Bursary information for students aged 19+
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 2024 for this September. If you have any questions please email:
19plusfinance@weston.ac.uk
Eligibility
To be eligible you must be:
- Aged 19 or over on the 31st August 2024 (your date of birth will before 31 August 2005
- 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 are undertaking other learning or training whilst a wage is paid
- A prison-based learner or learning whilst released on temporary licence
- Undertaking a higher education course
How am I assessed?
If you’re living on your own
- You will be financially assessed against your income
- You will need to provide evidence of your income (3 consecutive months worth dated April 2023 onwards)
- You will need to declare your 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 your gross income, £1,130 for each child aged under 19 residing with you
- Residual income is used to determine which Banding of support package you will receive
If you’re living with your partner, husband or wife
- You will be financially assessed against your own income as well as that of your partner, husband or wife
- You will need to provide evidence of your and their income (3 consecutive months worth dated April 2023 onwards)
- You will need to declare, separately, your own and 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 your joint gross income, £1,130 per child aged under 19 residing in the same household
- Residual income is used to determine which banding of support package you will receive.
If you live with your parents or another relative and have no income of your own
- You will be financially assessed against your parents' income
- You will need to declare your parents' gross income (e.g. wages, working tax credit, child tax credit, universal credit, housing benefit, other out of work benefits)
- They will need to provide evidence of their income (3 consecutive months worth dated April 2023 onwards)
- The College will calculate residual income by deducting, from your parents' income, £1,130 for each child aged under 19 residing in the same house
- Residual income is used to determine your support ‘banding’.
If you live with your parents or another relative and have income of your own
- You will be financially assessed against your income
- The College will add £5,684.64 to your income in lieu of housing costs
- You will need to declare your gross income (e.g. wages, working tax credit, child tax credit, universal credit, housing benefit, other out of work benefits)
- You will need to provide evidence of your income, even if paid to your parent or carer (3 consecutive months worth dated April 2023 onwards)
- The College will calculate residual income by deducting, from your income, £1,130 for each of your children aged under 19 residing in the same house
- Residual income is used to determine your support ‘banding’.
| Band | Residual Income |
|---|---|
| A | £0 - £14,999 |
| B | £15,000 - £19,190 |
| C | £19,191 - £27,999 |
| D | £28,000 - £35,000 |
What support might I get?
Eligible students depending on their individual needs may 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% across their whole learning programme including maths, English and tutorials.
The package of support may include:
- Bus passes
- Professional start-up kit or uniform
- Childcare
- Fieldtrip or residential visit support directly related to your course
- Essential books of equipment
Bus Pass
All eligible full-time bursary students who need support with the costs of getting to college can request support for 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:
- FIRST BUS (Mon to Fri pass)
- Can be used on the First Bus West of England zone buses
- You will be emailed (to you college email account) a voucher code for an M Ticket which you will activate via the M Ticket app. Details can be found here: https://www.firstbus.co.uk/buy-ticket/mtickets-faqs
- BAKERS DOLPHIN
- You will be emailed (to you college email account) a voucher code for a Bakers Dolphin pass which you will activate via the Bakers Dolphin app. Details can be found here: https://schools.bakersdolphin.com/?link=schools-instructions
- You will be emailed (to you college email account) a voucher code for a Bakers Dolphin pass which you will activate via the Bakers Dolphin app. Details can be found here: https://schools.bakersdolphin.com/?link=schools-instructions
Weston College also offers a 7 day First Bus pass. Approved bursary students can opt to pay an additional £55 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.
Childcare
Parents aged 20 or over at the start of their course can request help for childcare support for a child aged 14 or under at the 31st August 2024.
Childcare covers timetabled sessions and a maximum of one hour before and one hour after for travel. You will need to provide costings from your childcare provider.
Funding is not guaranteed – even if your bursary is fully approved – so don’t make any childcare arrangements you cannot afford until college has confirmed your allowance.
Payments are made directly to the childcare provider, who must be registered with Ofsted.
| Band | Childcare Full-time students | Childcare Part-time students |
|---|---|---|
| A | Up to £3500 | Up to £1750 |
| B | Up to £3000 | Up to £1500 |
| C | Up to £2500 | Up to £1250 |
| D | Up to £2000 | Up to £1000 |
Money
This is paid by BACS transfer into your bank account.
| Full-time students | Part-time students | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Band | Monetary Value | Autumn Term Paid 24 Sep 2024 | Spring Term Paid 14 Jan 2025 | Summer Term Paid 29 April 2025 | One-off payment per year (six weeks after first course start date) |
| A | £350 | £175 | £87.50 | £87.50 | £200 |
| B | £300 | £150 | £75 | £75 | £160 |
| C | £250 | £125 | £62.50 | £62.50 | £125 |
| D | £175 | £87.50 | £43.75 | £43.75 | £100 |
Some courses require students to have specialist clothing, equipment, or set textbooks in order to participate e.g. hair and beauty kit, chefs knives or specialist dance shoes.
College maintains a list of course essential items and will either provide them as a 'payment in kind', pay contribution towards therefore reducing your college invoice or reimburse, fully or partially against a receipt for the specific item.
Fieldtrips and residential visits
You may request help toward the cost of fieldtrips or residential visits.
You will need to apply in writing, to Student Funding, giving details of the trip (where, when and overall cost), what you think you will gain from it as well as your financial need.
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.
The maximum contribution per year across more than one or more trips is £300, any contribution will be paid directly to your faculty.
