To be eligible for the discretionary bursary, students must be facing financial barriers to participation and need help to stay in education.
Providers are required to use their discretion to make awards to young people in ways that best fit the needs and circumstances of their students. Bursary awards should be targeted towards students facing barriers to participation, such as the cost of transport, meals, books and equipment/specialist materials.
Students aged between 16 and 19 studying in post 16 at the academy will be eligible to apply for bursary awards.
The academy is required to define which students should receive support and how much. The academy is required to manage the number and size of discretionary awards ensuring that we stay within budget and that awards made are targeted at those facing the most significant financial barriers to participation.
We will accept applications for bursary awards from those whose household income is less than £31,000 per year as evidenced by receipt of benefit and/or P60, Tax Credit Award Notice or evidence of self-employment income. Students previously in receipt of free school meals will also be eligible to apply. Young people with caring responsibilities, for example caring for a parent or other relative, are also eligible.
Students/parents wishing to apply for a bursary award will need to complete a bursary award application form. In many cases goods or services will be ordered and paid for directly by the academy, but in some cases payments may be made directly to the student following the receipt of evidence of goods or services purchased.
The following are examples of the types of goods and services that may be applied for.
- school meals
- transport costs to and from school
- books
- specialist equipment
Students may also wish to apply for the:
- purchase of a laptop
- cost of specialist materials (art and design or stationery)
- cost of or contribution towards the cost of music tuition
- interview expenses (transport and accommodation)
- cost of field study courses
- cost of or contribution towards transport to and from university open days
- contribution towards trips and study courses
- cost of or contribution towards participation in sport or other curricular activities
- cost of or contribution towards formal dress for school or interview
- cost of or contribution towards the academy’s sixth form dress code
The fund available is very limited, but we want to enable all of our students to have equal access to all the academy has to offer. As a Trust, are committed to promoting and enabling social mobility.
As a guide we are suggesting the following:
- those with household incomes of less than £21,000 will be high priority
- those with household incomes of less than £25,000 will be medium priority
- those with household incomes of less than £31,000 will be low priority