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Bursary Information

There are two categories of Bursary Award

Vulnerable Student Bursaries (known as VSB)

A yearly bursary of up to £1,200 is available to young people in one of the four defined vulnerable groups:

  • Young people in care
  • Care leavers
  • Those on Income Support or receiving Universal Credit in place of Income Support
  • Disabled young people (in receipt of both Employment Support Allowance and Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payment)

Where students fall into this category, they are entitled to a flat rate bursary of £1,200 of which the payment terms will be agreed on an individual basis with the Sixth Form and the student.

Students must provide official confirmation of their qualification for a VSB, for example a letter from the local authority or a letter from the Department of Work & Pensions (DWP) stating which benefit the young person is entitled to. 

Please note students cannot self-certify.

 

Discretionary awards are for any students who are facing genuine financial barriers to participating in education. Institutions can determine the eligibility criteria and the frequency and conditions of payments.

At Bohunt Sixth Form, discretionary awards can be made in a number of ways depending on a student’s circumstances*.

Eligibility will be determined via this formal application. Eligibility for the bursary is based on gross annual household income and the family circumstances. We will be operating two levels of bursary funding based on income bands.  Free School Meals from Year 11 is not an automatic acceptance for bursary; students must apply for the bursary in Year 12 and re-apply in Year 13.

Examples of acceptable supporting evidence for the Discretionary Fund are:

  • A full T602E Tax Credit Award Notice (TCAN) for the young person’s household. This document from HM Revenue & Customs details entitlement to Tax Credits and shows the total income for the year.
  • Other Income Support or Universal Credit award letters that show evidence of income.
  • P60 End of Year Certificate for all adults in the young person’s household who contribute to household costs. This certificate is a statement of earnings from an employer. It must be for the correct adult(s) and for the correct Tax Year (to 5 April 2022). The income will be shown as Total for the Year.
  • Payslips from the previous 3 months.
  • Self Assessment Tax Calculation (SA302). This is the equivalent of the P60 for self-employed people. It must be for the correct adult(s) and for the correct Tax Year. The income will be shown as Total for the Year.
  • Evidence of other benefits, pension awards, etc.

The Discretionary Bursary is to be used for activities such as:

  • Support to meet costs of materials and textbooks that are a requirement of courses.
  • Support to meet the cost of travel to Sixth Form.
  • One-off payments to eligible students to cover the cost of specific items or attendance at educational events such as field trips and conferences.
  • Help with travel costs to attend university open days and interviews.

*Eligibility is usually based on annual household income of below £25000 and/or households who qualify for tax credits. 
The Sixth Form may request documentation to support the application.

Any student meeting general eligibility requirements and facing financial hardship due to exceptional reason or circumstance change can apply to access the contingency funds on an individual basis by submitting an application in writing.

Eligible students will need to complete a qualifying learning period of 6 weeks before they are able to receive bursary payments, however, applications should be submitted in full by the deadline of 31 December.

All students in receipt of a bursary must meet weekly punctuality and attendance requirements of 95% to ensure continued support. In addition, students in receipt of a Bursary must behave appropriately and submit work of an appropriate level and to required deadlines. If a student does not meet these conditions, the Sixth Form reserves the right to withdraw or suspend Bursary payments.

All applications for a bursary fund payment are to be made to the Head of Sixth Form.

Students will be advised, in writing, of the outcome of their application. All eligible bursary payments will be made via BACs transfers and students must provide bank details when applying. Cheques are not issued and support can be given to any student who wishes to open a bank account for the purposes of bursary payments.

Please note that the CHS Sixth Form guarantees that all personal information will be stored securely and will remain strictly confidential.

If you think you are eligible for a Bursary and would like to know more about the 16 – 19 Bursary Scheme at Chichester High School Sixth Form please speak to your Head of Sixth Form.