A Vulnerable Student Bursary of £1,200 a year is made by the ESFA and paid as 4 payments across the academic year by Strood Academy to students studying within the Sixth Form who apply for the bursary and meet the eligibility criteria set out by the ESFA.
A Discretionary Bursary may also be available to young people who do not meet any of the criteria for the above bursaries but are still in need of financial support from any remaining funds. This bursary is available to young people aged 16 to 19 to help with travel to school, equipment, books, essential trips, exam resits or attending HE interviews. The amount is dependent on funding availability and number of applicants.
Students must meet the age and residency criteria which follow to be eligible for help from the bursary fund.
A student must be aged 16 or over but under 19 at 31 August 2020 to be eligible for help from the bursary fund in the 2020 to 2021 academic year.
Institutions should generally only pay bursaries to students aged 16 or over. However, in exceptional circumstances institutions may use their discretion to pay bursaries to younger students, for example, where a student is following an accelerated study programme. Exceptional circumstances do not include students aged 14 to 16 who are attending college as part of their key stage 4 programme.
Students aged under 19 enrolled on higher education qualifications are not eligible for support.
