16-19 Bursary

The aim of the 16-19 Bursary is to “help support those young people who face the greatest barriers to continuing in education due to financial considerations”. In practice, this means that we (the Sixth Form) will aim to support students, with the limited funds we receive, in order for them to purchase items directly related to their study in Sixth Form.

ELIGIBILITY

There are two main categories of Bursary allowance:

A. Vulnerable Bursary

(amounting to £1200 per academic year)
This group covers young people who are:

Looked after (in Local Authority Care)
Recent care leavers
In receipt of income support (i.e. NOT living with/under support of parents/carers
Disabled and in receipt of both Employment Support Allowance and Disability Living Allowance

B. Discretionary Bursary

The acceptance of requests for bursaries under this heading will be strictly subject to available funds and for the 2022/2023 academic year only, applications will be assessed on a priority basis as follows:

   1. Parents/Carers were eligible to apply for Free School Meals for their child in Year 11
   2. Are in possession of a current ‘NHS Tax Credit Exemption Certificate’.
   3. Where household income is below £27k and have 2 or more siblings in full time education
   4. Where household income is below £25k per annum

EVIDENCE REQUIRED

Before a Discretionary Bursary is agreed, evidence of eligibility will be required. This is concerned with the combined household income (before tax) at the student’s registered address. Evidence can be via a letter from either the Local Authority and/or government department concerned – usually Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). If payslips are to be used these MUST be from the last three months.

PAYMENT

The Finance Department will issue repayments into your bank account after they have received a completed claim form (please see the example below), with proof of purchase for any educational goods bought. This includes transport tickets to and from Sixth Form. Claim forms can be collected from the Sixth Form.

GUIDANCE FOR STUDENTS

Once it has been decided that an individual student is entitled to a Bursary…

All bursary payments will be authorised by the Director of Sixth Form
No Bursary payment will be authorised if students fall below an acceptable level of attendance (currently 90%), or an acceptable level of behaviour/effort.
Any items purchased by the Sixth Form (for example textbooks) using Bursary payments, will need to be returned at the end of the course.

Absences

Authorised Absences will include: illness, field trips, in-school activities, university visits, problems with school-based transport, family issues, practical (not theory) driving test, and emergency medical appointments.
Absences will not be authorised for: driving lessons, missing the bus because you overslept, etc.

The above list is not exhaustive – if you are in any doubt whether an absence is authorised or unauthorised, please check with Heads of Year or the Director of Sixth Form.

Note: For absences (over a certain number of days) due to medical reasons, a doctor’s note will be required. The responsibility to sort out any absences that relay that information to the Sixth Form lies with the student.

SOURCES OF FURTHER INFORMATION

Official information and guidance on the 16-19 Bursary can be found here.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE (2022-23)

The 16-19 Bursary Application Form (available to download below) should be completed as fully as possible and returned to Sixth Form Reception by Friday 23th September 2022. Please mark your letter or email for the attention of Mr R Taylor, Director of Sixth Form.

Please make sure you complete all sections and provide all the information requested.

BURSARY CLAIM FORM

Please use the 16-19 Bursary Claim Form (available to download below) to claim financial assistance for any educational expenses that you incur during the academic year. You will need to keep a copy of your receipts or electronic proof of purchase for any items you wish to claim for.