School Access Fund 2008/2009

• What is the School Access Fund?
• Will I qualify?
• Types of school access fund support
• What’s the catch?
• Can I get some help from anywhere else?
• Who can I ask if I don’t understand?

What is the School Access Fund?

The School Access Fund is intended to help with costs incurred by students in need in a sixth form (years 12 and 13) at school. Apart from elements B and C below, the School Access Fund is means tested which means that the amount awarded is dependent on income.

The majority of students studying in a school sixth form will be able to apply for an Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA). The policy for the School Access Fund is therefore targeted at students who are ineligible to apply for the EMA, at those who have costs in their studies which are difficult to meet for financial reasons and at those who may be forced to leave their studies due to financial hardship.

The School Access Fund will provide support for the following areas:

Will I qualify?

To qualify for the School Access Fund, you must meet the eligibility criteria given below. You must:

• be at least 16 years of age at 1 September 2008
• attend a full time course (that lasts at least a year) at a school
• be normally resident within the Plymouth City boundary at the time you apply
• have been ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom for the three years before 1 September of the year the course starts (separate arrangements apply to those who have been granted refugee status)

In addition, you may have other criteria to meet according to the sort of support applied for. It is therefore important to read each support description (A to C).

All applications must be submitted by 22 July 2009. Applications received after this date will be refused.

There is a limited amount in the School Access Fund. Spending will be closely monitored and it will be necessary to bring forward the closing date if the fund is exhausted earlier in the school year. Therefore all students are encouraged to apply as early as possible.

Types of school access fund support

A. School Access Bursary

• What is a School Access Bursary (SAB)?
• How do I apply?
• When do I need to apply?
• How much money can I get?
• How do I get the money? [Back to top]
  

What is a School Access Bursary (SAB)?

The Bursary is means tested and will help with costs at school such as:

• transport
• books and equipment
• additional course costs such as field trips
• other costs associated with school attendance including exceptional cost

You will not be eligible to apply for the SAB if you receive an EMA.

How do I apply?

It’s simple to apply. You need to fill in a form, which you can get from your school or from the Student Support office at Martins Gate, Bretonside, Plymouth.

When do I need to apply?

You should apply as soon as possible. You need to send your completed form to the Student Support Office by the end of the summer  term (22 July 2009). Applications submitted after the closing date will be refused. This closing date may need to be brought forward, so it is important to apply as early as possible.

How much money can I get?

• The amount of the Bursary is a maximum of £1,150, which includes a completion bonus payment of £40 (as shown in the table below). If your family receives Income Support/Income-based Jobseekers Allowance or Working Tax Credit, and you do not receive an EMA, you may qualify for the full bursary.
• If your family does not receive one of the allowances mentioned above but their residual income is below £45,000 for the year, you will get one of the five rates shown in the table below.
• If you receive Income Support in your own right or if you are in the care of the local community, you may be entitled to the full bursary.

[Back to top]

How do I get the money?

The money is paid by cheque in instalments. The cheques will be sent to your school for you to collect. Cheques are only sent to schools once a week and normally arrive on a Monday. We will aim to pay your termly cheque at the start of each term. You cannot collect your cheque before the term starts. The completion bonus is paid in the middle of the summer term at the discretion of your school. Bonus payments depend on your school’s judgment of your commitment to your studies. If they do not feel that you are committed to your study, you will not get the payment.

Family residual income (£)	Total bursary and bonus (£)	Payment autumn term (£)	Payment spring term (£)	Payment summer term (£)	Discretionary completion bonus (£)
0 to 20,817	1,150	370	370	370	40
20,818 to 25,521	850	270	270	270	40
25,522 to 30,810	760	240	240	240	40
30,811 to 35,805	670	210	210	210	40
35,806 to 45,000	550	170	170	170	40

The term 'residual income' means the total gross income from all sources less payments made under a mortgage agreement, rent payments, and payments made into a pension scheme. In addition, £1,100 will be deducted from the income for each other child of the family who is wholly or mainly financially dependent on 1 September 2008.

Your family's income for the year ending 5 April 2008 is normally used for the assessment, but if there is a significant drop in income due to reasons such as retirement or redundancy then we may be able to use the income for the year ending 5 April 2009 instead.

B. Conference Allowance

If you are planning a career in Medicine, and have the opportunity of attending a Medsix Conference, you can apply for the cost of attending the conference to be met. This element of the policy is not means-tested which means that getting help does not depend on family income.

You must apply in writing to the Student Support Office with the relevant receipt and a letter of support from the Head of Sixth Form, who must confirm that you have a realistic chance of successfully completing a Medicine degree.

Applications to attend similar conferences which are not for medicine, will also be considered if you provide details.

C. Emergency/Hardship Funds

If you have an unforeseen emergency or financial crisis, you can ask for help from the Emergency/Hardship fund. This fund is not means-tested which means that getting help does not depend on family income. You will however still be required to meet the eligibility criteria detailed above.

The types of emergency/hardship that it could help with are for example, if vital equipment is stolen and you cannot afford to replace it, you become homeless and cannot get help elsewhere, your family loses income support when you turn 19 years of age etc.

If an emergency occurs, you must first speak with your course tutor/Head of Sixth Form. If you wish to apply, you must send a letter to the Student Support office. The letter should explain the circumstances including the level of support that you need. You must also provide a letter of support from your course tutor/Head of Sixth Form.

[Back to top]

What’s the catch?

There is no catch, however, the following statements apply to all three elements of the School Access Funding (the School Access Bursary, the Conference Allowance and the Emergency/Hardship fund):

• the funding is given to you in order to help with study costs. It follows therefore that you will only qualify for the money if you attend the course as required by the school and show commitment to your study. If you do not attend properly or fail to complete work set by the school, the school will notify us and we will withdraw your funding.
• under monitoring arrangements, towards the end of the year, you may be required to provide a written statement confirming how you spent the money allocated.
• applications must be submitted as soon as possible because there is limited money for these awards. Once the money has been exhausted, no further awards can normally be made.
• if you are not happy with the result of your application, you may request a review of the decision.
• you can apply for more than one element of funding depending on your personal needs.
• your money will not be given to you in cash. This means that you must have a bank account through which you can cash your cheques. No one can cash the cheques on your behalf so if you do not open a bank account, you will not be able to get your money.

Can I get some help from anywhere else?

Yes you can:

• Transport - you may be able to get help with your transport costs, ask your school for details.
• Trusts and charities - there are a number of trusts and charities that you may get help from. If you would like a leaflet of ideas about other sources of funding, ask the Student Support Team.
• Childcare - if you have a child yourself and have to pay for childcare, you may be able to get help. Your school should have further details.

Who can I ask if I don’t understand?

If you do not understand anything on this page, ask the Student Support Team for advice.

The Student Support Team is based at Martins Gate, which is near the bus station and opposite the rear of Staples.

Please note: The School Access Bursary is given for the 2008/2009 academic year only.

If the course is expected to continue beyond the 2008/2009 academic year, any application for future years funding will be considered in the light of the policies that apply in that particular year.

[Back to top]