dLSF policy - New College Nottingham

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16 – 18 Bursary scheme, 24+ Loans
Bursary & ncn Discretionary Learner
Support fund
Guidelines for the disbursement of
funds in 2015/16 academic year
CONTENTS
Page
1. Background
3
2. ncn 16 – 18 Bursary Scheme, dLS & 24+ Loans Bursary commitment
4
3. Priorities
4. Learner Eligibility
5
6-7
5. Assessment criteria
8
6. Income bands
10
7. Categories of funding provided
10

Course fees
10

College-related childcare costs
10 - 11

College-related transport costs
11

College-related essential equipment

Progression, Employability, and Enterprise
14

Food
14

Trips
15
8. Exceptional Circumstances
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1. Background
1.1
A key priority of the Government is to eliminate the gap in attainment between
those from poorer and more affluent backgrounds, and to ensure every young
person participates in and benefits from a place in 16-19 education and training.
The Government provides funding to tackle disadvantage both through the
Education Funding Agency’s (EFA) funding formula and through support to help
young people meet the costs of participating in education and training post-16.
Learners who are eligible for support are not automatically entitled. Awards are
subject to fund availability and are not an entitlement.
1.2
Discretionary Learner Support (DLS) is intended to support Learners with a specific
financial hardship that prevents them from participating in learning.
DLS is available to support Learners studying adult further education and skills in
Colleges, External Institutions (EIs), Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), and Sixth
Form Colleges. Learners, who are eligible for support, are not automatically entitled.
Awards are subject to fund availability and it is not an entitlement.
1.3
24+ Advanced Learning Loans Bursary Fund
The Loans Bursary Fund is aimed at helping vulnerable learners who are being
funded through a Loan such as those with learning difficulties or disabilities, parents
who need help with childcare, and ex-military personnel.
Learners who are eligible for support are not automatically entitled to it.
Awards are subject to fund availability and it is not an entitlement.
1.4
College Meals
Since September 2014 ncn has had a legal duty, according to the Education Act
1996 which required that students from disadvantaged backgrounds following FE
courses would be eligible for a college meal.
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2. ncn 16 – 18 Bursary Scheme, free school meals, 19+ dLS & 24+ Loans Bursary
2.1
ncn will:
2.2
Consider the availability of other strands of financial support for learners (including
support funding through DWP and Jobcentre Plus) ahead of consideration for the
College Bursary Fund or discretionary funds and ensure that learners exercise their
entitlement to other forms of financial support before they pursue an application for
college funds via Bursary, 24+ loans or dLS.
2.3
Develop clear criteria showing how ncn will administer and distribute the funds.
These policies will be available to learners via our website www.ncn.ac.uk and upon
request.
2.4
Assess the learner’s financial hardship by carrying out an income assessment.
2.5
Identify the learner’s specific financial need which may prevent the learner
participating in FE before making any financial award.
2.6
Pay 16 – 18 Bursary, 24+ Loans Bursary or dLS financial awards in the form of
goods or services or one-off or regular amounts which are for other than living
costs. These will therefore not affect the level of benefits which the learner may be
entitled to. ncn will make it clear at the time the payment is made to the learner, for
what purpose the payment is given and whether it is one of a series, for services
and goods or a lump sum payment.
College Meals will also be offered to eligible 16-18 year old learners whose
household income is less than £16,190 and whose families are in receipt of Child
Tax Credits. Each day an eligible learner will receive a meal to the value of £2.50.
If it is not redeemed this cannot be carried forward. In the majority of cases
students will redeem a voucher to claim college meal entitlement. For students on
work placement a monetary value will be awarded into bank accounts prior to the
work placement commencing. For students studying at a venue where there are no
college refectory services, arrangements are in place for the vouchers to be
redeemed at the local sandwich shop.
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3. Priorities
The priority target groups for the 16 – 18 bursary fund 24+ Loans Bursary and 19+
dLS fund are as follows:
3.1

Young people (aged 16 – 18) in care, care leavers, young people in receipt of
income support and disabled young people in receipt of Employment Support
Allowance who are also in receipt of Disability Living Allowance may be eligible to
receive a bursary of £1,200 a year.

ncn will use its discretion to make awards to young people in ways that best fit the
needs and circumstances of its students. Bursary awards will be targeted towards
young people facing financial barriers to participation, such as the costs of
transport, meals, books and equipment.

The priority group for the 19+ dLS at ncn is learners who are economically or
socially disadvantaged. For learners aged 19 and over this includes those who
need support for essential equipment, transport, childcare (for learners aged 20 and
over) or associated learning costs and are facing financial difficulty.
 24+Loans Bursary will only be awarded to students who have a loan approved by
the student loan company (studying a level 3 or 4 programme).
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4. Learner Eligibility
4.1
The residency eligibility criteria for dLS is aligned to the residency criteria
addressed in the document Learner Eligibility Guidance, part of the overall
Education Funding Agency (EFA) 16 – 19 /Skills Funding Agency Funding
Guidance 2014/15. These documents can be downloaded from the websites at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/16-to-19-bursary-fund-guide
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sfa-funding-rules
4.2
Residency criteria are broadly determined by the following statement: They are a
citizen of the United Kingdom and Islands, have Right of Abode (the right to live
permanently in the United Kingdom without any immigration restrictions), or are a
citizen of a country that is within the European Economic Area (EEA).
4.3
They have been ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom and Islands or the
European Union (EU) or the European Economic Area (EEA) continuously for at
least the previous three years on the first day of learning
4.4
Asylum seekers aged 16 – 18 are eligible to apply for support from the 16 – 18
Bursary fund.
4.5
The following Asylum Seekers aged 19+yrs are eligible to apply for dLS:
If they have lived in the UK for six months or longer while their claim is being
considered by the Home Office, and no decision on their claim has been made, or
they are in the care of the local authority and are receiving local authority support
under section 23C or section 23CA of the Children Act 1989 or section 21 of the
National Assistance Act 1948
An individual who has been refused asylum and they have appealed against a
decision made by the UK government against granting refugee status and no
decision has been made within six months of lodging the appeal, or they are
granted support for themselves under section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act
1999, or
they are in the care of a local authority and are receiving local authority support for
themselves under section 23C or section 23CA of the Children Act 1989, or section
21 of the National Assistance Act 1948
Asylum seekers who are eligible for provision will have this provided in the form of
course-related books, equipment or a travel pass. Under no circumstances can an
asylum seeker aged over 19 receive learner support in the form of cash.
4.7
Learners must always be enrolled onto an EFA /SFA funded FE Learner responsive
funded programme of study before any Bursary or dLS award will be considered.
4.8
ncn will consider the availability of other sources of funding to which the learner
might be entitled, e.g. New Deal for Lone Parents, New Deal for Partners, mobility
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component of the Disability Living allowance and tax credits, within the overall
assessment process. Participants in the New Deal for Lone Parents scheme may
not benefit from full payment of childcare support costs from ncn. They are eligible
to apply for dLS but ncn will take into account the level of individual New Deal
benefits in assessing the level of need for support. Participants in all other New
Deal options are not eligible for dLS, as their funding needs are met under the New
Deal scheme.
4.9
Learners must be aged 20 or over to receive support from dLS funding for
childcare.

24+Loans Bursary will only be awarded to students (studying a level 3 or 4
programme) who have a loan approved by the student loan company.
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5. Assessment criteria
5.1
All Learners will be required to provide parent/carers/own income evidence in the
form of benefit evidence (dated no more than 3 months prior to the application date)
or Tax Credit Award notice for the current year (2015-16) or pay slips (2 months or
8 weeks consecutive) with the current years Council Tax Bill/Statement (2015), or
an official letter from an employer stating salary on company letter head with the
current years Council Tax Bill/Statement (2015) or other relevant income evidence.
For learners wishing to claim childcare support, proof of guardianship will be
required e.g. child benefit letter with the learners address on and child’s name or
benefit letter or tax credit letter with the child’s name.
5.2
Learners aged 16 – 18 who fall into the vulnerable learner group should provide
evidence appropriate to their circumstance for example:



a letter setting out the benefit to which the young person is entitled;
written confirmation of the young person’s current or previous looked after status
from the local authority which looks after them or provides
their leaving care services.
The learners identified as vulnerable will be issued a bus pass/Tickets (if
appropriate) and payments every 2 weeks to the total value of £1,200 in 2015/16.
5.3
Learners aged 19 (at the start of the academic year) and over living with parents /
carers, may be assessed independently, if the learner is working and receiving a
wage themselves. This wage must be a minimum of £6,000 per annum. If the
learner does not earn this amount they will be assessed on their parents / carer’s
income.
5.4
For 24+ Learners studying on a level 3 or 4 programme, in addition to the evidence
required as per 5.1, the college will check that a student has obtained a 24+ Loan to
cover the course fees before any assessment for financial support is carried out.
5.5
ncn will not include Disability Living Allowance when assessing income of disabled
learners ( the mobility component however will be included where an application for
travel support is requested*).
5.6
Learners who are claiming independently but who have dependants themselves are
allowed £1,000 per dependant. Where a learner is dependent upon parents carer’s
then again £1,000 per additional dependant is allowed. However, where a learner
is assessed as independent but living with parents/ carer’s there will be no
allowance made for additional siblings living in the parental home.
5.7
Any learners who may be eligible for funding from an external source will be
required to access the external fund before any dLS will be considered. Funding
which is provided by an external source e.g. DWP – mobility component of DLA, will
be taken into consideration when making any financial award.
*This is subject to a successful Equality Impact assessment
5.8
All awards will be made on the basis that a learner should aim to achieve an
acceptable level of attendance each term, which will ensure the success on their
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programme of study, and they should adhere to the Student Code of Conduct.
Payments and support will be stopped if a student is excluded from college. Failure
to have achieved this required level of attendance will require an intervention with
the Personal Success Coach and/or Student Finance team, at this intervention
strategies for improving attendance will be discussed. Short term goals will be set
to improve attendance levels. The learner will receive support from the Personal
Success coach, Student Services and their tutor to meet these goals. Termly spot
checks of attendance will be carried out by Student services managers, any
students who do not meet acceptable levels of attendance will be highlighted to
PSC’s to initiate interventions to support students to improve. Further checks may
be carried out periodically by the student finance team.
5.9
All awards are made subject to the availability of funds allocated in September by
Government. Awards will be made on a first come first served basis, and there is
no guarantee that late applications will be funded.
5.10
An appeals process is set out in a separate document which allows the learner to
appeal against the decision of the initial assessment. Appeals will be assessed by a
panel of which will include Student Services Managers. The Head of Student
Services may also sit on the panel. The student finance team will aim to complete
90% of appeals within 10 working days of receipt, when received into the student
finance department with all evidence. Appeals will be automatically rejected if they
do not provide adequate evidence to support the appeal. The Appeal Panels
decision is final and no further appeal will be accepted without additional evidence.
5.11
Learners entitled to the Vulnerable learners 16 – 18 Bursary scheme who are
studying less than 30 weeks a year will be awarded on a pro rata basis up to the
sum £1,200. Part time learners studying programmes up to 100GLH may receive
the discretionary Bursary or dLS adult funding up to a maximum award of £160.
Any such awards will be made on an individual needs basis. For part time learners
studying on a 24+ level 3 or 4 programme who have accessed a loan, the maximum
award will be £110.
5.12
The college reserves the right to request the return of any equipment or bus pass
provided by the college should the learner withdraw before the end for the
programme. If this is not returned to college within a reasonable period then a
student may be invoiced for the costs association
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6. Income Bands
The following income thresholds will be used when making assessments for 16 – 18
Bursary, 19+ dLS & 24+ Loans Bursary funding:
Household and Learner Income Bands*
% of Maximum Award
In receipt of State Means Tested Benefit
100%
Household Income ( which may include step parents) Below
£25,000
100%
The above income bands can increased by £1,000 for each
additional dependent child
College meals for 16-18 year olds
Household income less than £16,190 and be in receipt of
Child Tax Credits.
£2.50 per day
7. Categories of funding provided
7.1 Course fees for 19+ learners
7.1.2 dLS funding will not be used to generally fund tuition fees for Learners, however in
exceptional cases where a learner supplies a letter of appeal with related income
evidence to prove that they would not be able to participate in education or training,
due to exceptional hardship then this will be considered on a first come first served
basis, in line with the boundaries of set faculty budgets, potential increased
employability chances, and barriers to progression. The 24+ Loans Bursary
cannot be used to fund tuition fees.
7.1.3 dLS funding can be used to support Exam and Registrations fees and accreditation
fees/professional membership fees and any fees/charges payable to external
bodies for any learner who is in financial hardship, and in receipt of means tested
benefit or low income. NUS membership will be awarded to 16 – 18 yr old learners
in 2015-16 only
7.2
College-related childcare costs
7.2.1 Learners aged 20 at the start of their course that require childcare whilst they attend
college, will be expected to utilise fully all forms of support available to them firstly
before they seek support from the dLS fund from college. If childcare is requested
and agreed they must take this at the closest childcare provision to the place of
learning, in order for ncn to maximise funds accessible to learners which will
normally be an ncn nursery. Learners must provide proof of guardianship when
requesting childcare. This can be in the form of current Child Benefit letter, all
pages of Means Tested benefit or Tax Credits Award Notice with the child’s name
included.
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7.2.3 Full time second year Learners will receive funding as a priority
7.2.4 The college will then consider by application date order and place availability within
the chosen setting. This will continue until have been exhausted.
7.2.5 dLS funding will only fund childcare for timetabled hours plus reasonable travel time
to and from college.
7.2.6 dLS and 24+ loans bursary fund will pay a contribution of childcare costs. The
student will be expected to pay 10% of their costs. This will need to be paid daily or
weekly according to the childcare setting. If this is not possible the student will have
to arrange alternative childcare for one timetabled day per week. Where a student
incurs a debt and wishes to continue to access childcare support in subsequent
academic years this may be revoked by the childcare setting until such debts are
cleared. NB due to limited funds Student finance cannot pay the 10%
contribution.
7.2.7 Children aged two, three (the term following their 3rd birthday) and four year olds
are entitled to free childcare of 15 hours per week. Where possible, Learners will be
expected to use these hours whilst studying at College.
7.2.8 dLS and 24+ loans bursary fund may consider contributions towards the cost of
registration fees/deposits in cases of financial hardship, the student will need to go
through the official appeal route. It will contribute towards snacks, drinks and meals,
but it will not cover any costs not included within the usual basic rate charged. Any
changes to sessions required must be notified in advance in writing to the Student
Finance Team.
7.2.9 Only those who cannot be accommodated within the setting closest to the learners
place of study due to the following reasons may be considered for funding of a non
ncn OFSTED approved childcare provider, where applicable evidence is required.
Such cases will be considered and recommended by the Head of Early Years
Services at ncn:

The Learner studies at a Campus (which does not have an ncn nursery setting) and
the Learner does not travel past another ncn nursery.

An ncn setting cannot accommodate the child for at least 50% of their parent’s
timetabled hours.

The learner requires breakfast or after school club provision which is a facility ncn
does not provide.

Learner has a disability or severe medical condition which presents difficulties in
transporting their child to an ncn nursery as well as travelling themselves or the
child has unusual severe physical, mental or medical needs that an ncn setting
cannot support; therefore a suitable setting with specialist support is required.
A learner may appeal against any of the above decisions to the Student
Finance appeals panel; Student Service Managers, which may include the
Head of Student Services.
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7.2.9 ncn places a cap on the maximum weekly amount for a full time course of £160
that will be paid per child in line with the Care to Learn scheme. There is also a cap
of £5 for breakfast club sessions, £8 for after school clubs sessions and £4.50 per
hour for Childminders.
7.3
Students who are identified as having partners who live at the same address as the
child(ren) who are not working or studying full time will be expected to care for the
child(ren) whilst the parent is at college. No childcare support will be offered in the
first instance. However evidence of exceptional circumstances which prevent this
may be considered through the appeals process.
7.3.1 Students must provide details ( School holiday calendar or letter or txt from school)
of any inset days or school holidays where childcare support will be required which
fall outside of the college terms, at least at the beginning of each term, but ideally at
the start of the academic year, so that funds can be allocated. If students do not
provide this ncn cannot guarantee that funds will be available, due to limited
budgets available in 2015-16.
7.3.2 Subject to availability of dLS Funds, from April onwards a study leave
Childcare support scheme may be available. This will entitle every childcare funded
Learner to receive up to *6hrs of funded childcare to be used for extra study/
revision activities which are not formally timetabled. These need to be arranged in
agreement with the ncn childcare setting and through the Student Finance Team.
Evidence of Exams or a supporting tutor statement will be required.
7.4 College – related transport costs
7.4.1
Travel costs will only be considered if the learner lives over 1.5 miles from the
College campus at which they study.
7.4.2 Learner’s who have a free bus pass will not be eligible for transport costs.
7.4.3 The most cost effective transport should be accessed by the learner and in many
cases the support provided will take the form of a pre purchased bus pass from one
of the transport operators in the East midlands area.
7.4.4 At the start of the autumn term to ensure learners can receive travel support
quickly, whilst the process of assessing applications are fully assessed, eligible
students may be awarded daily bus passes up to a maximum of 10 days travel.
7.4.5 Payments for travel outside of bus pass routes will be made on a regular basis via
Bank Automated Credit System (BACS) directly into the Learner’s bank account.
However, ncn reserves the right to award travel support in other forms for example
pre-paid bus tickets.
7.4.6 There is no cap on a travel award however the total award made to a learner will
not normally exceed £1,200 for a vulnerable learner, or £700 for the 16 – 18 or 19+
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discretionary funded learners and £500 for 24+ loan bursary learners. Where this
total award does not meet the individual needs of a learner an appeal for an extra
top up award will be considered, normally from term 2 onwards of the academic
year. For learners studying a programme which requires a Kit to be provided, the
student finance team will endeavour to hold a discussion with the learner to
establish the type of support required as priority by the individual. Where this has
not been possible, the learner will be awarded travel support as priority.
7.4.7 ncn may consider funding travel costs under exceptional / emergency
circumstances. Household income evidence must be provided unless it is an
extreme emergency where this is not possible for example homelessness. A referral
through a tutor or Personal Success Coach is also required. These cases will be
considered for emergency support by a hardship panel.
7.4.8 Learners who are in receipt of Incapacity Benefit or Disability Living Allowance and
if they were a student at ncn in 2014/ 15 and received full special travel support and
who enrol on an agreed LLDD course in 2015/16 may receive a contribution
towards transport costs.
*For new supported learning learners who are in receipt of Incapacity Benefit or
Disability Living Allowance and their household income is below £25,000 and who
enrol on an agreed LLDD course. These students may receive a contribution
towards transport costs if they do not receive the Mobility component of DLA.
Evidence is required, no transport will be agreed until benefit evidence/ household
income evidence is received. The learner’s transport requirements will be assessed
by the curriculum; this will only be provided in the form of taxi travel.
7.4.9 Learners who require any alternative travel support which is not detailed within this
policy should apply in writing and submit relevant supporting evidence. Appeals
should be sent to the appeals panel and their decision is final.
*This is subject to a satisfactory Equality impact assessment.
7.5 College-related essential equipment
7.5.1 Equipment funded by 16 – 18 Bursary or 19+ dLS and 24+ loan Bursary will
be essential for the course of study. These costs are supplied by each
curriculum area via the Head of Academy and will be approved by the Student
Services Manager prior to the start of the academic year in order for fair and
consistent awards to be made.
7.5.2 For 16-18 Learners
In accordance with the funding guidance for 16 – 19 yr old learners
Learners who are required to purchase essential equipment to support their
learning will be notified at application stage of the recruitment process. Ncn
will charge learners for this essential equipment which can be retained by the
learner, in some cases the payment will be made to an external recommended
supplier which has been sourced for best quality and price. The learner also
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has the option of borrowing the clothing or equipment free of charge if it is
required to comply with Health & safety regulations.
Where a learner needs a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check to take part
in work experience which is outside of the timetabled programme of study, ncn will
charge them for this, this is eligible for 16 -18 Bursary funding. If the DBS check is
required to take part in Learning we will not charge for this. If learning is associated
with the learner’s employment, their employer is responsible for carrying out and
paying for this check and this will not be eligible for dLS funding.
Learners may be required to pay for other non - learning associated costs e.g.
laundry, library fees, printing costs, these costs are not eligible in the first instance
from the 16 – 18 bursary. An appeal may be submitted to apply for these costs.
However any funding would be subject to the availability of funds and the priorities
for funding being fully met by the budget at point of application.
Charges may be made for optional extra activities and where the activity is taking
place outside a required part of an agreed learning programme. Examples of
optional extra activities include theatre, cinema or museum visits or other day or
residential visits that are not a requirement of course syllabuses.
The above costs are eligible for funding unless stated, from the 16 – 18 Bursary
Fund or the DLS fund.
7.5.3 For dLSF Adults and 24+ loan Bursary learners
Where a learner needs a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check to take part
in work experience which is outside of the timetabled programme of study, ncn will
charge them for this, this is eligible for dLS funding. If the DBS check is required to
take part in Learning we will not charge for this. If learning is associated with the
learner’s employment, their employer is responsible for carrying out and paying for
this check and this will not be eligible for dLS funding.
Learners who are required to purchase essential equipment to support their
learning will be notified at application stage of the recruitment process, the college
has sourced the most cost effective suppliers for the benefit of students. Any
equipment purchased can be used outside of college.
All adults will be given the option to supply their own materials (as specified by the
college to ensure appropriate quality levels of products are used) to support their
learning or pay a College fee and retain the materials and equipment.
7.5.4 Learners may be required to pay for other non - learning associated costs e.g.
laundry, library fees, replacement ID cards, these costs are not eligible for dLS or
24+ loan funding in the first instance. An appeal may be submitted to apply for
these costs; however any funding would be subject to the availability of funds and
the priorities for funding being fully met by the budget at point of application.
All eligible learners will have access to apply to the 16-19 Bursary or the adult
discretionary Learner Support funds and the 24+ loans bursary fund, to support
College materials and equipment fees associated with learning.
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7.5.5 ncn will assess students for essential equipment costs to a maximum value of £500
per academic year subject to the maximum award of £700 not being exceeded.
Subsequent awards to fully fund the cost of such equipment will be subject to
availability of funds.
7.6 Progression, Employability and Enterprise
This category is subject to availability of funds. By term 2 of the academic year all
learners will be entitled to a progression intervention, carried out by their tutor. This
will determine a learner’s next stage of learning or destination aim. If during this
intervention it is determined that a learner requires further support in terms of
equipment, Clothing, travel costs related university visits ( the maximum allowed will
be 5 university interviews and 3 additional open days visits, evidence will be
required – interview invitation letter and travel tickets), childcare, dyslexia
assessments to enable access to DSA whist undertaking Higher education or
business start-up grant to achieve their aim, then further support may be
considered. Any business start up grant should be requested initially from the
various organisations external to ncn. ncn will consider support for other costs
required by the learner in support of this. A letter of application should be submitted
to the Student finance team outlining the request with evidence of need in the first
instance (a tutor statement may be required)
7.7 Trips
Charges may be made for optional extra activities which take place outside a
required part of an agreed learning programme. Examples of optional extra
activities include theatre, cinema or museum visits, sporting or enrichment activities
or other day or residential visits that are not a requirement of course syllabuses.
Therefore ncn has decided to categorise all trips associated with the course as
follows:
Core – related to directly to an assessment or project that cannot be completed in
another environment – these cannot be charged for and therefore will not be eligible
for financial support from the 16 – 19 bursary scheme.
Optional trip – to enhance the learning experience – these will be charged for and
therefore will be eligible for support from the 16 – 19 bursary scheme and dLS fund.
Tutors will have an opportunity to bid for additional funding towards trips from
October half term onwards. Students will be encouraged to fundraise for trips and
activities that are classed as optional.
For any trip to be funded the course leader/ head of academy must supply an
application form which details the students who may be eligible for funding and
what funding is required. This must be sent to the Student services manager for
consideration at least 4 weeks prior to the trip date. All trips are subject to fund
availability.
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7.8 Food
16 – 18 yr old learners who’s household income is below £16,190 and not in receipt
of working tax credits will be awarded a free meal for every timetabled day for the
duration of their programme of study. This also includes any day which a learner is
on work placement as part of their programme of study. A learner will receive £2.50
per day. For all other 16 – 18 yr old learners who’s household income is below
£25,000, they will be entitled to receive a contribution towards food whilst attending
college. The amount of contribution will be dependent upon availability of funds
each term. Learners will notified of their awards on completion of their application
assessment.
8. Exceptional hardship circumstances
8.1
On occasion where a Learner is in severe exceptional financial hardship support
may be sought via a hardship application or an appeal letter/email. This application
must be supported by the Personal Success coach or tutor.
8.2
Support may be provided in exceptional cases if the Learner can evidence genuine
emergency financial barriers which may prevent them from attending or completing
their chosen programme of study. Support may be provided in the form of
goods/services or monetary at the discretion of the hardship panel.
8.3
A student in need of emergency hardship funding will be assessed by the Student
Services Manager, working in collaboration with the Personal Success coach and
tutor where appropriate to ensure that a learner may continue on programme until
any longer term welfare issues are addressed. Bus tickets, meals in the college
refectory and supplies from the campus “pantry” will be provided until longer term
solutions are found. The college will work with external agencies to ensure that a
learner receives all the support available to them.
16-18 Bursary, 24+ Loan Bursary & dLSF 2015 - 16 May 2015 Final
Page 16
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