If you are 16-18 your course will be fully funded, but you may be eligible for additional support.
*Please note, all support is subject to eligibility.
If you are eligible for travel support, you will receive a monthly allowance to pay for your travel, based on the cheapest mode of transport.
To qualify for support with travel, students aged 16-18 must meet one of the following criteria:
If you live in Northumberland
All 16–18-year-olds living in Northumberland will need to apply for travel support through the Northumberland County Council Post-16 Travel department (eligibility criteria applies, click here to see the Northumberland County Council Post-16 Transport Policy for further details).
If you have made a travel application through Northumberland County Council and have been rejected, or do not meet the eligibility criteria, you may receive support through the 16-19 bursary fund. You will need to provide evidence of your application in the form of an acceptance or rejection letter. Failure to do so will delay your bursary application.
If you live more than 1 mile from your campus of study, you may receive travel support through the 16-19 bursary fund.
If you live outside of Northumberland
If you live more than 1 mile from your campus of study, you may receive travel support through the 16-19 bursary fund.
Students will receive support via:
Public transport
Public transport support is based on the Get around for £1 scheme and will be calculated as follows:
Cost of bus times Number of days in college. This is then divided across 10 months of term time.
Private transport
We pay £0.30 per mile to and from campus, up to a £60 maximum monthly payment.
Travelling for a placement
Students can receive travel support for work placements even if they are not usually eligible for travel support (e.g. living less than 1 mile from campus).
If your household income is less than £30,000 you may be eligible for free college lunches. Students who are eligible will receive a daily allowance of £4 for lunch per timetabled day.
All students, regardless of income, will have access to a free breakfast.
Students completing a work placement off-site may be eligible for support with meals. Payments for meals (if eligible) on placement days will be sent to your bank account.
If you require support with childcare costs and you are aged under 20 at the start of your course, you should apply through Care to Learn. Click here for more information about Care to Learn.
Students studying a course at our Kirkley Hall campus may be eligible for residential accommodation.
You must live more than 5 mile from campus in order to qualify for accommodation and a bond of £250 is required to secure a room (repayable at the end if the academic year).
For more information, click here.
Students can apply for assistance with the cost of purchasing course related items that are not mandatory for completing their qualification, such as:
Support will be provided to cover kit and equipment costs for students with a household income under £30,000
Those in receipt of certain benefits, in their own right, may also be eligible for a £1,200 a year, Vulnerable Bursary.
If you're struggling due to your financial circumstances or have any questions about what support you may be eligible for, please speak to a member of the Finance Support team by emailing welfare@educationpartnershipne.ac.uk.
When kit or equipment is essential to the course, support will be provided to cover costs for students with a household income under £30,000.
Devices such as laptops and headphones for study are available to borrow from our Future Ready Hubs to use for studying.
For more information, click here.
Those in receipt of certain benefits, in their own right, may also be eligible for a £1,200 a year, Vulnerable bursary.
Up to the age of 18, a student who is care experienced or looked after, or is receiving income support/Universal Credit as they are financially supporting themselves, they are entitled to £1,200 from Care to Learn to use across the academic year.
If student is in significant financial hardship, they can complete a Hardship Request form for anything that is causing a barrier to learning. These are based on household income and looked at individually.
