Partner School or College £1,000 Grant Scheme 2016-17 Cycle

Guidance notes and Application form

Introduction

Birmingham City University has partnership arrangements with 30 schools and colleges, and has set up this grant scheme (the ‘scheme’) to provide students who meet the eligibility criteria with a single, one-time payment of £1,000. For advice on the scheme and how to apply, please raise a query through iASK, clearly indicating the reason for your query is ‘2016/17 partnership scheme grant’. You will then be put in contact with an adviser who can assist you in making your application. To be eligible you must: A. submit your scheme application and all supporting evidence by no later than 1.00pm Wednesday, 01 March 2017; and B. currently be enrolled as a full-time undergraduate student in the first year of your programme of study; and C. have started your full-time programme of study in September 2016; and D. have had a family/household income of less than £25,000 in the tax year Commented [ST1]: Is this a distinction with or without a 2015/16; difference? and E. have attended one of the following partnership schools or colleges, and this information is held in the University’s student record system: 1) Arthur Terry 2) Metropolitan College 3) Bordesley Girls 4) College 5) Broadway 6) Cadbury Sixth Form College 7) CTC Kinghurst Academy 8) 9) Great Barr 10) Halesowen College 11) Hamstead Hall 12) Highfields 13) 14) Joseph Chamberlain 6th Form College 15) Joseph Leckie 16) King Edward V1 College Stourbridge 17) King Edwards Sheldon 18) Lordswood Girls 19) North Warwickshire & Hinckley College 1

20) Sandwell Academy 21) 22) 23) South and City College Birmingham 24) St Thomas More Willenhall 25) 26) Swanshurst 27) The Sixth Form College Solihull 28) 29) Warwickshire College 30) Wolverhampton College

How to Apply

Applications and evidence must be scanned and submitted in hard copy at any ASK desk. Electronic submissions will not be accepted. We do not recommend you post Commented [ST2]: The original guidance indicated your application form and supporting evidence unless you arrange for recorded post electronic submission only. I feel this is a mistake. To avoid eye strain from reviewing the applications, they should be that allows you to track and trace delivery. Such applications should be clearly viewed in hard copy rather than on screen. The costs marked “2016/17 partnership scheme applications, Student Affairs, Birmingham City associated with printing applications and evidence out will University, Curzon Building, 4 Cardigan Street, Birmingham, B4 7BD”. be rather large. Also, if a student submits evidence that is corrupted, but we only find out when we try to access it will cause all sorts of problems. I think this should be hard copy Complete and submit the attached application form (including all supporting forms and evidence to avoid these issues. evidence) by no later than 1.00pm Wednesday 01 March 2017. Applications received after this time will not be considered. Do not submit your application form until you are also ready to submit your supporting evidence.

Applications forms received by 1.00pm on 01 March 2017 that do not also include supporting evidence will not be considered.

Supporting evidence

At the time of submission, all applications must be supported by evidence of household income. Your evidence must relate to all income for your household, including where relevant: . Your P60 . P60s for all adults in your household . Your wage slips for most recent 3 months (November 2016 to January 2017) . Household wage slips for most recent 3 months (November 2016 to January 2017) . Housing benefit (provide most recent decision letter) . Income support (provide most recent decision letter) . Council Tax benefit (provide most recent decision letter) . Jobseekers’ allowance (provide most recent decision letter) . Working Tax Credit (provide a full copy of 2016- 2017 Tax Credit Award notice). You may also need to provide evidence of attendance at one of the partnership schools or colleges.

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How your application will be assessed

We will begin assessing applications after the deadline on 01 March has expired. Applications will be rejected if: 1) You do not meet all of the eligibility criteria; or 2) Your application form is incomplete or illegible; or 3) You have not provided sufficient supporting evidence; or 4) Your evidence does not clearly demonstrate a household income of less than £25,000; or 5) You have been found to have made an application that is false, misleading, or fraudulent (in these circumstances, we will begin a disciplinary investigation).

Following assessment of your application, we will make one of two decisions: o Approved. This means your application has been successful and we will transfer £1,000 to your nominated bank account within 28 days; or o Denied. This means that you have either not met the eligibility criteria, have provided evidence that we do not consider is sufficient, or your application is false, fraudulent or misleading. You will not receive the grant.

We will: • Use suitably trained assessors; • Assess your application and supporting evidence against the eligibility criteria set out above; • Make independent enquiries where necessary to assess your application; • Operate a system for checking a proportion of decisions made; • Communicate the decision we reach on your application as soon as possible. This will be by email to your University account. • Inform you of how you can raise a concern about the decision (if your application is denied).

Data Protection

All personal data provided within any application for a grant under this scheme will be handled and processed in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998. The data provided in and or submitted with the application form (including personal data) will be used for the following purposes:  Checking and confirming applicants’ eligibility status  Considering and processing the grant application  Make payments to successful applicants.  Administration of the grant scheme  If necessary undertaking internal and external audits  Processing any complaints or challenges to the grant scheme  Requests to complete feedback and or surveys in relation to the grant scheme  Monitoring and reporting purposes

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We may need to contact the following individuals or organisations to discuss your circumstances  Student Finance , sponsors and funding providers  Childcare providers  Employers/landlords/creditors  Benefits agency/Local Authority  Academic and support staff employed by the University  Charities and trusts  Placement providers  Any other third parties indicated on your application form  Internal and external auditors  Students’ Union Advice Centre (SUAC)

Monitoring Feedback

The Partner School or College £1,000 Grant Scheme available for the 2016-17 student cycle is a pilot scheme, as a condition of the grant successful applicant may be asked to complete a feedback and or survey form to allow BCU to assess and evaluate the grant scheme to inform its decisions regarding grants, scholarships and bursaries it may provide in the future.

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