Gold Standard Charitable Trust

The Gold Standard Charitable Trust (GSCT), a registered charity in England and Wales (no. 1130999), was established to combat educational inequality by providing substantial, means-tested bursaries that enable talented children from low-income families to access top independent schools. Partnering exclusively with 14 schools in the Inspired Education UK group, GSCT's mission centers on transformational opportunity, fairness, and nurturing potential irrespective of financial means, fostering diverse school communities through high-quality academic and extracurricular provision from pre-preparatory to secondary levels.

GSCT funds only school fee bursaries—typically 75-100% of fees, often 95% or more—for able pupils facing severe financial barriers, prioritizing those for whom private education is otherwise impossible. Awards include potential support for essential equipment but exclude broader educational or community projects. Beneficiaries are individual students at partner schools (e.g., Northwood College, St. James Senior Boys’ School), selected via rigorous means-testing and annual reviews, with no direct funding to organizations, charities, or non-partner entities.

Unsolicited applications are not accepted; families must apply through a partner school, which screens and recommends candidates during the annual window (opens 31 October 2025, closes 5 January 2026 at 4pm; decisions by late March 2026). Restricted to England-based partner schools, GSCT offers no geographic, income, or religious restrictions beyond means-testing. With £4.1 million awarded over six years and £931,000 committed for 2024-25, its distinctive scale, long-term support (average 4.5 years), and school-collaborative model set it apart as a targeted enabler of social mobility via elite independent education.