16 – 19 Bursary Fund
What are the 16 - 19 Bursaries?
- If you are aged between 16 and 19 years and think you might struggle with the costs for full-time education, you may be eligible to receive a bursary.
- Bursaries are payments that are made to you by Hitchin Girls’ School from the government's 16 - 19 Bursary Fund to help you stay in education.
Students who are most in need could receive a bursary of up to £1,200 a year. This is called the Vulnerable Bursary.
This group includes:
- Students who are in care.
- Students who are care leavers.
- Student receiving Income Support or Universal Credit because they are financially supporting themselves, or themselves plus someone who is dependent on them and living with them, such as a child or partner.
- Students receiving Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payments in their own right as well as Employment and Support Allowance or Universal Credit in their own right.
Eligibility for Vulnerable Bursary
If you think you are eligible to receive this bursary, you need to make an application to the school. You will need to provide evidence to show that you meet at least one of the criteria listed above.
In addition, you must:
- Be under 19 years old on 31 August in this academic year.
- Be a full-time UK resident.
- Be following an eligible course (the school will confirm this for you).
Students facing genuine financial difficulties, and who do not meet the criteria for a Vulnerable Bursary, may be awarded smaller, regular payments. This is called the Discretionary Bursary and can help towards costs of transport, books, equipment, school trips etc.
- The amount we can pay depends on the student’s level of need, and on how many students in total are claiming.
- The school also decides the conditions that students have to meet to receive the bursary.
- The conditions are linked to good behaviour, good attendance and other criteria.
- The discretionary bursary will be assessed against household income and benefits received. A list of evidence required is detailed in the application form.
Eligibility for the Discretionary Bursary
- You must be at least 16 and under 19 years old on 31 August in this academic year.
- You are a full-time UK resident.
Payment of Bursaries
- The bursary will be paid on a monthly basis.
- The payment is triggered by the Head of Sixth Form monitoring your attendance and agreeing that you are complying with your learning agreement.
- If there is an immediate need (for example, you need to buy school books or clothes urgently), then you can apply for some of your bursary to be paid in advance.
- Any money that is paid to you early will be deducted from the payment made at the end of term.
- Bursaries will be paid by bank transfer.
- They can ONLY be made into an account held by the student.
- NO payments can be made into the accounts of parents/ guardians.
Please complete the bursary application form. It will also be emailed to all students who are planning to join the Sixth Form or are already in the Sixth Form during the preceding summer term.
Applications should be returned to the Director of Sixth Form or the Sixth Form Administrator.
All applications are considered on an individual basis and will be confidential. Students will be notified in writing once their application has been given consideration. We will try to let all applicants know if they have been awarded a bursary as soon as possible. Back-dated bursaries are not allowed, so please apply as early as you can.
Medicspot Innovation Grant
We are pleased to announce Medicspot have launched the Medicspot Innovation Grant, which is open to all UK students who will be going on to study a degree related to health, medicine, nursing or life sciences. This grant runs annually, giving students £500 to help get them off to the best possible start.
More information: www.medicspot.co.uk/grant
Applications must be submitted online by 31 March each year.