16-19 Bursary Policy
A student, who is aged between 16 and 19 years, and who might struggle with the costs of full-time sixth form education, may be eligible to receive a bursary.
There are two types of bursary available to students:
1. 16-19 Bursary for Vulnerable Students
2. 16-19 Discretionary Bursary
To be eligible to receive either type of bursary, a student must be:
- aged under 19 years old on 31st August. Students aged 19 or over are only eligible to receive a discretionary bursary if they are continuing on a study programme they began when aged 16 – 18 or if they have an Educational Health and Care Plan (EHCP).
- a full-time resident in the UK.
The discretionary bursary can be awarded in the following bands
Level 1 – Vulnerable Bursary
This bursary is for students in or who have recently left local authority care; who are disabled and receive Income Support in their own name; who are disabled and who receive Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and either Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or Personal Independence Payment (PIP) in their name; who are disabled and receive Universal Credit in their name in place of Income Support or ESA.
Students could receive up to £1,200 per year to support them with school costs.
Level 2 – Annual Household income of below £22,000
This bursary is for students whose gross household income is below £22,000 as assessed by HMRC.
Level 2 Discretionary Bursary students will receive daily credit to their lunch account to purchase food in the school canteen, reimbursement of the cost of travel to up to 3 University Open Days or Post18 job/apprenticeship interviews and support with travel costs* to school where required. Students will also be able to have items required for their course purchased on their behalf, a discount of 50% towards the cost of an iPad, as well as be entitled to a discount on curriculum trips and other related costs up to an indicative value of £200, depending on the level of applications. Students will receive a complimentary study pack at the start of the school year. Breakfast is available daily from the Sixth Form Hub.
Level 3 – Annual Household income of £22,001- £28,000
This bursary is for students whose gross household income is below £28,000 as assessed by HMRC.
Level 3 Discretionary Bursary students will receive daily credit to their lunch account to purchase food in the school canteen, reimbursement of the cost of travel to up to 3 University Open Days or Post18 job/apprenticeship interviews and support with travel costs* to school where required. Students will also be able to have items required for their course purchased on their behalf, a discount of 25% towards the cost of an iPad, as well as be entitled to a discount on curriculum trips and other related costs up to an indicative value of £100, depending on the level of applications. Students will receive a complimentary study pack at the start of the school year. Breakfast is available daily from the Sixth Form Hub.
*Transport costs are only paid for public transport, not private hire vehicles such as Uber or taxis
Pupils who were allocated Free School Meals in Y11 will also be allocated a daily allowance for their lunch during Y12 and Y13, and will be automatically allocated to their canteen lunch account.
The school also has the discretion to award payments, including where the above criteria have not been met, for example, where a change in a student’s circumstances creates an immediate need for financial support or to help with transport costs from specific identified postcodes.
The amount we may pay will depend on the individual level of need for each applicant and on how many students in total are claiming. This may include consideration of where the student is travelling from and the student’s postcode area as part of this level of need.
For discretionary bursary awards, a student must provide a breakdown of the specific educational purpose for the funds being requested. e.g. cost of travel, books, laptop, iPad, etc. Students will be asked for evidence, for example, receipts, of how their bursary has been spent. If termly receipts are not provided or do not total the amount given, this can be deducted from the total bursary amount for the next term.
Evidence of financial circumstances must be provided for each level. Evidence can come from any documentation demonstrating household income – for example, evidence of receipt of benefits, a P60, a Tax credit notice, or household pay slips. All documentation provided will be treated with the strictest confidence.
For access to the full Bursary Policy and how to apply, please download the document below:
