include documented extra time, supervised rest breaks, and separate room supervision
  4. Candidates must submit supporting evidence by the published deadline, 14 days prior to the scholarship test. The College may decline to put arrangements in place where evidence is not provided in time.

5. Scholarship allocation structure

Number of scholarships

Fee remission

20

80%

30

50%

50

30%
 

 

  1. Awards are allocated strictly in descending rank order within each entry cohort until all available scholarships have been assigned.
  2. Applicants compete within their entry stage. GCSE and Sixth Form candidates are ranked and awarded separately, with the total number of available awards split equally

6. Guaranteed contextual uplift

  1. To support social mobility within a merit-based framework, recipients of the 80% scholarship band who are currently attending a state-funded school will receive a guaranteed uplift to 100% fee remission.

7. Safeguard provision

  1. If fewer than 250 eligible applications per entry stage are received in the relevant admissions cycle, the College may reduce the number of scholarships available in each band proportionately.
  2. This safeguard exists in order to preserve academic competitiveness, and programme integrity.

8. Ranking and tie-breaks

  1. Following marking, each candidate receives a total aggregated score across all sections of the assessment.
  2. Candidates are ranked from highest to lowest within their respective entry cohort.
  3. Rankings are final, subject only to the correction of administrative or procedural error.
  4. Where candidates achieve identical total scores at a scholarship boundary, the higher Mathematics score will take precedence.
  5. If a tie remains, allocation will be determined by a supervised and documented random process conducted by the Scholarship Committee and recorded for audit purposes.

9. Bursary support

  1. Scholarship awards recognise academic merit only.
  2. Recipients in any scholarship remission band may apply separately for additional means-tested bursary support in accordance with the College’s Bursary Policy.
  3. Bursary decisions are independent of scholarship ranking, are made through formal financial assessment, remain subject to available funds, and do not alter the designated scholarship band.

10. Governance and data protection

  1. Oversight of scholarship ranking and allocation rests with the Scholarship Committee.
  2. The Scholarship Committee is distinct from the Bursary Committee in order to preserve separation between academic award decisions and financial means-testing.
  3. The Scholarship Committee is responsible for confirming rankings, validating award allocations, applying guaranteed contextual uplifts, ensuring compliance with policy, and recording decisions for audit.
  4. All personal data will be handled in accordance with UK GDPR and the College’s data protection policies.

11. Conditions of award and continuation

  1. Scholarships are awarded from the year of entry up to the end of Year 13.
  2. The default year of entry is Year 10 for GCSE applicants and Year 12 for A Level applicants.
  3. Direct entry into Year 11 or Year 13 may be offered only at the College’s discretion and may be subject to additional assessments.
  4. Continuation of a scholarship in any year is conditional upon satisfactory attendance, academic engagement consistent with College expectations, and appropriate conduct.
  5. The College reserves the right to withdraw or amend a scholarship where it considers at its sole discretion that these conditions are not met.

12. Admissions requirements

  1. Participation in the scholarship competition does not guarantee admission.
  2. All applicants remain subject to the College’s standard admissions requirements, which may include interview, references and conduct review.

13. General

  1. The College reserves the right to issue supplementary administrative instructions relating to registration, evidence requirements, timings, conduct of testing and communication of outcomes, provided that such instructions are consistent with the underlying policy framework.
  2. In the event of any inconsistency between a promotional summary and these Terms and Conditions, these Terms and Conditions shall prevail.

14 Limitation of Liability

  1. No formal right of appeal (scholarship decisions) complaint may be raised in case of any suspected procedural unfairness, unlawful discrimination or failure to follow these terms and conditions.