16-19 Bursary
The Government funds a bursary scheme to help the most vulnerable 16-19 year olds in full-time education.
The scheme is made up of two parts:
- A payment of £1,200 to a small group of the most vulnerable students and
- A discretionary fund to be distributed according to school policy.
Qualification criteria for a vulnerable student bursary:
Students in Years 12 and 13 who will receive a vulnerable student £1200 bursary for the
academic year September 2020 to July 2021 must fulfil at least one of the following criteria:
- Students in care
- Students leaving care
- Students receiving Income Support, or Universal Credit because they are financially supporting themselves or financially supporting themselves and someone who is dependent on them and living with them such as a child or partner
- Students receiving Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payments in their own right as well as Employment and Support Allowance or Universal Credit in their own right
Evidence of eligibility will be required for the vulnerable student bursary, for example, a letter detailing the entitlement benefits or written confirmation of current or previous looked after status.
Qualification criteria for a discretionary bursary:
To be eligible for a discretionary bursary for the academic year September 2019 to July 2021, students in Years 12 and 13 must fulfil at least one of the following criteria:
- Be in receipt of Free School Meals – parents / carers who are in receipt of any of the following benefits are urged to register for Free School Meals (online at www.hertsdirect.org/freeschoolmeals) for their children so that they can qualify for the bursary:
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseekers Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
- The guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
- Child Tax Credit (as long as you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and you don’t get more than £16,190 a year)
- Working Tax Credit run-on (paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)
- Universal Credit (with annual earned income of no more than £7,400 after tax and not including any benefits you get).
- Be able to demonstrate unexpected need due to change in financial circumstances.
Entitlement Expectations
Students eligible for the 16-19 Bursary must meet the criterion of 100% attendance unless
the absence is authorised by the school, as set out in the school’s attendance policy. If this
criterion is not met, then payment will be forfeit for the whole period of unauthorised
absence.
Payment – 2020/2021
Each vulnerable student bursary will be paid at the equivalent of £120 per month in 10 monthly instalments, paid in arrears, subject to the entitlement expectations being met.
Each discretionary bursary will be paid in 10 monthly instalments, paid in arrears, subject to the entitlement expectations being met. The discretionary grant available for each student will not be known until we have details of all students who are eligible but it is expected to be a maximum of £15 per week.
The process of application and payments will remain confidential.
The above commitment will be cash limited based on the available funds allocated by the EFA annually. The school reserves the right to use up to 5% of the total bursary allocation to cover administration costs.
The school has the discretion to pay bursaries “in kind”, e.g. specific technical equipment, or other resources to named individuals who qualify for a bursary.
The school reserves the right to withdraw the entitlement to a Discretionary Bursary should circumstances change.
Application
Students who believe they are entitled to a bursary should apply in writing to the Finance Office, stating which type of bursary and providing evidence of the qualifying criteria.
For a copy of our 16-19 Bursary Policy, please refer to our Policies by clicking here
Download the Letter:
