Bursary Information

The 16 to 19 Bursary Fund provides financial support to help students overcome specific barriers to participation so they can remain in education.

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There are 2 types of 16 to 19 bursaries:

• a vulnerable bursary of up to £1,200 a year for young people in one of the defined vulnerable groups
• discretionary bursaries which institutions award to meet individual needs, for example, help with the cost of transport, meals, books and equipment

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Students who want to apply for support from the bursary fund should contact Mrs Spence to make an application. To be eligible for the bursary students must:

• be aged 16 or over but under 19 at 31 August 2022 or
• meet the residency criteria in EFA 2021 to 2022 academic year funding regulations for post-16 provision
• be participating in provision that is subject to inspection by a public body which assures quality (such as Ofsted)

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Vulnerable Student Bursary

Students who are in one or more of the groups below can apply for a vulnerable bursary of up to £1,200 (if they are participating on a study programme that lasts for 30 weeks or more – Abbey Grange will pay a pro-rata amount for students on study programmes of less than 30 weeks). This reflects that students in these groups may need a greater level of support to enable them to continue to participate.
To be eligible for the vulnerable bursary, students must be in one of the defined vulnerable groups:

• in care
• care leavers
• in receipt of Income Support, or Universal Credit in place of Income Support, in their own right
• In receipt of Employment and Support Allowance or Universal Credit and Disability Living or Personal Independence Payments in their own right
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The vulnerable bursary can be paid for each academic year the student is in education or training, as long as they continue to meet the scheme eligibility criteria.

How to evidence the above criteria:

We must obtain proof that students are eligible for a vulnerable bursary. Therefore we will ask for evidence from each student and retain copies for audit purposes. For example:
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• for students in receipt of qualifying benefits, a letter from DWP that states the benefit the student is entitled to (they must be entitled to the benefits in their own right). The evidence must confirm that the young person can be in further education or training (some young people in receipt of benefits are not allowed to participate)
• for students who are in care or a care leaver, written confirmation of their current or previous looked-after status from  the relevant local authority - this is the local authority that looks after them or provides their leaving care services. The evidence could be a letter or an email but must be clearly from the local authority Institutions should only submit a vulnerable bursaries funding claim to the SBSS when they have seen and verified appropriate evidence that the student is eligible.

Discretionary bursaries

Abbey Grange Academy will make discretionary bursary awards to students to help them overcome the individual barriers to participation they face. The type of help being offered includes: help with transport, books and equipment, field trips and other course-related costs and contributions to the costs of attending university interviews and open days.
Abbey Grange Academy decides which students receive a discretionary bursary and how much they receive, depending on each student’s circumstances. We are not allowed to make blanket or flat rate payments to students. There is no cash payment. Students are paid ‘in kind’ to ensure that the bursary is spent for the reasons it was awarded.
Eligibility Criteria:

• If you and/or your siblings are eligible for Free School Meals.  
• Students of families with a household income of less than £18,500 may also apply subject to evidence of receipt of benefit.  
• Claims not falling into the above criteria may also be considered where there are exceptional circumstances, for example, wider family circumstances. This may include factors like whether there are a lot of other children in the family or where the student has additional responsibilities that may impact on the help they need, for example they are a young parent or a young carer.

If we are concerned about a student’s attendance or behaviour, we will talk to the student about the issue. A minimum 85% attendance is the current standard to guarantee bursary payments. It is possible for us to withhold payments if a student does not meet agreed standards, however we will always consider the individual circumstances of the student first, for example illness, a caring role or family problems.

Administering the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund

All bursary applications must be submitted by 30th September so we can assess the overall level of demand and make discretionary awards on a fair basis. However, we will consider late applications as we are aware that some needs may arise later in the year.
Abbey Grange will promote the information about the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund on the school website as well as in the 6th Form Handbook which is emailed to all students are parents. Information is distributed at Moving On Evenings in Year 11, 12 and 13. Further information, including an application form, is available following enrolment and all new entrants receive an email about the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund soon after the start of the academic year.