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 bursary funding to support their education, according to their individual needs.

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.  The aim of the funding is to support students with the costs incurred through being in education and applications will be assessed on an individual basis.   

Proof of household income, such as a recent P60 or evidence of being in receipt of benefits (Universal Credit/Tax Credits) will need to be provided with the 1st application of the academic year.  All applications and documents will be treated confidentially.  Please note that students eligible for Free School Meals do not need to provide additional financial evidence.  

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 make multiple applications as needs arise.

We will also consider applications from students who do not fall into one of the above categories, but who feel that they have genuine need to access financial support.  Please speak to the Director of Sixth Form or Sixth Form Administrator if this applies to you.

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.  You will not need a complete the bank details form for subsequent applications within the same academic year.

Please download and print the forms and submit as paper copies, if you do not have access to a printer then we have copies available in the sixth form office.

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 pass 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/.  Once they have agreed to supply a seat then please submit a completed bursary form and we will make contact DCC to confirm that we will cover the cost of the pass, so you will not need to make payment.

If you live in an area that is served by regular public transport then you can claim for the cost of travel by purchasing the most cost effective ticket and providing evidence of purchase (along with a completed bursary form) 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.  

Alternatively, we can also purchase Stagecoach Termrider passes on the student's behalf via a Smart Card - please indicate on the bursary form if you would like to us to do this.  You will need to complete a bursary form before the start of each new term so that we can top up the Smart Card in time for it to be used on the 1st day back.

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 to an open day 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.  We cannot issue funds into a student account unless for a designated purpose.  We cannot issue cash.

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.