The school receives an allocation of funds which we have a duty to ensure is spent in ways which help break down the financial barriers and deal with the costs of being in education.
There are two different funds which are available to students. They are:
Mandatory Bursary
Students may be eligible for this bursary if they fall into one of the following categories:
- A young person in care
- A care leaver
- A young person in receipt of Income Support or Universal Credit in their own name
- A disabled learner in receipt of Employment and Support Allowance/or Univeral Credit and Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payments
- The student must be aged 16, 17 or 18 on 31 August before the academic year they require the Bursary for to qualify.
- Students who fall into these categories will be eligible to receive a bursary of up to £1,200 a year.
Students must provide official confirmation of their eligibility for the Mandatory Bursary, for example a letter from the Local Authority.
Discretionary Bursary
Eligibility for the Discretionary Bursary takes into account various aspects of family income and evidence of this will be required to process applications. For the 2023-2024 academic year the threshold of household income to be eligible is up to £27,500 per annum or less. Students do not need to reapply in Upper Sixth, however, if your circumstances have changed and you are no longer entitled to the 16-19 Bursary, you must inform the school.
Awarding of the Bursary
Students are assessed based upon the established financial needs into one of the three categories:
Tier 1: Students are affected by a medium or long term financial situation whereby their household income is below £27,500. This will result in students receiving bursary payments for the year.
Tier 2: Students are affected by a short term need for assistance; i.e. for a specific event/school visit.
Tier 3: Students are affected by a short to medium term financial situation that results in students receiving bursary payments for a set period of time. These can cover payments for educational resources, educational visit and/or transport.
Both types of bursary funding, Mandatory and Discretionary, are designed to help students overcome individual financial barriers to participation, and institutions must ensure the funds go to those who genuinely need them.
Exceptional Circumstances Applications from students who are eligible for government funding, but whose household income is more than the stated threshold and are experiencing financial difficulty due to a significant and unexpected change in personal circumstances during their time at Thorpe St Andrew Sixth Form, may be considered for a Bursary Fund Emergency award. Thorpe St Andrew Sixth Form may also award a Bursary to any student who faces genuine financial barriers to staying on in education (at the discretion of the Sixth Form) such as a young carer who is providing care to a sick or disabled relative. Thorpe St Andrew Sixth Form will operate a contingency fund which will be used for one-off awards to help students who are experiencing exceptionally challenging circumstances. In this case, students will be able to apply for Tiers 2 and 3, provided enough funds are available.
Also students aged 19 and over who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) are eligible to apply for discretionary bursary funding (if all other scheme criteria are met).
Bursaries can only be spent on certain items which are deemed to be the costs of accessing education, these are:
- Stationery (Stationery starter packs are given to all bursary students)
- Equipment required for subjects such as Art books
- Revision guides and workbooks
- UCAS application fee
- University visit/interview – train fare for the student only
- Educational visits
- Transport to and from Sixth Form: bus tickets are purchased in advance
- Transport to and from work placement and work experience
- A daily breakfast bag, containing an orange juice, croissant and apple (gluten free available)
- School lunch and snack (whilst on school premises £3.00 daily limit )
- Lunches for work placement and school authorised work experience
- Purchasing of Football Academy kit/bag
- Chromebook and chromebook maintenance payment
Please note, students can only apply for one type of Bursary.
All payments are subject to students meeting agreed standards.
In line with our Policy, the awarding of any bursary is conditional on a student providing necessary documentation (including receipts where applicable), attendance at 100% (except when absence is authorised) and demonstrating appropriate standards of behaviour at all times. All eligible students will be required to sign a Bursary Conditions Confirmation covering these points, before any payments will be made.
The School reserves the right to seek the return of any funds provided in advance, for example: for the purchase of a transport pass, to a student who subsequently fails to attend or leaves the Sixth Form.
We must stress that the Bursary Fund is not expected to take the form of regular payments for personal living costs.
Application Process and Payments
To apply for a Bursary please complete the on line application form.
Applications should be submitted in September but can be accepted at any time during the academic year.
It is our intention to process applications as quickly as possible, but whilst you are awaiting for an application to be processed please keep any receipts for bus passes or items purchased which you are claiming through the bursary as we may be able to meet the cost retrospectively.