Further education colleges and school sixth forms have funds available to help students with learning costs. These funds are usually prioritised for those who face financial hardship and may need support to be able to remain in education. Schools and colleges manage their own funds and set their own procedures and criteria.
Details on how to apply for a bursary in Cambridgeshire are outlined on Cambridgeshire County Council's website.
If you need additional support or equipment because of a disability and/or learning difficulties then you may be able to get extra help from your school or college. Ask the student support service in your school/college to help you find out what is available.
These are for students over the age of 16 who want to work in the performing arts and attend one of the 22 accredited providers.
Dance and Drama Awards (DaDA) provide support for students to enable them to attend specialist private dance and drama schools. Awards are granted to students who demonstrate, at audition, that they are the most talented and likely to succeed in the industry. The amount of support for fees and maintenance that new DaDA students receive will be based on an assessment of family income, so the help is received by those students who need it most.
If you are a parent aged under 20 and planning to go back into learning, the Care to Learn scheme can help with your child care costs.
You can study full or part-time, at school or college, or take part in work based training. Whatever you do, as long as you use a registered childcare provider to look after your child, Care to Learn will help towards the costs.
Visit the care to learn page to find out more about the scheme and how to request an application pack.
There are charities that award small grants to students from their local area. These may be funds to help with the costs of books and equipment, or even additional activities such as travel.
Going on to higher education is a big investment in your future. Not only will you spend 3 or more years studying, you will also have to consider the cost, both your tuition fees and your living costs.
Universities can charge tuition fees of up to £9000 per year but there is also be support in the form of grants, loans and scholarships to help eligible students with their living costs.
For more information about student finance visit the Gov.UK website.
There are many bursary schemes available from a range of providers which are worth investigating.