Bursary Fund Policy

The Government has set aside some money for schools, colleges, training providers and local authorities to allocate to young people who need financial support to stay on in further education or training.  This is called the 16-19 Bursary Fund.  It could help you with any education-related costs that may arise during the school year, including essentials like a meal during the day or transport to school. Alternatively, you might need extra help to buy additional books, clothing or equipment for your course, or to pay for educational visits.

To apply for a bursary, you must be aged between 16 and 19 and in full-time or part-time further education or training.

There are three types of bursaries:

Level One    Vulnerable bursary	You could receive up to £1,200 if you are:  • in or have recently left local authority care;  • disabled and you get Income Support in your own name;  • disabled and you get Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and either Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or Personal Independence Payment (PIP) in your name;  • disabled and you get Universal Credit in your name in place of Income Support or ESA.
Level Two    Discretionary Bursary	For students whose gross household income is below £22,000 as assessed by HMRC.  Level Two Discretionary Bursary students will receive daily credit to their lunch cards to purchase food in school and support with travel costs where required. They will also be able to have items required for their course purchased on their behalf as well as be entitled to a discount on curriculum trips and other related costs up to an indicative value of £400, depending on the level of applications.
Level Three   Discretionary Bursary	For students whose gross household income is between £22,000- £28,000 as assessed by HMRC  Level Three Discretionary Bursary students will be able to apply to have items required for their courses purchased and will receive cost reductions on trips and courses, subject to meeting agreed attendance and punctuality targets up to an indicative value of £300, depending on the level of applications.

Hardship

If a student experiences extreme hardship during the academic year we would encourage them to apply for support via the Director of Sixth Form.  Furthermore, if a student’s financial circumstances change we encourage students to discuss this with the Director of Sixth Form.

Conditions of payment

All young people in receipt of a Bursary must meet punctuality and attendance requirements of 95% in order to ensure continued support. In addition, all young people in receipt of a Bursary must behave appropriately and submit work of an appropriate level and to required deadlines. If the young person does not meet these conditions, the School reserves the right to withdraw or suspend Bursary purchases. These conditions will not be additional to those expected of any young person within the School.

How to apply

All applications for a Bursary should be made to Ms Dhadli with supporting evidence as detailed in the information for parents/ guardians/ carers

The form can be found here: https://forms.gle/Yf3hZ3Qsz6qrB8At9

Appeals

If any young person or their parent/guardian/carer(s) are not satisfied with the outcome of their application, they should write to the Headteacher outlining their reasons why. If the appeal is upheld or partly upheld it will be referred back to the Director of Sixth Form with recommendations. If the appeal is not upheld the appealing party will be signposted to the School’s Complaints Procedure.

Confidentiality

The applications and supporting evidence will remain confidential during processing, payment and storage. If it is necessary to obtain additional information to reach a decision, the young person and/or their parent/guardian/carer(s) will be told the reasons why this is necessary prior to sharing any information further.

Change of young person’s financial circumstances

Any young person in receipt of a Bursary has a duty to inform the School should if their financial circumstances, or those of their parent/guardian/carer(s) change (e.g. increase in household income, Free School Meals being withdrawn for a sibling). This does not automatically mean any future Bursary payments will be stopped but would result in a review to determine whether the payments continue or be stopped and the funds redistributed.

If students, parents or carers have any questions, please see the attached Bursary Policy or else contact Ms R Dhadli (Business Services Officer).