Financial help for further education (FE)
Education Maintenance Allowances
Many students in a sixth form or FE college qualify for the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA). This pays up to £30 a week directly into your bank account if you stay on in education at school or college after your GCSEs.
To get an application pack and for more information visit the EMA page on the Directgov website.
You can also call the helpline free – Tel: 0808 101 6219.
Learning Support Funds
Learning Support funds offer support to students in the sixth form or in further education who, for financial reasons, may not be able to complete their education. They used to be called ‘Sixth form access funds’.
They help to pay for books, equipment, tools, field trips, visits, university and college interviews, exam fees or emergencies.
They are normally given to those in greatest need, such as students who have or whose families have financial difficulties, those with disabilities or leaving care, and students coming up to age 19 who could lose their benefits during their courses.
To qualify for help from a Learning Support Fund you must:
- be following a course approved by the school (GCSE, A level, GNVQ)
- be between 16 and 19 before 1 September (and no older than 19 on that date)
- have been living in East Sussex for at least three years before starting the course
- be from a low-income family, identified by appropriate means-testing (for students in a school sixth form, this usually means that you are eligible for EMA).
You may also qualify if you fall into one or more of the following groups:
- you were permanently excluded from school in years 10 or 11
- you are looked after by East Sussex County Council (in care)
- you were absent from school for a long period during years 10 or 11.
To find out whether you should apply for this funding, speak to the student support officer at your school or college.
Travel assistance
If you live over three miles from the nearest Children’s Services Authority (CSA) maintained school or college with a sixth form you may be able to get help with travel costs.
Travel assistance is limited if students are attending an FE college. Your application will be assessed on the distance from your home to the nearest FE college that offers an appropriate course. It also depends on whether your family receives benefits or child tax credits.
If you do not qualify for the above travel assistance, you may still be entitled to discounted bus and rail travel. Find out more about concessionary travel schemes.
If you have a disability and need help with transport to and from college then you should contact the Admissions team, below.
For more information on travel assistance download our post 16 transport statement or contact the Admissions and Transport team.
Assistance with the costs of childcare
If you are aged between 16 and 19 years old and want to attend an FE course, but are worried about the cost of childcare, you might be eligible for assistance with the costs. For more information go to the Care to Learn website or contact the Admissions team.
Residential funding
If you are a FE student and have to live away from home to attend a course, you can apply for funding to help with the cost of accommodation.
Under the Residential Bursary Scheme, students who attend one of the 51 designated residential bursary colleges can apply to their college for assistance.
If the college is not a designated residential bursary college, but it is too far from your home to travel daily, you can apply for assistance under the Residential Pilot Scheme. To be eligible your course should not be available locally and must satisfy set criteria.
For further information contact your college. Alternatively, call the Manchester Children's Services Authority (who administer the scheme) on tel: 0161 234 7078 /7079 / 7264.
Or type in 'Learner Support' on the Learning and Skills Council website.
Residential assistance is also available to students aged over 19 years. Please contact your college for further information, giving the reference 'residential pilot'.
Students over 19 years in further education
We cannot offer any financial assistance to students in FE over 19 years of age. Financial assistance may be available from your college.
Information on further sources of funding is available from the website Money to Learn.
