Support Our Bursary Programme
For more than 300 years, generous supporters have helped open our doors to children whose families otherwise couldn’t afford an Erskine Stewart’s Melville education. Make your gift today.Â
Since 1694 when Mary Erskine founded a girls’ school, philanthropy has remained at the heart of who we are. Today we continue her legacy and that of Robert Cunningham and Daniel Stewart, by enabling children to gain access to a life-changing education at Erskine Stewart Melville – shaped by our values of kindness, confidence, resilience, integrity and curiosity.
A bursary can transform a child’s future. Our bursary places are awarded to students who satisfy the standard entry requirements, but whose families cannot afford full school fees. Need is rigorously assessed by an external agency to ensure fairness and transparency.
With the support of our community, these students are equipped with the tools and mindset they need to thrive in a rapidly changing world, and their compassion and lifelong love of learning ensures they will make a positive impact on the world, whatever path they choose.
Carrie Armstrong, MES 1992
“The opportunity to attend MES through bursary support changed the course of my life. It opened the door to exceptional teaching, rich experiences and friendships that have endured for more than 30 years. The support I received helped me build the confidence and skills that underpin my career today, and I know I wouldn’t be where I am without it. My story is just one example of how transformative an MES education can be when financial circumstances might otherwise stand in the way.”
Ways You Can Support Students
Bursary Fund
Your support provides financial assistance to students from S1 to S6 whose families cannot afford full school fees. Last year 13% of our Senior School students received a bursary.
Pupils’ Fund
Your gift helps open the world beyond the classroom, through financial support for students to experience the many wonderful and life-affirming trips and excursions that make an ESM education so enriching.
Hardship Fund
Sometimes families face unexpected changes in circumstances. This Fund allows students to complete their school year, while longer-term plans in place. Your support ensures stability during these moments of crisis.
Area of Greatest Need
Each year brings new needs and new opportunities to help. A donation to this flexible fund allows us to respond quickly, whether to rising hardship requests, additional trip support, or increased demand for bursaries.
The Impact of Your Gift
“I only learned in my final year that I’d been a bursary recipient. Suddenly, I understood just how much my family’s life had been changed by someone we would never meet. Everything the School gave me, confidence, friendships, opportunities I could never have imagined, was made possible because someone chose to give. Your kindness didn’t just support my education; it shaped my future. I hope one day to pass that gift on.”
How You Can Help
Making a Single Gift: Making a Single Gift will boost funds for the year ahead, allowing us to offer more support to children who would like to attend Erskine Stewart Melville.
Making a Regular Gift: Making a Regular Gift allows us to plan ahead for future years and commit to providing an Erskine Stewart Melville education to a child over multiple years.
Sending a donation by cheque: If you prefer to send a cheque, you can do so using the form here.
Leaving a Gift in Your Will: Today, gifts in wills from kind members of our community continue to secure the future of our school and current and future generations of pupils. A decision to leave a gift in your will is a gesture that is both profoundly practical and deeply noble. Your gift will help us continue our life-changing work, last beyond your lifetime and be remembered by future generations.
USA based donors: USA based donors can support us in a tax-efficient way through the British Schools and Universities Fund. For a donation to be tax eligible, please make your cheque or wire transfer, marked for Erskine Stewart’s Melville Schools.
