Financial Support

What is the sixth form bursary?

The 16 – 19 Bursary Fund is designed to help support those young people who face the greatest barriers to continuing in education or training post-16.

As a post-16 provider Comberton Sixth Form receives an allocation of funds for the academic year.  Once these funds have been awarded to eligible pupils there is no guarantee that further monies will be available to support learners who subsequently submit an application.

Who is eligible to apply?

Bursaries fall into two categories:

1. Vulnerable young people - those in care, care leavers, young people in receipt of income support and disabled young people in receipt of Employment Support Allowance who are also in receipt of Disability Living Allowance.

2. Discretionary bursaries- currently considered in the following situation:

• Young people who are eligible to receive a Free School Meal
• Young people whose household income is below a set limit, (currently £27,000)
• Young people who have been affected by a sudden, exceptional change in financial circumstances.

Comberton Sixth Form is responsible for awarding discretionary bursaries to students, and can decide on the amount, when bursaries are paid and the conditions linked to them.  We therefore use our discretion to make awards to young people in ways that best fit their needs and circumstances. The awards will be targeted towards young people facing financial barriers to participation, for instance the cost of transport, meals, books, trips and equipment. The amount awarded for a discretionary bursary is variable. This is subject to funds still being avaliable at the time of application and dependant on the number of applicants in the academic year.

Vulnerable student bursaries are administered by central government but application is still through the college. A standard amount will be awarded.  

What next?

Applications may be made at any time during the academic year, but as there is a limited amount of funding available for discretionary bursaries all such applications will be subject to the availability of funding at the time of application. The 2023-2024 application form is available to download from the menu on the left handside of this page and can also be requested from Carli Callander, Sixth Form Administrator on ccallander@combertonvc.org.  Please watch the video below for more detailed information on how to complete the appliation form. If you need further help please contact Mrs Callander.