Bursary and Free School Meals

Melton Vale Sixth Form College 16–19 Bursary

16-19 Bursary Policy 2021-22

What is the 16-19 Bursary Fund?
The 16 to 19 Bursary Fund provides financial support to help students overcome the specific financial barriers to participation they face so they can remain in education. The Bursary Scheme has been put in place as a partial replacement for Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA). This policy should be read in conjunction with the government’s 16 to 19 bursary fund guide.

There are two types of 16 to 19 bursaries:

Bursaries for defined vulnerable groups of up to £1,200 a year
Discretionary bursaries to young people in the sixth form facing financial barriers to participation, such as the costs of transport, books and equipment.

Who is eligible to apply for 16-19 Bursary Funding?
Students following government (ESFA) funded full time or part-time courses, who are 16 years and over and satisfy one or more of the following criteria:

A student must be aged 16 or over but under 19 at 31 August 2020 to be eligible for help from the bursary fund in the 2021 to 2022 academic year.
Students aged 19 or over are only eligible to receive a discretionary bursary if they are continuing on a study programme they began aged 16 to 18 (‘19+ continuers’) or have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP)
Students who are economically or socially disadvantaged and at risk of not taking up or continuing in their education. This group also includes students with physical or other disabilities, medical conditions and/or learning difficulties.
Students who have been in care, on probation, are young parents or are otherwise considered at risk.
Students who are asylum seekers.
Students who are Refugees (who will have access to 16-19 Bursary Funding if they are in receipt of supportive evidence from DWP).
Students who are lone parents.
Students must meet the residency criteria set out in the government guidance

Evidence of Eligibility
In order to assess eligibility, the college will require information relating to all aspects of household income. For audit purposes, copies of all documentation for the Bursary Fund should be kept for a period of three years. You will need to submit your evidence at the time of application, this can include:

Certified letter from the LA regarding Free School Meals
Certified letter from the DWP.
P60 (additional evidence will also be required).
Self-Employment Income evidence.
Other means tested certification.
Universal Credit - 3 most recent monthly award statements.

If you cannot provide evidence, we cannot process your application for bursary payments.

There will be three categories of bursary payment:

How will Melton Vale Sixth Form College assess applications and allocate 16-19 Bursary funding?

The 16-19 Bursary Fund is a very limited fund and the college will prioritise allocation. Students who are eligible for any level of funding should complete an application form online by the deadline of Friday 18th September 2020. A Bursary Fund Committee will meet to consider applications at all levels. Students who are deemed eligible should be aware that to continue to receive a bursary/funding:

They attend all timetabled sessions and briefings punctually.
Discuss with their tutor in advance if they need to be absent from school for a good reason.
Provide a letter or email from their parent/carer to support any unexpected absence.

The Bursary Fund Committee
The Bursary Fund Committee will be made up of the Business Manager, Assistant Head of College and the Head of College. Decisions will be based upon information about a student’s individual circumstances, well-being, behaviour, progress and attendance, and the amount award based on actual financial need.

Students and their parents/carers should understand that the available fund is limited. Any appeals against decisions can be made to the Chair of Governors, via the Clerk to the Governors who will follow the college’s complaints procedure. Email clerk@mv16.org.uk.

Within 2 weeks of the committee meeting, we will write to students to confirm if their bursary application has been approved, how much has been awarded and when payments will be made. All payments are made by BACs into the student’s bank account.

For successful applicants, the amount awarded will be divided into 8 equal payments, paid in line with the academic term, on or around the 10th of each month listed below.

Autumn Term	Spring Term	Summer Term
October	January	May
November	February	June
December	March

Payments will be subject to review by the Bursary Fund Committee. Late applications after the September deadline, if successful, will not have payments back dated.

A new application must be made at the start of each academic year.

Where the bursary is awarded to support the cost of transport, essential course equipment, meals in school, course related trips, UCAS fee, travel to open days or other school resources, we will require you to provide us with receipts for such. Consideration will always be given in the first instance to the college providing support in-kind by buying a bus pass, books, meal vouchers for example, as a preferred alternative to cash awards.

Changes in Circumstance during the academic year
A small contingency amount is retained by the academy from the overall bursary fund so that some support may be available in the event of a sudden deterioration in the financial circumstances of a student. In these circumstances, students can submit in year applications and the Bursary Fund Committee will meet to assess these applications on an ad-hoc basis.

Confidentiality
We understand that some students may be reluctant to apply for a bursary because we are asking for sensitive personal information. We wish to assure students that we protect the confidentiality of the information provided under the Data Protection Act 2018. We store the application forms and supporting documentary evidence securely and access to this information is carefully controlled. Only a small number of staff will have access to your applications.
Click here to download a PDF of this Bursary Policy

Applying for Bursary

The bursary application form can be completed online. Once you have submitted your application you will need to forward your proof of eligibility separately by email to finance@mv16.org.uk by Friday 10th September 2021.