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Bursary information for students aged 16-18 (2025-2026)

The 16-19 bursary fund provides 'financial support to help students overcome specific financial barriers to participation they face so they can remain in education' - ESFA 16 to 19 Bursary Fund Guidance 2025 to 2026

Weston College will undertake a household income assessment to determine eligibility for the fund and then assess actual participation needs for the course you are enrolled on.

College maintains a list of the essential items which students will need to purchase to be able to participate in our courses.

Apply For A Bursary Here

 

Please note bursary applications open on the 1st August 2025 for this September. If you have any questions please email:
16to18finance@weston.ac.uk

Eligibility

To be eligible you must be:

  • Aged 16, 17 or 18 on the 1st September 2025 (your date of birth will be between 31st August 2006 and 31st August 2009)
  • Undertaking a further education course
  • Able to show a residual household income (see below for explanation), of no more than £44,443.

You will not be eligible if you are:

  • A waged apprentice, or undertaking other learning or training whilst a wage is paid
  • A prison-based learner, learning whilst released on temporary licence or learning whilst in a young offenders institution
  • Undertaking a higher education course.

 

How am I assessed?

Discretionary Bursary 

I am a student aged 16-18 and live with a parent, parents or another relative

  • You will be financially assessed against their income
  • They will need to provide evidence of their income (3 consecutive months worth dated April 2024 onwards)
  • Your parents or carer will need to declare their gross income (e.g. wages, working tax credit, child tax credit, universal credit, housing benefit, other out-of-work benefits)
  • The College will calculate residual income by deducting, from their gross income, £1,130 for each child aged under 19 residing in the same household

Defined vulnerable groups

I am a student aged 16-19 inclusive or am living in Foster Care (may include unaccompanied asylum seekers) and am a care leaver 

  • You will not be financially assessed but will need to provide a letter from your social worker or leaving care advisor to confirm your status

I am a student aged 16-18 and one of the following financial situations applies to me in my own right

You need to provide evidence of the income combination.

  • Income Support or Universal Credit
  • Disability Living Allowance and Employment Support Allowance
  • Disability Living Allowance and Universal Credit
  • Personal Independence Payment and Employment Support Allowance
  • Personal Independence Payment and Universal Credit

What support might I get?

Eligible students depending on their individual partipation needs will receive a package of support. 

The package of support could include:

  • Free meals in FE allowance
  • Bus passes
  • Course essential professional start-up kit or uniform
  • Childcare (through Care to Learn)
  • Field trips or residential visits directly related to your course
  • Course essential books and equipment 
  • Support for digital poverty (tutor referral required)

Essential costs that may be supported by the bursary for 2025

girl smiling on bus

Meals allowance

This provides you with £16.00 per week throughout your course (government rate of £2.61 per meal made up to £4 per day from discretionary bursary). You can top this up with your own money.

If you’ve been awarded a meals allowance just scan or show your college ID card.

Meals allowances only start once a bursary application is fully approved and you are enrolled – it will be shown on your bursary summary page.

To be eligible for the meals allowance you (or your ‘dependent’) must receive one of the following:

  • Income Support
  • Universal Credit provided any earned income (gross wages) is under £9250 (i.e. less than £7400 after tax)
  • Employment Support Allowance (income related)
  • Guaranteed Element of State Pension Credit
  • Support under par VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act
  • Child Tax Credit provided any earned income (gross wages) is under £16191 AND they DO NOT also receive Working Tax Credit

Childcare

Parents aged under 20 at the start of their course can apply for childcare support from Care to Learn https://www.gov.uk/care-to-learn. You will need to use an Ofsted-registered childcare provider.

You will be able to get up to £180 per child per week to cover childcare, taster sessions, summer holiday retainers and transport costs incurred in travelling to and from the childcare provider.

Payments are made directly to your childcare provider by the government.

Industry Placement bursary support

Some courses have an industry placement requirement. If you find yourself facing financial difficulty meeting the additional travel cost to placement, you might be eligible for additional support.

You will need to contact the Work Placement Team and outline the request and the financial challenges you are facing. 

Support will be allocated on a case by case basis.

Travel

All eligible bursary students who need support with the cost of getting to college can request support for a 5 day "bus pass" for the Autumn, Spring and Summer terms, these cannot be exchanged for money or transferred to the rail network. First Bus can be used on the First Bus West of England zone buses.

You will be emailed (to you college email account) a voucher code for an M Ticket which you will activate via the First Bus M Ticket app. Details can be found here: https://www.firstbus.co.uk/buy-ticket/mtickets-faqs

Weston College also offers a 7 day First Bus pass. Approved bursary students can opt to pay an additional £55 per term to upgrade their free 5 day pass to the 7 day one. This must be done before you activate the 5 day voucher code otherwise you will pay the full, unsubsidised cost for the 7 day pass.

Course essential items

Some courses require students to have specialist clothing, equipment, or set textbooks in order to participate e.g. hair and beauty kit, PPE, uniforms, trade tools, sports kit, chefs knives or specialist dance shoes.

College maintains a list of course essential items and will either provide them as a 'payment in kind' or reimburse you against a receipt for the specific item.

Field trips and residential visits

You may be entitled to help towards the cost of field trips or residential visits subject to funds being available. Trips should be taking place in the current academic year and must be related to your course.

You will need to make an additional request (send a Teams message to fiona.waters1@weston.ac.uk) detailing:

  • the trip - where, when and overall cost
  • what it is you hope to gain from it personally and towards your potential career

Contributions up to £300 may be given, across one or more trips, with funds awarded being transferred straight to your curricukum area to reduce or cover your trip cost.

If you are facing exceptional financial circumstances or are in the governement defined vulnerable group (you are 16 to 18 and are: a Child Looked After, a Care Leaver, receiving Income Support or Universal Credit, DLA and ESA / UC, PIP and ESA / UC) you can request that Bursary Panel consider if a higher level contribution can be made - you will need to detail your particular circumstances and need.

Financial Evidence

Evidence that you submit may include but is not limited to:

  • P60 or 3 consecutive months of wage slip 
  • UC Award Notice (all pages) for 3 consecutive months 
  • Housing Benefit statement 
  • PIP or DLA letter 
  • Carer’s Allowance letter 
  • Income Support letter 
  • Child Tax Credit and / or Working Tax Credit Award Notice (all pages)

Exceptional circumstances

Weston College recognises that at times individuals have challenging financial circumstances. Whilst bursary cannot be awarded to support personal bills and debts the bursary panel can authorise greater or alternative contributions than those listed above.

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