Learner Support Funds 23/24

If you or your parents/guardians are in receipt of means tested benefits or have an annual household income of less than £35,000 you can apply for help with college costs: Travel, meals, books, equipment, uniforms and much more.

Bursary A-C, Bursary D and Bursary Advanced – may include financial support for your studies such as:

• Transport – free bus passes for Warrington’s Own Buses if you live more than 1.5 miles away or support towards fuel costs if you live more than 1.5 miles away and drive yourself to college.
• Bursary D/Advanced – help towards costs such as: uniforms, books, equipment, trips and visits, UCAS applications, DBS checks etc.
• College meals – If you received free school meals in year 11 you may be able to apply for free meals on the days you are timetabled to be in college – please speak to the Bursary team for further information around FCM.
• Childcare and Care2learn

To apply students will be directed to an online application form on the student intranet once they have enrolled. Please note you will need to upload evidence to meet the eligibility criteria.

How to apply

Once enrolled, students will be able to apply for financial support via the Student Intranet. Complete the information, upload evidence of household income and students bank details (not parents bank details, students must have their own bank account to apply). We will then process the application and you will receive a message to the students email/Teams address confirming the decision. Please note that no payments will be made before Monday 1st November and any outstanding payments will be backdated.

(Examples of evidence includes a letter from your local authority stating you were on free school meals in year 11 and/or official evidence of benefits – we will not be able to process your application without this evidence.)

For Bursary D/Advanced please note it is available if you or your parents/guardians are in receipt of means tested benefits or have an annual household income of less than £35,000 Please note the terms and conditions apply for all Learner Support Funds.

Eligible students aged 20+ may be able to apply for financial assistance with their child care. Online applications need to be completed and the Bursary team will arrange a 121 interview for those students who are eligible.

The current deadline for submissions is 29th September 2023. You must make a new application at the start of each academic year for any financial support

If you have any questions or queries about the bursary scheme, please email: bursary@riversidecollege.ac.uk

Bursary A-C

This is a weekly payment paid directly into students’ bank accounts. The payment is paid two weeks in arrears and attendance must be above the 85% threshold for them to qualify. This payment is to cover the cost of books, equipment, and any other items to support their studies. Payments will vary from depending on the financial need of a student and this will be agreed after financial and personal circumstances have been assessed. Please note the course that a student is studying will impact the level of financial need required.

Bursary 2

This is a weekly payment for students who are 16-18 and are:

• In care or a care leaver.
• In receipt of Income support or Universal Credit (in their own name) because they are financially supporting themselves and anyone dependant on them, and living with them, such as a child or partner.
• In receipt of Employment Support Allowance or Universal credit equivalent (in their own name), AND Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payments (in their own name). The amount of support will be determined by a Financial Needs Assessment, which may result in a limited award or no award.

Bursary D/Advanced

This is a one-off payment to help purchase items for your course. The amount will differ depending on your course and can be used to purchase uniform or equipment. If you decide to take this option, and are eligible for bursary, you will receive a reduced amount on your weekly bursary amount. If you are interested in this option, please contact the bursary team and we can discuss further.

Free College Meals (FCM)

To be eligible for FCM this academic year, students must be aged between 16-18. If you turn 19 during the year of study, you will still be eligible until the end of the academic year. Any 19+ student who has an EHCP will also be eligible for FCM. To qualify for FCM students you will need to provide evidence from the local authority or meet the financial criteria as per application.

You can apply for this through the bursary application form.

Childcare

This is a means tested scheme whereby the college will pay a proportion of childcare costs for students aged 20+, in full time education, to support them to attend college. These funds are paid directly to the childcare provider. Please do not place your child with a childcare provider without an approval from the bursary team as this could result in non-payment of invoices.

To apply, complete the Childcare application in the Student Bursary section on Student Intranet. Eligibility for childcare is the same as bursary, please provide all evidence as requested including child’s birth certificate. Once this has been processed and approved you will be invited for an interview with a member of the bursary team. During this interview you will be given a monthly amount that the college will contribute, and you will provide contact details of the childcare provider. The bursary team will contact the provider and send a contract outlining these details.

This funding is subject to 85% attendance and other terms and conditions which will be discussed in the interview.

Care2learn

This is for childcare support for students under 20 years old. Students will apply on line via https://www.gov.uk/care-to-learn/applying-for-care-to-learn

Scroll to middle of page Apply online for care to learn – click this link Will take you to apply here https://studentbursary.education.gov.uk/w/webpage/student-bursary

Complete online application and once it is processed a member of the bursary team will contact you.

Bus Pass – Warrington’s Own Buses

If you are a returning student and you had a Warrington’s Own Bus pass last year, you will automatically be issued one this year. All bus passes will be printed as a QR code on your College ID badge. This QR code is unique to you and therefore, your ID card acts as your bus pass. If you did not have a pass last year but wish to have one this year (and you live more than 1.5 miles away from your campus and are studying a substantial course), please see the Bursary team in Programme Management to apply. You will be able to travel on the buses without your pass until you have been given your new ID card during your first week.

If it is your first year, you will be issued with your ID at enrolment which will already have your bus pass uploaded to it. Your ID badge is your bus pass so you must keep it safe, and you will need it with you to access Warrington’s Own Buses services by scanning it on the bus. If for any reason at enrolment you do not get a pass on your ID card and you wanted one and are eligible, please see the Bursary/Bus Pass team in Programme Management.

Click here for more information about travelling to college.

Please note that funding is limited and cannot be guaranteed. College reserves the right to review expenditure against the fund and as a result may alter or close the support package available to students during the academic year.