The purpose of the 16-19 Bursary Fund is to provide financial support students to enable them to continue in education where they would otherwise be prohibited from doing so on financial grounds. The bursary fund is made available from the government through its funding body, Education & Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) for 16 to 19 year olds.  Government guidance indicates that the bursary must only be used to directly meet educational expenses.

For more information on the 16-19 Bursary Fund, see the government website: https://www.gov.uk/1619-bursary-fund

The 16-19 Bursary at Aston Academy is divided into two separate funds:

Eligibility

Students may apply for the bursary if they are eligible in one of the following categories:

• Category A: Student is one or more of the following: currently in care (LAC) or is a care leaver; financially independent and in receipt of Universal Credit; in receipt of Personal Independence Payments; an unaccompanied asylum seeker under the age of 18.
• Category B: Student is from a household with a total income below £30,000. If there are other persons under 18 living in the household who are financially dependent (i.e. siblings), a deduction of £1750 per dependent will be applied. For example, a student household with a total income of £33,000 and two siblings would be eligible for the fund, as this deduction would reduce the assessed income to £29,500. We will also consider other mitigating circumstances.

Claiming from the fund

Eligible students may apply to claim through the fund for equipment, resources or services that will support their Post 16 studies. This may include items such as: books, IT equipment, online learning resources, educational visits, enrichment opportunities, university open day visits and the UCAS application fee. Where possible, these items will be purchased by the school and provided to the student.

Students may claim for items as part of their initial application, or at any point during the academic year. Decisions on individual claims from the bursary fund will be made on a case-by-case basis. This will be based on factors including, but not limited to, the educational benefit that the claim will make to the student and the level of funding available.

If it is not possible for the school to purchase an item on behalf of the student (e.g. for transport costs), the student will receive a full or partial reimbursement for any expenses, depending on their level of assessment and the availability of funding, upon submission of a valid receipt or other proof of purchase. In this case, a bursary claim application should still be submitted prior to purchase, as each claim is subject to assessment and approval.

Applying

The application form for the 2023/2024 academic year can be downloaded at the bottom of this page. If you are unable to print the form and would like a paper copy, students may collect one from the Post 16 office.

Completed application forms must be returned, along with all required evidence, to the Post 16 office.

Please note that those eligible for funding during the last academic year (2022/2023) will need to re-apply in order to claim funding for 2023/2024, as financial circumstances and/or eligibility criteria may have changed.

Please do not hesitate to contact school if you should have any further questions. You can do this via email to post16@astonacademy.org.