Sixth Form Bursary
The purpose of the discretionary bursary is to provide financial support to benefit students who are most in need so that we can advance the equality of opportunity for students who may otherwise not be able to participate fully in their education.
The academy will provide students with bursary application forms, but students are ultimately responsible for submitting their own applications before the deadline of September 28th September 2021.
Who can apply?
Students with a household income of under £35,000 may apply for the discretionary bursary. Household income refers to any adult living at the home the student is living in that is over 18 and is earning a salary. In order to submit an application, students will need to fill in a bursary application form and provide appropriate supporting evidence. Supporting evidence must be provided for all adults living at the student’s home and students and parents/carers will need to declare the names of all adults earning a salary on the form.
To be eligible for the bursary students must have also lived in the UK for three years prior to starting Year 12.
Evidence required
Evidence that can be used to support an application should be the most recent and up to date documentation available. Students should supply original copies and the academy will take photocopies and return original documents.
For students submitting universal credit award letters, online print outs will be accepted as original copies. All evidence should enable the academy to reliably calculate annual income so sufficient documents must be provided, please see below for further details:
- P60
If you are submitting a P60 for the tax year April 2020-2021, you will need to provide further three months’ worth of the most recent wage slips you have. Please therefore also supply wage slips for all household members for June, July and August 2020 if you are submitting a P60 for the last tax year.
- Income support / Universal Credit award letter
If you are submitting an income support or universal credit award letter, it must clearly state that the time period you are in receipt of payment is current. We are unable to accept award letters as evidence where payment dates are soon to expire or will not last the full academic year that you daughter is claiming the bursary for. In addition to award letter you will need to provide 3 months worth of statements so that we can make a calculation of your annual income.
- Wage slips
If you are providing wage slips please provide the most recent wage slips. Please therefore also supply wage slips for all household members for June, July and August 2020.
- Benefits / pension award letter
If you are submitting an award letter for benefits or a pension it must clearly state that you are currently in receipt of the payment. We are unable to accept award letters as evidence where payment dates are soon to expire or will not last the full academic year that you daughter is claiming the bursary for. If necessary, please ensure that you supplement this with other relevant income documents that date back three months so that we can make a calculation of your annual income. If your benefits award is your sole income for the household, please identify this on your form.
Completing and returning the forms
Parents/ carers and students must both sign the bursary form to declare that all of the information provided is accurate.
Forms must be returned with the required signatures and evidence to Ms Maquieira and Ms Mercer by 28th September. Forms submitted without signatures and incomplete or missing evidence will delay your forms being processed until these are provided.
Requesting to spend money and/ or purchase items
Students must ensure that they agree in advance any items they wish to purchase through the bursary fund. In all instances a request to spend form must be completed and signed by the Assistant Principal and Principal before the final approval can be given.
In most cases the Academy will purchase items on behalf of the student, however if the Academy as agreed to reimburse a student for a purchase they have made, then students must provide receipts with clear details of expenditure.
The Academy is not obliged to refund students for items that they have not agreed they can purchase in advance, therefore students should always seek approval prior to any purchase.
Access to bursary funds
Students can access bursary funds on the condition that they meet agreed standards of attendance which is 96% and have an excellent behaviour record. Students and parents are also required to sign the bursary contract, so we can ensure that they have agreed to these conditions. We will retain this as evidence and use it in the instance that a student makes a claim but does not meet our attendance requirements. We will always consider the individual circumstances of the student first before deciding how long payments can be withheld for and communicate expectations to students and their parents or carers.
GDPR
All documents relating to student applications will be held for the academic year that the student is claiming the bursary for, and for the purpose of any financial audit, after which all forms and evidence will be destroyed.
The bursary process
Frequently asked questions
Do I get a specific amount of money?
No, the Academy receives a different amount each year from the Education & Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) and the Academy then decides how this money gets allocated and spent. There is one amount of money that is shared between qualifying students each academic year.
Will I receive payments from the Academy through the bursary funds?
We do not pay students set amount of money and will not authorise paying large amounts in cash into student accounts. Instead, the Academy would purchase items for students so that we can ensure the money is being used for its intended purpose.
What can I purchase?
The bursary fund should be used to support access to your studies, however the Academy retains the overall right to decide how the funds should be spent. You should always agree any items for purchase or spend in advance to ensure that you can use the bursary funds for this purpose.
Do I get to choose how I spend my money?
There is no specific allocation of money to individual students, so students cannot decide how they spend their bursary fund. All requests are subject to approval by the Assistant Principal and Principal and the Academy.
If I was eligible for the bursary in Year 12 do I get it in Year 13
Students must resubmit an application each year as the bursary is allocated based on annual household income which can change year on year.
Can I submit a late application?
We will consider late applications on a case by case basis, but there is no guarantee that you form can be processed if submitted past the deadline.
If I buy items through the bursary, do I get to keep them?
If the Academy purchases an item through the bursary fund for an eligible student, the item may still remain the property of the Academy. In such a case the student has access to the item on a loan basis for the time they are at the Academy or are eligible for the bursary. Such items could be, but are not limited to, laptops and instruments and students will need to sign a form agreeing to the conditions of the device loan. It will always be made clear to you if an item you are receiving is on a loan basis and should be returned afterwards.
What if I have a complaint about the bursary?
You should speak to your Head of Sixth form in the first instance should you have any concerns about the Bursary. If you are unhappy with a decision taken regarding the bursary please follow the Academy complaints procedure which is available on the Academy website.
