16-19 Bursary Fund
The 16-19 Bursary Fund is designed to help support young people who face financial barriers to continuing in education post 16. The fund has two elements:
- Financial support for the most vulnerable learners, ie young people in care, care leavers, young people in receipt of income support and disabled young people in receipt of Employment Support allowance who are also in receipt of Disability Living allowance. These students will receive a bursary of £1,200 per year.
- A discretionary fund to help young people from families in receipt of a means tested benefit towards the costs related to participation, eg transport, books and equipment, meals whilst attending college and other course related costs.
Bursaries
- ‘Vulnerable Learners’ as identified in point i) above will receive £1,200 per year split into 6 half terms, ie £200 per half term. This will be paid by BACS directly into the student’s bank account.
- An ‘in-kind’ Discretionary Bursary will be paid to students eligible under point ii) above. Discretionary Bursaries will be targeted towards helping students meet the costs of attending college, eg bus fares, meals, books and equipment. No cash bursaries will be offered.
- In-kind bursaries are likely to be: reduced rate bus passes, stationery packs, payment of UCAS application fee, help towards exam resit fees, food vouchers to be used in the College’s restaurant, support for educational visits and trips.
- The amount and type of Discretionary Bursary is subject to funds available and student need. This will be determined once the number of applicants is known after the closing date.
NB Awards from the 16-19 Bursary Fund are made at the discretion of the college therefore the amount and type of financial support provided at Oldham Sixth Form College may vary from other schools and colleges.
Eligibility Criteria
Students applying for support from the 16-19 Bursary Fund must:
- be registered on a full-time course at Oldham Sixth Form College;
- be aged under 19 on 31 August in the academic year in which they start their programme of study;
- satisfy the residency criteria in the document YPLA Funding Guidance 2011/12: Funding Regulations. Normally you will need to be resident in the UK 3 years prior to 1 September (full details of eligibility criteria are available on request);
and
- be identified as a ‘vulnerable learner’ in point i) above; or
- qualify on an assessment of family income, ie in receipt of a means tested benefit identified below:
- Council Tax Benefit
- Education Benefits
- Employment and Support Allowance
- Health Benefits
- Housing Benefit
- Income Support
- Jobseekers allowance
- Students must also meet the terms of their learning contract and have at least 90% attendance at College in order to receive financial support from the 16-19 Bursary Fund. For this purpose College organised trips and study leave will be recorded as present, however, sickness and unexplained absences will be recorded as absent. An exception may be made for students with on-going medical conditions who can provide medical evidence to explain multiple or long term absences from College.
Proof of Eligibility
You will need to provide evidence of your eligibility where you see the triangle symbol on the 16-19 Bursary Fund Application Form. Please provide photocopies of evidence and write your name and College ID number on each page of evidence.
- ‘Vulnerable Learners’ should provide written proof/confirmation of
- current or previous looked after status from the local authority; or
- receipt of income support; or
- receipt of both Employment Support allowance and Disability Living allowance.
- All other applicants should provide evidence of their parents’ means tested benefit which should also list the student as a named dependent, eg a letter from the Benefits Agency, Tax Credit Award Notice, etc. If your family are in receipt of Income Support/Job Seekers Allowance plus other benefits, you only need to provide evidence of Income Support/Job Seekers Allowance (you do not need to provide evidence of housing benefit, etc as well).
Applications
- Application forms will be available from Oldham Sixth Form College from the end of August;
- Completed forms should be returned to College with appropriate evidence/proof of eligibility after enrolment at College but before the closing date shown on the application form;
- Applications will be accepted after this date if family circumstances have changed;
- Applicants will be informed of the outcome in writing within 3 weeks of the closing date;
Confidentiality
The personal data contained in your 16-19 Bursary Fund Application Form will treated confidentially and used along with other information you have provided to assess your eligibility for support from the 16-19 Bursary Fund. From time to time it may be necessary for additional supporting information to be sought from other College staff in order for a decision about your application to be made.
Information regarding the College’s Data Protection Policy can be found on the college’s website www.osfc.ac.uk
Appeals
Any student wishing to appeal against the decision of their application should do so in writing to the Vice Principal who will initiate an investigation. The Vice Principal will make a final decision and inform the applicant within 4 weeks of receipt of the appeal.
Further Information
If you require any further information or help in completing the application form, please see your Personal Tutor or contact Main Reception.
