What is the 16-19 Bursary Fund?

The 16-19 Bursary Fund is a government-funded scheme intended to help support those young people who face the greatest financial barriers to continuing in education or training after age 16. Individual schools and colleges are free to establish their own assessment and award criteria within broad guidelines set out by the government. The main restriction is that the funds must be used to assist with essential costs directly associated with attending school or college and cannot be used to support a student’s general living costs. Schools and colleges receive a fixed sum of money each year to allocate to students, which can mean that the amount of financial support an individual student receives may vary from year to year depending on the number of qualifying applications that are received.

Do I qualify for a Bursary?

You should be eligible to receive a bursary if you are aged under 19 on 31 August in the academic year in which you start your programme of study, and you fall into one of the categories of bursaries below;

• Vulnerable Bursary – bursaries for defined vulnerable groups are assessed based on financial need to support participation at Orchard Manor School's Post16.
• Discretionary Bursary – discretionary bursaries awarded to meet individual needs and are assessed based on taxable household income.

Vulnerable Bursary is for any student who is:   

• Is in care or has recently left the Local Authority care system.
• Is receiving Income Support or Universal Credit in their own right.
• Is receiving Disability Living Allowance in their own right and either Employment & Support Allowance or Universal Credit.
• Is receiving Personal Independence Payments in their own right and Employment & Support Allowance or Universal Credit.

Discretionary Bursary

This is a discretionary bursary fund for education providers to distribute. It has  been agreed that a discretionary bursary will only be paid to those students who are eligible for Free School Meals (based on household income level). This is a definitive benefit that is easily identifiable and which, in turn, simplifies the administration of the bursary fund at school level.

Students aged 19 or over are only eligible to receive a discretionary bursary if they are continuing on a study programme they began aged 16 to 18 (19+ continuers) or have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).

Application for a Bursary

If you would like to apply for a bursary for your child, please contact the school directly on omsadmin@orchard-manor.org or by calling 01626 862363.