Financial support is available to our sixth form students. Support comes in the form of two student bursaries, as well as our sixth form learning grant.
Student Bursaries
The following bursaries are available to sixth form students:
The Vulnerable Group Bursary: this provides up to £1,200 of financial support per academic year for individuals in one or more of the following defined vulnerable groups:
- students who are in care, or are a care leaver
- students who are in receipt of Income Support or Universal Credit because they are financially supporting themselves and anyone who is dependent on them and living with them, such as a child or partner
- students who are in direct receipt of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or Personal Independence Payments (PIP) as well as Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) or Universal Credit
The Discretionary Bursary: This is an additional bursary for those who face significant financial constraints and do not belong to one of the abovementioned vulnerable groups. The bursary is allocated to students based on household income and can be used to cover key costs associated with post-16 education, such as:
- public transport to and from the Academy
- business dress (or sports kit in the case of students involved in the football programme)
- learning materials, equipment and books
- educational visits integral to courses such as field trips etc
The following documents can be found below:
- Our full policy, covering both the vulnerable group and discretionary bursary
- The application form for both the vulnerable group and discretionary bursary. This should be completed by a student and their parents / carers as soon as confirmation of a place in sixth form has been received. Completed forms should be handed to either Mr Grimes or Connor Lawrence in the Academy finance office.
- The student bursary financial request form. A copy of form must be completed by recipients of the vulnerable group or discretionary bursary during each term to identify what financial support is needed for.
Learning Grant
Our learning grant is for all sixth form students, irrespective of household income. It provides access to £400 of financial support over the course of a two year programme of study (£200 each academic year). The only eligibility criteria is attendance; a student must maintain attendance of 95% in order to receive the grant. It provides additional funding for those in receipt of the vulnerable group or discretionary bursary and can be used to contribute towards some, or all of the cost of the following:
- Educational textbooks or revision guides linked to the courses being studied
- Material and equipment that will support learning, such as art material
- IT devices such as a Chromebook if there is limited IT access in the family home
- A school visit, such as field study, integral to the successful completion of a course
- An extra-curricular trip, such as a theatre visit, designed to enrich learning experiences
- The fee for an online course linked to current studies or subjects that are likely to be studied at university
- The fee for a virtual work experience course
- Any fees for university admissions tests, such as the UCAT and UMAT tests for students intending to study medicine.
- Travel to a university open day, university interview or a job interview
- An additional external tutoring programme linked to the sixth form courses being studied.
The learning grant cannot be used to cover the cost of clothing or daily travel to and from the Academy.
The following documents can be found below:
- Our full learning grant policy
- The learning grant financial request form. A copy of this form must be completed by students during each term to identify what financial support is needed for.