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Independent school fees are a significant commitment for most families. For Catholic families, the question is often not just whether independent education is possible, but whether there is any support that recognises and rewards a family's faith commitment and values. The answer is yes, and at Leweston School, that support has a name.
The St Antony Community Award
Leweston School offers the St Antony Community Award, a fee reduction of £1,000 per term for Catholic families joining the Leweston boarding community.
The award is open to families who are practising Catholics, reflecting Leweston's founding identity as a Catholic school and our continued commitment to maintaining a community shaped by Catholic values. It is available to new families joining Leweston for the September 2026 intake.
The £1,000 termly reduction applies to full boarding fees and is renewable subject to continued enrolment. It can be held alongside other financial support, including means-tested bursaries and academic or co-curricular scholarships, meaning that for families who qualify for multiple awards, the combined support can be significant.
To apply for the St Antony Community Award, speak to our admissions team. You will be asked to confirm your family's Catholic faith and practice as part of the application process. The award is not means-tested though it can be combined with means-tested support where applicable.
Means-Tested Bursaries at Leweston
Beyond the St Antony Community Award, Leweston operates a means-tested bursary programme for families who need financial support to access independent education.
Bursaries are assessed on the basis of your family's income, assets and outgoings. They are not exclusively for families in financial difficulty, they are for families for whom the full fee, set against their actual disposable income, represents a genuine stretch. A family on a moderate dual income with a mortgage and ordinary living costs may qualify for meaningful bursary support.
The process is confidential. Bursary awards are not disclosed to other families or staff, and your child's experience of school is identical whether they are on full fees or a full bursary.
Scholarships
Leweston also offers scholarships at a range of entry points, academic, music, art and design, drama, sport, pentathlon and equestrian and all-rounder categories. Scholarships are awarded on merit and are competitive.
A scholarship can be held alongside a bursary and alongside the St Antony Community Award, meaning that a Catholic family with a talented child and a genuine financial need may qualify for a combination of all three. In those cases, the net cost to the family can be substantially lower than the headline fee.
What Catholic Families Tell Us They Value at Leweston
Leweston was founded by the Religious of Christian Instruction and retains a Catholic ethos that shapes the school's values without dominating its culture. The school is genuinely co-educational and open to families of all faiths and none but its Catholic foundation means that the values of care, service, individual dignity and community are embedded in how the school operates.
Catholic families who visit Leweston frequently tell us that the community feels different, that the warmth is not performed and that their faith tradition feels respected rather than marginalised.
How to Apply
If your family is Catholic and considering Leweston for September 2026 entry, the right first step is a conversation with our admissions team. They can explain the St Antony Community Award in detail, confirm whether your family qualifies, and discuss any additional scholarship or bursary support that might be available.
The conversation is entirely confidential and carries no obligation.
Ready to find out more?
Call 01963 211015 or visit leweston.co.uk to book a visit or speak to the team.
Leweston School is a co-educational independent day and boarding school in Sherborne, Dorset, for pupils aged 3 months to 18, offering Nursery, Pre-Prep, Prep, Senior and Sixth Form on a single campus.