Applying for Sixth Form (2025-27)

Rosebery School 16-19 Bursary Fund

What is the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund?

The Fund is a limited amount of money made available from the government through its funding body, the Education Funding Agency to provide assistance to students whose access to, or completion of education is inhibited by financial constraints or barriers.

The 16-19 Bursary Fund has two elements the 16-19 Vulnerable Student Bursary and the 16-19 Discretionary Bursary.

16-19 Vulnerable Student Bursary

A Vulnerable Student Bursary of £1,200 a year is made by the EFA and paid weekly via Rosebery school to students studying within the sixth form who apply for the bursary and meet the eligibility criteria set out by the EFA.

Who is eligible to apply for the 16-19 Vulnerable Student Bursary?

To be eligible to receive a Vulnerable Student Bursary students must satisfy one of the following criteria:-

• young people aged 16 and 17 in care;
• care leavers aged 16, 17 and 18;
• young people aged 16, 17 and 18 who are in receipt of income support, for example, young people who are living independently of their parents; those whose parents have died and teenage parents;
• disabled young people in receipt of Employment Support Allowance who are also in receipt of Disability Living Allowance.
• students should satisfy the residency criteria as set out in the EFA Funding Guidance.
• students should be participating in provision that is subject to inspection by a public body that assures quality and must also be funded by the EFA.

Who is not eligible for 16-19 Vulnerable Student Bursary?

• Students under 16 years of age or over 19 years of age at the start of the academic year in which they start their   programme of study
• Students who do not meet the residency qualifications.
• Students who do not fulfil any of the criteria described above.

Residency qualifications

All applicants should satisfy the residence criteria. This can be found HERE

Discretionary Bursary

A discretionary bursary worth up to £500 a year is made by Rosebery School to students studying within the sixth form who meet the Discretionary Bursary criteria. Bursary awards are targeted towards those young people who face the greatest financial barriers to participation.   The level of the award will be decided by the Rosebery School Bursary Committee and will vary dependent upon individual circumstances. The method of distribution will vary dependant on the needs and circumstances of each individual student.

Who is eligible to apply for the 16-19 Discretionary Bursary?

A discretionary bursary is available to Rosebery students not eligible for the full Guaranteed Bursary who reside in a household whose parents/guardians are in receipt of any of the following:

• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• The guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit, provided they are not entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual income (as assessed by HM Revenue & Customs) that does not exceed £16,190
• Working Tax Credit ‘run-on’ – the payment someone may receive for a further four weeks after they stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit

Students who reside in a household which has a taxable income of less than £18,000 for the tax year previous (evidenced through production of P60, Working Tax Credit Award Certificate) may also apply for the Discretionary Bursary.

Additional Help

Under exceptional circumstances students who are not automatically eligible for an award can also apply for help with one off course related expenses (proof of income or hardship will be asked for). Applications for additional help will be considered on an individual basis and is dependent upon available funds. Applications for additional help should be made in writing to the Bursary Committee via the sixth form administrator.

Assessment of applications and allocation of 16-19 Bursary funding

The 16-19 Bursary Fund is a limited fund and the school will prioritise allocations in the following order.

1. Students who meet the eligibility criteria for the Vulnerable students Bursary
2. Students who meet the eligibility criteria for the Discretionary Bursary
3. Students who make applications for Additional Help

Initially students who are eligible for any level of funding should complete the application form and hand it to the Sixth Form Administrator as soon as possible after admission in September. The closing date for applications will be the third Friday of the autumn term. Students who become eligible during the course of the academic year should contact the Sixth Form Administrator so that they can make an application for funding based on their new circumstances.

The Sixth Form Bursary Fund Committee (Head of Sixth Form, School Business Manager, KS5 Administrator) will meet to consider applications at all levels. The Sixth Form Bursary Fund Committee will meet in September and then as required up to once a half term to consider and review applications following changes in circumstances and request for additional help.

It is important to note that the available fund is extremely limited. The school is under no obligation to make payments and failure to comply with the terms of the Attendance Policy and/or the Sixth Form Contract will result in further funding not being available.

Students who are deemed eligible should be aware that to continue to receive their full allocation of bursary/funding throughout the year:

• They must maintain a minimum of 90% attendance.
• There must be no unauthorised absences during the school day or persistent lateness.
• They must maintain acceptable levels of behaviour, as outlined in the Sixth Form Agreement.

Attendance Requirements

Students will only receive bursary funding if they have secured a minimum of 90% attendance at School including morning and afternoon registration. The only exceptions to this rule include the following:

• Medical Procedure or illness supported by a Doctor’s Certificate, Hospital letter or letter from parents/carer. • Hospital Appointment (a hospital documentation or note from parent in planner).
• University Interview (if an authorised absence request has been received).
• University Open Day (if an authorised absence request has been received).
• School Trip Excursion.
• Official School Closure i.e. snow day.
• Official School Study Leave.

Students will NOT receive bursary funding if they use any of the following as verification of absence:

• Hair appointment
• Dentist appointment
• Any other form of self-certification
• School exclusion
• Family holidays
• Lateness to school affecting lesson attendance

There may be occasions when cases have to be looked at on an individual basis and at the discretion of the Bursary Fund Committee whose decision will be final. An example of these could include any of the following, although this list is not in- depth:

• Theory and Practical Driving Test.
• Family/close friend’s funeral.
• Sports trials/training/county selections.
• Religious events.

Students who fail to meet the above criteria will be required to meet with the Head of Sixth form and may have further bursary payments suspended.

Distribution of Awards

Rosebery school will determine the assessment criteria for eligibility for discretionary bursaries, the level of discretionary award allocated and the frequency of payments for all awards. The level of award allocated will be dependent on the needs of an individual student as outlined in their application.

The assessment criteria and award level of the vulnerable student bursary is set by the EFA. All vulnerable student bursaries will be paid via BACS directly into a student’s bank account;

For discretionary bursaries Rosebery school will either purchase items on behalf of the student or payments will be made via BACS directly into the student’s bank account upon receiving receipts for any school equipment purchased.

Discretionary Bursaries may be allocated in any of the following ways, depending upon needs and circumstances:

Regular payments linked to attendance;

Free/subsidised meals;

Help with transport costs;

Help with kit and equipment;

Help with Educational visits

Or a combination of the above

Rosebery School will need to reserve 20% of the 16-19 Bursary amount provided. This is to accommodate changes in circumstance and ensure that requests for funding from students following such changes can be accommodated. Funds remaining at the close of the summer term will be ring fenced and used for the purchase of central resources or the provision of services for the benefit of students across the sixth form.

Notification of qualification for the Bursary

Students will receive a letter confirming receipt of their application to the ‘16-19 Bursary Fund’ along with the support allocation awarded by the Bursary Fund Committee and, if appropriate, a payment scheme.

Appeals

Any student wishing to appeal against the Support Level allocated should do so in writing within 2 weeks of receiving their letter of Support Allocation. Appeals should be made to the Sixth Form Administrator. It is expected that further evidence to support the funding request will be provided by the student if called upon.

Changes to financial circumstances during the year

A student receiving any support level of the Bursary must immediately inform the Sixth Form Administrator of any changes in family circumstance that may affect their ‘Support Level’.

Students not in receipt of any level Bursary who experiences a change in financial circumstances during the academic year which means they meet the eligibility criteria may apply to the bursary committee for funding at the point of change.