School bursaries
Our 16-19 bursary fund gives financial help to young people if they meet agreed standards.
All secondary schools in the borough with a sixth form have joined the scheme. It's administered by us on behalf of the schools and is dependent on government funding.
The bursary is £1200 for the full academic year. The discretionary bursary amount depends on need. The funding is for transport, books, equipment or other costs related to your studies.
Who is eligible?
To be eligible, you must:
- Attend a sixth form provider in the borough that's part of the scheme
- Be starting Year 12, 13 or 14 in September
- Be aged between 16 and 18 on 31 August
- Meet the eligibility criteria for the different levels of bursary available. You only need to meet one to be eligible.
Eligibility criteria means you must:
- Be in care
- Have left care after being in care for at least 3 months from the age of 14
- Be in receipt of Income Support (or Universal Credit)
- Receive both Employment and Support Allowance and Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payment
Discretionary bursary
This a fund to respond to hardship and address barriers to attending sixth form. For access to this bursary we ask for evidence of need which includes:
- Eligiblity for Free School Meals
- A family in receipt of Tax/Universal Credit
- Families with low household income
We will consider students experiencing hardship, urgent need or an emergency. This could include recent parental unemployment or severe financial hardship.
The typical criteria to help us to assess your application includes:
- Your particular circumstances and why you need a discretionary bursary
- What you will use the discretionary bursary for i.e. a detailed account of how you will spend the money
- Your household income
- The number of dependent children/young people in your household
Schools included in the scheme
- Beacon Hill School
- Burnside College
- Churchill Community College
- George Stephenson High School
- Longbenton High School
- Monkseaton High School
- St Thomas More Catholic High School
- Whitley Bay High School
- Woodlawn School
There are conditions attached to the scheme. You will need to show good attendance, behaviour and progress. Continued receipt of your bursary will be conditional on meeting these standards.
You must send your signed form declaration, expenditure table and receipts of spend. You'll receive a form and help sheet with your award notice letter.
Post-16 providers in the borough may operate their own bursary schemes. Please speak to them for further information on their arrangements.
Receipt of bursary funding does not affect other means-tested benefits paid to families.