16-19 Bursary Fund and Free Meals Policy

16-19 Bursary Fund and Free Meals Policy 2016 - 17

Last updated August 2016 Due for review May 2017

16.19 Bursary Fund and Free Meals Policy 2016-17 Page 1 of 4 Discretionary Bursary

‘Discretionary Bursary’ awards are targeted towards those students facing financial barriers to completing their College course. Students from a household on specified benefits (see below) or with an income under £25,000 per year may qualify for support towards:  Transport to College  Materials Charge (but not the deposit)  Print credit  Course related equipment/stationery  Loan of a laptop  Locker charge  UCAS application  College trips  Travel to university interviews or open days

The qualifying benefits are: • Income Support • Income based Jobseeker’s Allowance • Employment and Support Allowance (Income Related) • Guaranteed pension credit • Receipt of Working Tax Credit Students/parents may complete an application for a Bursary before starting at Paston so that help is available immediately. However, proof of income must relate to projected family income on 1st September 2016. Students/parents must tell us if income changes during the course of the academic year.

Discretionary Bursary awards are conditional on satisfactory attendance and behaviour – see ‘Terms and Conditions’ below.

Guaranteed Bursary

A ‘Guaranteed Bursary’ award is financial support amounting to £1,200 per year (or pro-rata if at College for less than a year) paid in monthly instalments across the academic year.

To qualify for the Guaranteed Bursary you must be:  in care or  care leaver or  in receipt of Income Support (or in receipt of Universal Credit in place of Income Support) in your own right or  in receipt in your own right of both Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) (or Universal Credit as a replacement for ESA) and Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or in receipt of ESA and Personal Independence Payments (PIP). Guaranteed Bursary awards are conditional on satisfactory attendance and behaviour – see ‘Terms and Conditions’ below. Bursary Terms and Conditions

2 1. A student must be aged between 16 and 18 on 31st August 2016 to receive Bursary support in the 2016-17 academic year. Students who turn 19 during their course will remain eligible until the end of the academic year in which they turn 19 or to the end of their course, whichever is sooner. 2. All Bursary payments are conditional upon the student meeting acceptable standards of attendance and behaviour. If attendance is classified as ‘red’ (below 85%) bursary payments will be suspended. 3. The College may review this policy at any time in the light of demand for financial assistance in any one year.

Free Meals

‘Free Meals’ means that a qualifying student will be provided with one meal at lunchtime up to the value of £2.41 each day that s/he attends college. Meals will be normally be provided by the College café, Madisons.

 Alternative arrangements will be made where the student is off-site (e.g. during work experience or whilst on a fieldtrip)

 Free meals will be provided as discreetly as possible, but proof of identity may be required

 Free meals will only be provided once an application has been made and the relevant proof of benefit seen by the College. Free meals cannot be ‘backdated’.

You must be aged between 16 and 18 on 31st August 2016 to have free meals in the 2016-17 academic year. Students who turn 19 during their study programme will remain eligible for a free meal until the end of the academic year in which they turn 19 or to the end of their study programme, whichever is sooner.

To qualify for free meals the student or his/her family must be in receipt of one or more of the following benefits:

• Income Support • income-based Jobseekers Allowance • income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) • the guaranteed element of State Pension Credit • Child Tax Credit (provided they are not entitled to Working Tax Credit) and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190, as assessed by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs  Working Tax Credit run-on - paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit  during the initial roll out of the benefit, Universal Credit  support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.

of 4 Appendix 1: Equality Impact Assessment – 16-19 Bursary and Free Meals

This policy has been subjected to an equality impact assessment using data from the College student survey and the following issues have been identified:

Protected characteristic Issues Age Bursaries are only open to students aged under 19 at enrolment Disability Bursaries make specific provision for disabled students. However, our disabled students are less confident that they would know what to do if they experienced discrimination, so there may be issues around reluctance to apply. Action: all tutors to check that such students are made fully aware of Bursary support Gender reassignment None Marriage/civil partnership None Pregnancy/maternity Students may face additional costs Action: all tutors to check that such students are made fully aware of Bursary support Race Our non-white students are less confident that they would know what to do if they experienced discrimination, so there may be issues around reluctance to apply. Action: all tutors to check that such students are made fully aware of Bursary support Religion/belief None Sex Surveys do not show any issues Sexual orientation None

Notes:

The College has a responsibility to do what it can to identify those students who are eligible for a Guaranteed Bursary; this reduces the need for such students to initiate a request for financial support.

Students must make an application for a Discretionary Bursary or for Free Meals.

Approved July 2016