The school receives an allocation of funds which we have a duty to ensure is spent in ways which help break down the financial barriers and deal with the costs of being in education.
Students may be eligible for this bursary if they fall into one of the following categories:
The student must be aged 16, 17 or 18 on 31 August before the academic year they require the Bursary for to qualify.
Students who fall into these categories will be eligible to receive a bursary of up to £1,200 a year.
Students must provide official confirmation of their eligibility for the Mandatory Bursary, for example a letter from the Local Authority.
Eligibility for the Discretionary Bursary takes into account various aspects of family income and evidence of this will be required to process applications. For the academic year the threshold of household income to be eligible is up to £27,500 per annum or less. Students do not need to reapply in Upper Sixth, however, if your circumstances have changed and you are no longer entitled to the 16-19 Bursary, you must inform the school.
Awarding of the Bursary Students are assessed based upon the established financial needs into one of the three categories:
Tier 1: Students are affected by a medium or long term financial situation whereby their household income is below £27,500. This will result in students receiving bursary payments for the year.
Tier 2: Students are affected by a short term need for assistance; i.e. for a specific event/school visit.
Tier 3: Students are affected by a short to medium term financial situation that results in students receiving bursary payments for a set period of time. These can cover payments for educational resources, educational visit and/or transport.
Both types of bursary funding, Mandatory and Discretionary, are designed to help students overcome individual financial barriers to participation, and institutions must ensure the funds go to those who genuinely need them.
Exceptional Circumstances Applications from students who are eligible for government funding, but whose household income is more than the stated threshold and are experiencing financial difficulty due to a significant and unexpected change in personal circumstances during their time at Thorpe St Andrew Sixth Form, may be considered for a Bursary Fund Emergency award. Thorpe St Andrew Sixth Form may also award a Bursary to any student who faces genuine financial barriers to staying on in education (at the discretion of the Sixth Form) such as a young carer who is providing care to a sick or disabled relative.
Thorpe St Andrew Sixth Form will operate a contingency fund which will be used for one-off awards to help students who are experiencing exceptionally challenging circumstances. In this case, students will be able to apply for Tiers 2 or 3, provided enough funds are available.
Students aged 19 and over who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) are eligible to apply for discretionary bursary funding (if all other scheme criteria are met).
Please note, students can only apply for one type of Bursary.
All payments are subject to students meeting agreed standards.
In line with our Policy, the awarding of any bursary is conditional
on a student providing necessary documentation (including receipts where
applicable), attendance at 100% (except when absence is authorised) and
demonstrating appropriate standards of behaviour at all times. All
eligible students will be required to sign a Bursary Conditions
Confirmation covering these points, before any payments will be made.
The
School reserves the right to seek the return of any funds provided in advance, for example: for the purchase of a transport pass, to a student who subsequently fails to attend or leaves the Sixth Form.
We must stress that the Bursary Fund is not expected to take the form of regular payments for personal living costs.
To
apply for a Bursary, please complete the relevant online application form. The Lower Sixth Form can be found here and the Upper Sixth Form here.
Applications should be submitted by Wednesday 24 September 2025. You can apply for a bursary at any time, for example if your household circumstances change during the academic year. If you need help with the application form, please do not hesitate to contact us at
Parents of Lower Sixth students will need to reapply at the beginning of Upper Sixth to ensure that household circumstances have not changed.
It is our intention to process applications and advise students in writing of the outcome of their application via their school email address by Friday 3 October 2025. Please keep any receipts for bus passes or items purchased in the meantime, as we may be able to meet the cost retrospectively as long as we have proof of receipts and you are eligible.
