King Henry VIII Choral Scholarships

To be eligible for the Award, students must meet the criteria below:

• Be either a current pupil at a Foundation School or be offered and accept a place at one from Year 3 upwards
• Be a current member of St. Mary’s Choir or successfully audition and accept a place in the Choir
• Fulfil all commitments required by St Mary’s Choir

King Henry Choral Scholars will play an active and important role in the musical life of their School and the wider Foundation.

• All King Henry Choral Scholars will automatically become members of the King Henry VIII Consort of Warwick Schools Foundation, directed by Foundation Executive Music Lead, Mr Stuart Thompson
• Pupils in Years 3 and 4 will usually be Probationers in the Consort, joining one rehearsal a week, and will be invited to become full choristers at the discretion of the Director of Music at St Mary’s who directs the probationers.
• Pupils in Year 5 upwards will usually be full Choristers and expected to join two rehearsals a week, one before school and one during lunchtime.
• Members of the Consort will also be required to participate in a range of additional events across the course of the academic year, which will include services at Warwick School Chapel, at local churches and cathedrals, and a programme of concerts at external venues across the country.
• Award holders will also benefit from a unique partnership with Armonico Concert, where each year the King Henry VIII Consort will perform alongside professional singers, soloists and instrumentalists at one of Armonico’s concerts.

The Award gives a reduction on the pupil’s school fees – usually 20% – for as long as they remain an active part of the choir.*   All awards are contingent on remaining part of St Mary’s Choir. Anyone who leaves the Choir will rescind their right to the award and scholarship.

Applications for the King Henry VIII Choral Programme September 2027 entry is now open. Current pupils should express an interest for a vocal assessment (see below). Candidates will be notified of the result as soon as possible. Candidates new to the Foundation should indicate your interest when applying for a place at the school.  Candidates will sit the entrance examination or assessment for the school as normal and will be invited for a vocal assessment. Candidates will be notified of the result as part of the School’s offer process.

Applicants will be invited for a vocal assessment with the Foundation Executive Music Lead, Stuart Thompson and the Director of Music at St Mary’s, Oliver Hancock. They should prepare a song they know well and can sing confidently. This could be a hymn, Christmas carol, nursery rhyme or anything similar. It is generally better to avoid anything more ‘popular’ or musical theatre in style. They will be taken through some vocal exercises which will include:

• Assessing their comfortable vocal range
• Singing back individual notes
• Repeating a short melody
• Picking out single notes from 2 or 3 note chords
• Reading some previously unseen English text.

The King Henry VIII Choral Programme is a new, exciting initiative that reflects our belief in the transformative power of choral singing. It offers young people exceptional opportunities to develop their musical talents, building their confidence and fostering a lifelong love of music as part of an outstanding, well-rounded education within the Warwick Schools Foundation.

*For girls, this is funded entirely through Warwick Schools Foundation; for boys, it is part-funded via The Warwick Choral Trust.

Boys who pause their membership of St Mary’s Choir on the advice of the Director of Music of St Mary’s due to their voice changing, will be entitled to 50% of the Choral Scholarship. As long as they remain committed to the choir and the musical programme at the Foundation, they will continue to be eligible for the 10% additional fee reduction.