SCL Bursary Policy 25-26

SCL Bursary Policy 2025-2026

SCL EDUCATION GROUP

VERSION CONTROL VERSION AUTHOR

DATE

COMMENTS

2.0

Bola Anthony

Aug 2025

Version control is to be employed for any amendments to the content which result in substantive changes to the meaning, intent or outcome of the policy or process described within and must be approved by the Executive Committee. Spelling mistakes or other typographical errors are not required to be subject to Version Control.

POLICY OWNER POLICY OWNERS

ACCOUNTABLE EXECUTIVE

APPROVAL CONTROL Approval of this Policy and subsequent amendments is by the Board DATE APPROVED

APPROVED REQUIRED BY

Rachel Robertson

22 nd August 2025

SCL EDUCATION GROUP

CONTENTS

16-19 Bursary Fund ................................................................................................................... 4 1. Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 4 2. Objectives........................................................................................................................ 4 3. Compliance ..................................................................................................................... 4 General Eligibility and Award Criteria (2025-2026)................................................................... 4 4. Coverage .................................................................................................................................. 5 5. Implementation ..................................................................................................................... 5 6. Evidence of eligibility ..........................................................................................................7 7. Support with travel ............................................................................................................. 8 8. Application Process .............................................................................................................9 9. Qualifying Conditions and Requirements ...................................................................9 10. Free School Meals .............................................................................................................10 11. Support with essentials .................................................................................................... 11 12. Decisions ............................................................................................................................... 11 13. Appeals.................................................................................................................................. 12 14. Budget & Administration ............................................................................................... 12 15. Hardship Fund .................................................................................................................... 13 16. Communication ................................................................................................................. 13 17. Governance.......................................................................................................................... 13 18. Communication ................................................................................................................. 13

SCL EDUCATION GROUP

Bursary Policy | 2025-26

16-19 Bursary Fund

1. Introduction It is SCL Group’s intent to be a fully inclusive provider of post-16 education and training. Through the implementation of the DfE’s 16-19 Bursary funding rules, SCL Group ensures students receive contributions to meet costs to support them in participating in learning and training. SCL Group are ambitious and have high expectations that the impact of this funding will ensure all students have an equal opportunity to achieve. In conjunction with the DfE ‘16 to 19 Bursary Fund guide 2025 to 2026 academic year’, SCL Group strive to ensure that students are enabled to access and engage in high quality education and training to achieve their aspirations and goals, to make progress and fulfil their potential. 2. Objectives The objectives of our policy are, to: • Work within the guidance provided in current legislation and guidance from the DofE. • Ensure early interventions by the Bursary Committee are in place to identify and monitor a student's individual needs so that appropriate funding may be allocated • Raise Group wide awareness to the need to identify and support students with potential need for monetary support 3. Compliance General Eligibility and Award Criteria (2025-2026) SCL Group is compliant with the DfE’s ‘16 to 19 Bursary guide 2025 to 2026 academic year’. • To be eligible to receive a Bursary in the 2025/26 academic year, students must be aged 16, 17 or 18 on 31 August 2025, meet the residency criteria in the DofE Funding Guidance for 2023/24 Academic Year and attend suitable provision subject to inspection by a public body.

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• 19-year-olds continuing from 24/25- or 19–24-year-olds with an EHCP are only eligible for discretionary bursary and free meals, not the vulnerable bursary

4. Coverage The following groups of students are eligible to apply for 16-19 Bursary Funds:

• Group One: Vulnerable Young People – up to £1,200 bursary • Group Two: Discretionary Bursary – Up to £3730 bursary

Where a student does not meet the criteria for 16-19 Bursary, SCL Group will endeavour to support to meet the student's monetary need through the utilisation of the SCL Hardship Fund.

5. Implementation Eligibility for Group One:

A bursary of up to £1,200 per annum for a full-time course (30 weeks or more) is available to students who are in a defined vulnerable group and have a financial need to enable them to participate in education.

The defined vulnerable groups are students who are:

• •

In care

Care leavers

• Receiving Income Support (IS), or Universal Credit (UC) in their own right because they are financially supporting themselves or financially supporting themselves and someone who is dependent on them and living with them, such as a child or partner • Receiving Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or Personal Independence Payments (PIP) in their own right as well as Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) or UC in their own right The 16 to 19 Bursary Fund defines ‘in care’ as children looked after by a local authority on a voluntary basis (section 20 of the Children Act 1989) or under a care order (section 31 of the Children Act 1989) – Section 22 of the Children Act 1989 defines the term ‘looked after child’.

A ‘care leaver’ is defined as:

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• A young person aged 16 and 17 who was previously looked after for a period of 13 weeks consecutively (or periods amounting to 13 weeks), which began after the age of 14 and ended after the age of 16; or • A young person aged 18 or above who was looked after prior to becoming 18 for a period of 13 weeks consecutively (or periods amounting to 13 weeks), which began after the age of 14 and ended after the age of 16 A young person placed with a foster carer by the local authority, including where the foster carer is registered to an independent fostering agency, and is classed as looked after. They meet the criteria for the ‘in care’ vulnerable group where they need financial support to participate in education. people who cease to be looked after or accommodated, including unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, meet the criteria for the ‘in care’ vulnerable group where they need financial support to participate in education. SCL Group may decide that although a student may be eligible for a bursary because they are in one or more of the defined vulnerable groups, they do not have any actual financial need to enable them to participate in education. This might be because their financial needs are already met and/or because they have no relevant costs. SCL Group can refuse a student’s application on this basis. Similarly, students should only receive the amount they need to participate and SCL Group will not automatically award students £1,200 if they do not need the full amount.

Eligibility for Group Two:

A Discretionary Bursary of up to £3730 per annum is available, subject to availability of remaining funds and to all students who meet the following criteria: (subject to committee approval)

Priority 1 – net household income* of £30,500 or less.

*Including all benefits

Awards will be made according to the following criteria:

•

Level of household income

• Nature of the application – priority will always be given to essential curricular requests • All benefits will be considered towards household income

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• The finances available within the fund

6. Evidence of eligibility All applications to access 16-19 Bursary Fund must be supported by appropriate evidence. Copies of evidence shall be retained by SCL Group to provide financial assurance as required. All evidence will be treated as confidential unless requested for audit purposes by the DofE.

Group One, Vulnerable Bursary, acceptable evidence:

• Statement from the Local Authority confirming the student's current or previous looked after status, along with proof of income from social worker to provide financial assessment that the student needs support to enable them to participate in education. This can be included in the care letter supplied. • Income Support or Universal Credit in applicant’s name, provide previous 3 months full statements showing name, what is received and all deductions. • Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or Personal Independence Payments (PIP) in their own right as well as Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) or UC. • Group Two, Discretionary Bursary, acceptable evidence: • Evidence of income/benefits entitlement stated on your application. • Examples of types of acceptable evidence (photocopies accepted) are shown in the list below: • Annual Salary P60 for last tax year, or week 52 (last week in March) payslip or month 12 (March) payslip • Income Support Award letter – dated within the last 3 months. • Universal Credit Entitlement – Last 3 months’ full statements showing name, what is received and all deductions. • Job Seekers Allowance Entitlement/Award letter – dated within the last 3 months. • Employment Support Allowance Entitlement/Award letter – dated within the last 3 months. • Incapacity Benefit Entitlement/Award letter – dated within the last 3 months. • Carer’s Allowance Entitlement/Award letter – dated within the last 3 months. • Housing Benefit Entitlement/Award letter – dated within the last 3 months.

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• Council Tax Benefit Entitlement/Award letter – dated within the last 3 months. • Working Tax Credit Working Tax Credit Award Notice marked for current year. Must be for full year and not partial awards (FULL AWARD NOTICE) Child Tax • Credit Working Tax Credit Award Notice marked for current year. Must be for full year and not partial awards (FULL AWARD NOTICE) • Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payments Entitlement /Award letter – dated within the last 3 months. • Any other income Relevant paperwork, e.g., evidence of income from self- employment (Self-Assessment Tax Calculation SA302), etc. The student must inform SCL Group immediately of any changes to status, otherwise money may have to be paid back. SCL Group cannot guarantee funding even if the student passes the eligibility threshold in Group Two. The individual circumstances of all applicants, the funding available and the nature of the funding request will all be deemed relevant, differentiating factors, as will the overall availability of funding. If you are a young carer, please do not hesitate to contact us, or if preferred, to inform your tutor as there may be support available to you 7. Support with travel SCL Group will support students who meet eligibility and ‘Qualifying Conditions’ with travel costs based upon the criteria below for attendance of at least 85% per month for all elements of programmes including work placements: • Less than 30-minute walking distance (per google maps) – no support. It is considered that this distance is commutable on foot or on cycle. • More than 30 minutes walking distance (per google maps) up to £20 per day travel cost covered*. This is capped at £2880 per year. • *Dependant on timetabled on site days. If cost of travel ticket is less than above, the actual ticket amount will be awarded. These amounts are subject to the overall bursary award. These guidelines may be amended on a discretionary basis to support students with mobility issues or with disabilities.

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Travel costs will be supported through the purchase of appropriate travel tickets. Where this is not possible and where cash re-imbursement is required, the student will need to provide clear evidence of the cost of travel in support of claims (e.g. train ticket, bus ticket, receipts, etc.). Where a student is claiming mileage cost for use of their own vehicle in support of travel, where accepted this will be re-imbursed at a rate of 45p per mile. Due to the peripatetic nature of SCL Group Examination centres, travel expenses for examinations will automatically be awarded to any student that qualifies for a bursary as they have already been assessed to have financial need to participate in education and examinations are a core part of that. 8. Application Process Applications for a Bursary must be made using the correct application form and should be submitted in full by as soon as is practicable. The application must be signed by the student. In most cases applications for non-travel items will be processed within one month and applicants will be informed in writing of the decision. Subject to meeting the condition requirements as detailed below, any payments will be made by BACS to a bank account in the name of the student (only) monthly. The student must have a valid bank account in their name unless there are exceptional reasons. Timing of payments will be at SCL Group’s discretion. 9. Qualifying Conditions and Requirements All students who wish to apply for the bursary must meet the following conditions: • Attendance: on or above SCLs target of overall 85% per month unless there is a valid reason why this level of attendance cannot be achieved. All young people must endeavour to meet punctuality and attendance requirements. Students must present to their tutors mitigating evidence and/or explanation to maintain their bursary payments if attendance falls below these thresholds. • All students must adhere to the terms of our Learning Agreements • Initial Assessments and Diagnostic Assessments must be fully completed before payments will be made.

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If the student does not meet these conditions, SCL Group reserves the right to withdraw or suspend Bursary payments. In the event of a student being overpaid in any capacity, SCL Group reserve the right to cease payments and/or request amount to be paid back.

10. Free School Meals Learners may apply for support towards term time meals if they are in receipt of, or have a parent/guardian who is in receipt of one of the following:

Income Support

•

• Income-based Jobseekers Allowance

• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)

• Support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999

• The Guarantee 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 (HMRC) • Universal Credit with net earnings not exceeding the equivalent of £7,400 pa (after tax and not including any benefits you get) *this is subject to timetabled days for education. Eligible learners are entitled to receive a free meal or free meal allowance at the equivalent of £5 for one meal for each day of attendance on programme*. SCL Group have deemed £5 an appropriate amount to allow learners to buy a nutritional and substantial meal. Learners are 16+, exerting physical and mental energy during their programme, therefore, need a meal with appropriate calorific and nutritional elements to suffice throughout the day. SCL Group do not have a subsidised restaurant/canteen from which to provide learners with a meal. Therefore, the allowance is aligned to the cost at a high street retailer. Learners will be expected to source their own meal from the local community including high street retailers, or where possible food outlets within the venue.

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11. Support with essentials Students facing financial hardship due to exceptional reasons and/or their circumstances changing, and/or in need of assistance with course-related costs are invited to apply. This is a means-tested bursary so applications should be submitted with evidence of income (from the list above). SCL’s qualifying condition requirements above also apply. Items to be funded through cash and/or “in kind” payments may include:

Emergency meals

•

Kit (up to £350 per student)

•

• Laptops (up to £500 per student) will be purchased by SCL and available on lease to the student. The laptop must be returned to SCL on leaving the learning programme.

• Other justified costs as agreed by the bursary committee.

The funding rules outline in section 4.1 that ‘the bursary fund is not intended to support costs not related to education, such as general living costs, extra- curricular activities, or non-essential activities or to provide learning support – services that institutions give to students – such as counselling, mentoring or extra tutoring.’ As such we will not be reimbursing any costs which fall under this category. If you have requested support with emergency meals, please be advised that this is a short-term arrangement, and is not equivalent to free school meals. We will endeavour to support students on a case-by-case basis and consider their circumstances; however, this type of support is intended for short-term support. Although the bursary fund is intended to reduce financial barriers that prevent students from participating in education, there are several costs that are not covered. These are: counselling or mentoring, tutoring, extra-curricular or non- compulsory activities, and living costs support. As such. all students should be aware that all bursary applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis, and in accordance with students’ individual financial need and circumstances. There is a possibility of no award or a limited award once applications have been assessed. 12. Decisions Decisions about bursaries and Hardship Funds will be made by the Bursary committee which include Group Executive Director of Quality and Curriculum,

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Group Head of Student Experience, Head of Finance, Office Manager, Business Services Manager, Business Change and Improvement Manager and Head of MIS, Funding and Compliance. The Administration team will make the financial eligibility decision. 13. Appeals All students have a right to appeal against any decision made regarding a bursary awarded or not awarded, or against bursary payments being ceased for not meeting attendance or behaviour expectations. Appeals must be made in writing and submitted within two weeks of the decision. The final decision on appeal is taken by the Committee. At no point in the process will the circumstances of other Bursary receipts be discussed, for reasons of confidentiality. To submit your appeal, please login to your application, and select the questionnaire section to upload evidence to support. You’ll need to explain the reason for your appeal, and the justification for your appeal to be accepted. When drafting your appeal please include as much information as possible: • Login to your bursary application, select the Appeal section • Explain the reason for appeal • Justification of appeal with appropriate/required evidence of support justification 14. Budget & Administration Allocation is only regarding the scheme’s Discretionary Bursary/Free Meals. Once eligible young people are identified, SCL Group must apply for the Vulnerable Young People Bursary element via a Department of Education website. At this point, they will then issue funding directly to the SCL Group. Secure records will be kept of all awards, receipts, and payments for audit purposes for a period of 8 years in accordance with statutory financial regulations and DofE retention requirements.

SCL EDUCATION GROUP

An annual report on the number of awards made and the total value will be provided by the Head of Finance to the Bursary Committee.

15. Hardship Fund For students facing exceptional circumstances due to a change in their situation, which directly impacts their ability to participate in education, we can award a hardship fund payment. The process for this will require support from a member of staff, and evidence of the cost of the support the student is applying for will need to be provided also. 16. Communication We endeavour to provide regular updates to students on the progress of their application and encourage learners to regular check their email for updates, or in case we require further information from them. If we require further information, we ask for your cooperation to avoid delays in the processing of your application. You can login to your bursary account by clicking the link to the bursary portal (Pay My Student) otherwise, you can access your application through your ProPortal account. 17. Governance The use and allocation of Bursary funds are governed by the Bursary Committee which meet once a month. Amendments and changes deemed necessary to meet the needs of the students are discussed and agreed. This policy was amended by the Bursar in August 2025, approved by the Bursary Committee and is subject to an annual review. 18. Communication For all general enquiries, please send an email to sclbursary@wearescl.co.uk

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