16 to 19 Bursary Policy

1. The Island Project : 16 to 19 Bursary Fund

The government provides two types of Bursary Funds for 16 to 19 year old students :

• Vulnerable Student Bursaries
• Discretionary Bursaries

The Discretionary Bursary is for students aged over 19 and is therefore not applicable to students at The Island Project.

As the Island Project (“the School”) is an Independent School, it cannot apply directly for funding for vulnerable students. Any application has to be submitted by the relevant placing Local Authority.

If any student wishes to apply for a Vulnerable Student Bursary, the School would be responsible for verifying that the pupil meets the criteria, obtain the necessary evidence and assess the need for support. If satisfied that the pupil is eligible, the School would then contact the relevant Local Authority confirming they believe the pupil to be eligible.

The funding, once approved, would be paid to the Local Authority who would then redirect them to the School.

There are very specific government criteria which have to be met in order to be eligible for the bursary award. Any Bursary received has to be used in specific ways.

2. Vulnerable Student Definition

To be eligible for the Vulnerable Student Bursary, students must :

• be aged over 16 but under 19 by the end of the academic year in which they leave
• meet the residency criteria
• be:

• in care
• a care leaver
• receiving Income Support or Universal Credit because they are financially supporting themselves, or financially supporting themselves and someone who is dependent on them (such as a child or partner)
• receiving Disability Living Allowance (DLA or Personal Independence Payments (PIP) and Employment Support Allowance (ESA) or Universal Credit in their own right (ie, not claimed by parents).

3. Residency Criteria

Students must also satisfy the residency criteria set out in the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) Funding regulation guidance.  They must be “settled” in the UL and who has been ordinarily resident in the UK (including Channel Islands and Isle of Man) for three years preceding date of claim.  

“Settled” means having either indefinite leave to enter or remain or having the right of abode in the UK.  

4. Eligibility

If pupils meet the eligibility criteria set out above, the School will look to contact the relevant Local Authority to assist claiming the Bursary, which is £1,200. This may be calculated on a pro-rata basis where appropriate, but the full Bursary is available to all pupils attending full time (5 days a week for 30 weeks).

The Vulnerable Bursary can be claimed for each appropriate academic year.

The Local Authority will require evidence of eligibility for the bursary, together with a completed application form (see below).

5. Impact

The award of a bursary should not form part of any Universal Credit assessment. Provided the pupil is in full time education, the fund would be treated as grant income.  

6. What Can The Bursary Fund Be Used For?

The bursary fund can be used for :

• transport costs (the bursary does not replace the statutory transport duty of local authorities)
• field trips
• course related costs
• books and equipment

7. What The Bursary Fund Cannot Be Used For

The bursary fund cannot be used for :

• providing learning support services (eg counselling or mentoring)
• to support non-essential extra curricular activities which fall outside the pupil’s study programme
• to support general household incomes
• to incentivise attendance

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Bursary Form

Vulnerable Bursary Criteria

• To qualify you must be aged 16 or over (but under 19) on 31st August of the year in which you apply.
• You must meet the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) residency criteria.
• The bursary is paid to enable you to attend education at The Island Project and will only be paid if you attend School.

To qualify you must fall into one of the categories below.  You will be required to produce evidence as set out below:

Please provide your bank details as printed on your bank card or statement.  

Bursary payments will be paid directly into the pupil’s bank account only (by BACS).