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Bursary information for students aged 16-18

The bursary fund provides support towards the cost of attending College, including travel, course equipment, and meals.

The eligibility rules and banding grades differ depending on whether you’re aged 16 to 18, or 19 and over.

 

Please note bursary applications open on the 1st August 2023 for this September. If you have any questions please email:
16to18finance@weston.ac.uk

Eligibility

To be eligible you must be:

  • Aged 16, 17 or 18 on the 31st August 2023 (your date of birth will be between 31st August 2005 and 1st September 2007
  • Undertaking a further education course
  • Able to show a residual household income (see below for explanation), of no more than £35,000.

You will not be eligible if you are:

  • A waged apprentice, or undertaking other learning or training whilst a wage is paid
  • A prison-based learner, learning whilst released on temporary licence or learning whilst in a young offenders institution
  • Undertaking a higher education course.

 

How am I assessed?

I am a student aged 16-18 and live with a parent, parents or another relative

  • You will be financially assessed against their income
  • They will need to provide evidence of their income (3 consecutive months worth dated April 2022 onwards)
  • Your parents or carer will need to declare their gross income (e.g. wages, working tax credit, child tax credit, universal credit, housing benefit, other out-of-work benefits)
  • The College will calculate residual income by deducting, from their gross income, £1,130 for each child aged under 19 residing in the same household
  • Residual income is used to determine your support ‘banding’.
Residual Income Band
£0 - £14,999 A
£15,000 - £19,190 B
£19,191 - £27,999 C
£28,000 - £35,000 D

 

I am a student aged 16-18 and am a Care Leaver or am living in Foster Care

  • You will not be financially assessed but will need to provide a letter from your social worker or leaving care advisor to confirm your status
  • You will automatically receive ‘Band V’ support (see below for details).

I am a student aged 16-18 and one of the following applied to me in my own right

  • Income Support or Universal Credit
  • Disability Living Allowance and Employment Support Allowance
  • Disability Living Allowance and Universal Credit
  • Personal Independence Payment and Employment Support Allowance
  • Personal Independence Payment and Universal Credit
  • You will automatically receive ‘Band V support’ (see below for details).

I am a student aged 16-18 and am an unaccompanied asylum seeker

  • You will not be financially assessed but will need to provide documentary evidence of your status
  • You will automatically receive ‘Band V’ support (see below for details).

 

What support might I get?

Eligible students will receive a package of support, which is paid at points throughout the academic year. To continue receiving support students must have an attendance rate of over 85% per term (Spring term: September to December, Summer term: January to April) across their whole learning programme including maths, English and tutorials.

Band V students must have an attendance rate of over 65% for the attendance week, payment is weekly.

The package of support could include:

  • Meals allowance
  • Bus passes
  • Money
  • Professional start-up kit or uniform
  • Childcare
  • Field trips or residential visit support.
girl smiling on bus

Meals allowance

This provides you with £9.64 per week throughout your course (government rate of £2.41 per day x 4 days) we limit you to £3.20 per day to help you spread the money throughout the week. You can top this up with your own money.

If you’ve been awarded a meals allowance just scan or show your college ID card at the till and staff will tell you if you don’t have enough money left.

Meals allowances only start once a bursary application is fully approved and you are enrolled – it will be shown on your bursary summary page

To be eligible for the meals allowance you (or your ‘dependent’) must receive one of the following:

  • Income Support
  • Universal Credit provided any earned income (gross wages) is under £9250 (i.e. less than £7400 after tax)
  • Employment Support Allowance (income related)
  • Guaranteed Element of State Pension Credit
  • Child Tax Credit provided any earned income (gross wages) is under £16191 AND they DO NOT also receive Working Tax Credit

Childcare

Parents aged under 20 at the start of their course can apply for childcare support from Care to Learn https://www.gov.uk/care-to-learn. You will need to use an Ofsted-registered childcare provider.

You will be able to get up to £180 per child per week to cover childcare, taster sessions, summer holiday retainers and transport costs incurred in travelling to and from the childcare provider.

Payments are made directly to your childcare provider by the government.

Industry Placement bursary support

An 18-19 Industry Placement bursary may be available where the placement results in additional costs, for example transportation. The location of an Industry Placement should not cause unnecessary challenge to a student. Where an industry placement falls outside of Weston super Mare and the standard student bus pass, we may be able to offer additional funds. In order to qualify, you will need to contact the Work Placement Team and outline the request and challenge posed. Student applications will be assessed and, if funds are available, support will be allocated on a case by case basis.

Field trips and residential visits

You may be entitled to some help toward the cost of field trips or residential visits.

You will need to apply in writing, to Student Funding, giving details of the trip (where, when and overall cost) and what it you think you will gain from it.

You won’t be entitled to funding for trips deemed compulsory for your course, and can’t apply for more funding until after October half-term.

If successful the portion of the cost that is met through bursary is:

Band Fieldtrips / Residential Visits
V Up to a maximum of £250 per year
A Up to a maximum of £250 per year
B Up to a maximum of £187.50 per year
C Up to a maximum of £125 per year
D Up to a maximum of £62.50 per year

Bus Pass

All full-time students who have a fully approved bursary will receive a 5 day "bus pass" for the Spring
and Summer terms, these cannot be exchanged for money or transferred to the rail network.

Students can opt for:

Weston College also offers a 7 day First Bus pass. Approved bursary students can opt to pay an
additional £50 per term to upgrade their free 5 day pass to the 7 day one. This must be done before
you activate the 5 day voucher code otherwise you will pay the full, unsubsidised cost for the 7 day
pass.

In addition students with fully approved bursaries who are assessed as "Band V" will also receive a
free 5 day bus pass for the Autumn Term

Money

This is paid by BACS transfer into your bank account.

Band Monetary Total Autumn Term Paid 26 Sep 2023 Spring Term Paid 9 Jan 2024 Summer Term Paid 23 Apr 2024
V £1,200 £27.25 weekly*    
A £350 £175 £87.50 £87.50
B £300 £150 £75 £75
C £250 £125 £62.50 £62.50
D £175 £87.50 £43.75 £43.75

 

*Paid w|b 4/9/2023 to w|b 24/6/2024 inclusive

Professional start-up kit and uniform (course equipment)

Support towards the cost of course equipment is available for the courses listed below. Your college invoice will be reduced by the amount you are awarded.

  • Hospitality and Catering courses
  • Hairdressing and Beauty Therapy courses

The portion of the cost that is met depends on your banding, to a maximum of £450:

Band Professional start-up kit or uniform
V 100%
A 100%
B 75%
C 50%
D 25%

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