Bursary

The College is allocated a bursary fund to provide financial support for those students most in need in order to support them with their education. There are two types of award available for students who meet the stated criteria.

Award for Vulnerable Learners

Young people in care, care leavers or young people in direct receipt of Income Support, Universal Credit, Disability Living Allowance, Employment Support Allowance or Personal Independence Payment will be eligible to receive a bursary of £1200 a year, paid directly to the student in three termly instalments.

Discretionary Award

The Discretionary Award supports students eligible for Free School Meals, or from families with a household income of less than £35,000 per annum. Proof of household income, such as a recent P60 or evidence of being in receipt of benefits will need to be provided. Please note that we will need to take photocopies of original documents, and that all applications and documents will be treated confidentially. Any student eligible for Free School Meals will qualify for a Discretionary Award without the need for financial evidence.  The maximum you can claim in any school year is £1200 so you will need to consider which costs you most need help with, for example, claiming for travel and food may use up your maximum allocation.

Application Process

All applicants should complete a bursary application form and bank details form.  The bank account should be the student’s own account – if they do not have one please speak to the Director of Sixth Form or the Sixth Form Administrator.

Funds are limited and we cannot guarantee that funding will remain available across the course of the year.  So, we recommend that where possible, applications are made at the start of the year but recognise that this is not always possible as you will not know what all your costs will be at that point.  Therefore, you may made multiple applications as needs arise.

The bursary can be claimed for anything deemed necessary for a student’s education eg: bus travel, text books, stationary, studio fees, course specific clothing, materials for practical subjects, travel to university open days, LAMDA courses and exams.  It can also be used to fund meals in school – we have our own café in the Octagon and if you request funding for food then the student will be allocated £2.50 per day (which can be topped up from home in addition).  This will be loaded on to the student’s Gateway account in amounts of £80 per half term (apart from summer half term 2 which will be set at £75).  Unspent funds will not be rolled over or refunded.

If you wish to claim for a Devon County Council school bus then you must first contact DCC to establish that there is a vacant seat.  Generally speaking, they will not agree to provide transport for post 16 students who live in areas that are well served by public transport.  You can apply for a vacant seat by calling 0345 155 1019 or via their website:  https://www.devon.gov.uk/educationandfamilies/guide/post-16-transport/.

If you live in an area that is served by regular public transport then you can claim for the cost of travel however you will need to purchase this direct and send evidence in order to be reimbursed.  For students living in the North Plymouth/Yelverton/Horrabridge/Bere Alston areas you should purchase a Plymouth Termrider Plus pass via the Stagecoach website:  https://www.stagecoachbus.com/regionaltickets/south-west/plymouth/termrider.  You will need to do this every term.

The College reserves the right to turn down an application if a student does not fulfil the criteria for attendance, behaviour and standards of effort etc. as set out within the Learning Agreement signed when joining sixth form.  The College also reserves the right to withhold all or part of any agreed payment if a student fails to meet the criteria set out within the Learning Agreement.

Payment Process

The method of payment will be made at the discretion of the College. Where possible the College will purchase the required item direct on behalf of the student e.g. text books.  However, when covering the costs of items such as travel on public transport, then the College will reimburse the student direct. We will require clear evidence of purchase to accompany the bursary application, such as copies of bus tickets/order confirmation emails etc.

Appeals

Appeals regarding the notification of awarded bursaries or the withholding of support should be made in writing to the Director of Sixth Form. Upon receipt of this, an appointment will be made for the student to discuss their appeal. If this appeal is not upheld, then the student has the right to a final appeal that will be held by the Principal and a member of the governing body. The outcome of this appeal is final.

As this is public money any attempts to claim a bursary fraudulently will be referred to the Police. Where fraud is proven to have occurred all payments will be reclaimed and the student’s place at College will be withdrawn.