Rugby School's Head Master, Gareth Parker-Jones, has been featured in Talk Education’s latest 'View from the Top', where he reflects on how bursaries benefit not only individual students, but entire school communities.

At Rugby, more than 150 students currently receive bursaries, including 30 Arnold Foundation students on fully funded, means-tested places. These opportunities are made possible through our ancient foundation and the generosity of donors. No fee income is used to support bursaries, meaning no parent is funding another child’s place through their fees.

Gareth shares the story of Saqlain Choudhary, who arrived at Rugby having never played cricket and now captains Oxford University's cricket club where he is completing his PhD. While bursaries can be transformational for individuals, their impact reaches far wider.

In our Houses, students from local, national, and international backgrounds form friendships shaped by shared experience, not economic means. In the classroom, diverse perspectives challenge assumptions and enrich learning -with students from all walks of life, including Ukrainian refugees and Polish scholars, contributing to meaningful discussion. In co-curricular life, bursary students bring energy and inspiration, recognising the extraordinary opportunities they’ve been given.

Bursaries open eyes, broaden minds, and enrich the life of the School - a belief we live every day at Rugby.

Watch the full video here.