Index of information on this page

• FAQ - your question answered
• Related Documents
• Related pages

Help with Fees

To help you learn at an affordable rate we have kept our prices as low as possible. All of our Further Education and Adult and Community Learning Courses are subsidised with government funding from the Skills Funding Agency or the Young People’s Learning Agency. The price quoted in our brochure contributes to the cost of the programme and any examination fees which apply. (You may be required to provide your own materials or books).

We have three rates:

FULL PRICE - for anyone who does not qualify for the concessionary rate or full discount 

CONCESSIONARY 50% OFF - for anyone in receipt of the following means tested benefits: Council Tax Benefit, Housing Benefit, Income Support, Working Tax Credit (with a household income of £15276 or less), Pension Credit (Guarantee Portion) or contribution based non-Work Related Activity Employment Support Allowance.

FREE - The following learners will be entitled to full fee remission in 12/13:

If you qualify for a concession you must bring or send evidence of your benefits or tax credits with your enrolment. If you do not provide the required evidence we reserve the right to charge you the full tuition fee for your course(s). We charge an administration fee of £5.00 per course to learners provided with a free course due to fee remission, who fail to start the course or attend the class sessions.

All of our Leisure Groups and Clubs receive no subsidies. The price quoted in our brochure therefore covers all the costs of the venue, centre overheads and tutors. We therefore only have one FULL PRICE rate of funding for Leisure Groups and Clubs.

16-19 Bursary Fund

The 16 to 19 bursary fund is a new discretionary grant scheme to help young people facing financial hardship to stay in full-time education.

Our grant scheme is made up of two parts;

• Learners who need financial support because they are in care, care leavers, young people receiving income support, and disabled young people receiving both Employment Support Allowance and Disability Living Allowance. Grants for these learners are up to £1200 in any one year.
• Learners who are living independently and are dependent on means tested benefits and their household income is less that £30000 per year and who need financial help to stay in education or training. Grants for these learners are up to £600 in any one year.
• Learners who are dependent on parents, guardians or carers who are on means tested benefits and their household income is less that £30000 per year and where the learner needs financial help to stay in education or training. Grants for these learners are up to £600 in any one year.

To be eligible you must be;

• Intending to enrol on a full time Further Education course at Northumberland Adult Learning Service. Apprenticeship courses, Higher Education courses or full cost courses are not eligible.
• Be at least 16 but under 19 years of age on 31 August 2012
• Be in one of the following groups

1. Vulnerable group (in care, care leavers, young people receiving income support, and disabled young people receiving both Employment Support Allowance and Disability Living Allowance )
2. Be a dependant member of a household receiving benefits (except Child Tax Credit) with a household income of less than £30000
3. Be an independent student on means tested benefit in own right benefits (except Child Tax Credit) with a household income of less than £30000 · Have been resident in the EU for the last three years (unless you were here only for study).

The new scheme will start in August 2012 for learners studying full time (more than 16 hours per week and for more than 10 weeks) between 1st August 2012 and 31st July 2013.

Learners and their families are asked to apply to the scheme. Northumberland County Council will then assess the learner’s eligibility and will decide who will be awarded a grant. £1200 bursaries are guaranteed for learners in care, care leavers, young people receiving income support, and disabled young people receiving both Employment Support Allowance and Disability Living Allowance. £600 bursaries are offered on a first come first served basis to eligible learners until the fund is exhausted.

There are terms and conditions for the grant. The 16-19 Bursary Fund Sample Terms and Conditions can be downloaded here.

What is the money for?

The money is for the books, meals, transport or other course-related costs needed to help a young person stay in education. However the Council also has a post 16 student travel scheme. Northumberland County Council provides free student travel. This is available to full-time students attending High School Sixth Forms and Further Education and Specialist Colleges. Students are issued with a travel pass which allows them to make a return journey to and from home to school/college during normal school and college times; weekdays and term time only. Applications for travel support from this scheme should still be made by full time 16-19 students. More information is available at http://www.northumberland.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=457

You can ask for an application form and help to apply in any of our centres or you can download an application form and sample terms and conditions from this page. Please send your completed application to

Tina Abberline

Locality Manager

Foundation Learning

Blyth Training Centre

Unit 23 Spencer Court

Blyth

Northumberland

NE24 5TW

Or email to Tina.Abberline@northumberland.gov.uk

If I need more information about the 16-19 Bursary Fund who can I speak to?

For more information and advice speak to Gemma or Tina on 01670 359959. You can also download the following useful documents here.  

16-19 Bursary Fund Application Form

16-19 Bursary Fund Frequently Asked Questions

Educational Maintenance Allowance (EMA)

The EMA Scheme has been closed to new applicants.

19+ Discretionary Learner Support Funds

These discretionary grants are to support the costs of Further Education Learning and can cover hardship and childcare for those learners who have a low income or are on a means tested benefit.

There are two types of grant:

• 19+ Hardship

These grants are for learners aged 19 + on 31st August 2012, who are studying a further education course between 1st August 2012 and 31st July 2013.

Grants are normally for no more than £250 if you are a part time learner. If you are a full time learner with the Adult Learning Service (450 hours of attendance or more over the academic year, or 16 hours per week study for more than 10 weeks) then we may consider making a larger award to you. Your application can be to cover the costs of items you consider are necessary to support you in your studies and will enable you to access, stay on programme and succeed in your qualification assessment. This might include examination fees, course materials, text books, equipment or other items. In your application you must state clearly what you need the grant for. General grants e.g. £100 towards my hardship or living expenses will not be permitted.

• 20+ Childcare

These grants are for learners aged 20 + on 31st August 2012, who are studying a further education course between 1st August 2012 and 31st July 2013.

You can only apply for childcare grants to enable your child / children to attend childcare that is approved or registered with Ofsted in accordance with the requirements of the Children Act 1989 (the Act). Informal childcare, such as that provided by a relative, cannot be funded. Grants are normally for no more than £250 if you are a part time learner. If you are enrolling on a course with substantial hours (i.e. over 120 hours of study) or are a full time learner with the Adult Learning Service (450 hours of attendance or more over the academic year, or 16 hours per week study for more than 10 weeks) then we may consider making a larger award to you.

If you need help with the costs of childcare and you are 16 - 19 you should contact the Learner Support Service on 0800 121 8989 for help or go to the following website: www.direct.gov.uk/caretolearn. Care to Learn (C2L) supports young parents aged up to (and including) 19 when learning starts by funding the cost of their (Ofsted-registered) childcare and associated transport costs.

Making Your Application

You can apply at any time during your studies, however the sooner you apply the more likely it is funds will still be available to support you if your application is successful. Completed applications should be taken or sent to the centre manager where you are studying. Please do not send them to the County Council’s County Hall or Hepscott Park offices.

Advice for Applicants Already in Receipt of Benefits / Tax Credits

From August 2011 all claimants who have been mandated to training (whether on a full or part time basis) will have their travel and childcare costs met by Jobcentre Plus where required. JCP advisers will also have discretion to pay these expenses for customers who access skills training on a voluntary basis. If these expenses are being met by JCP it is unlikely that you will be supported by the fund, unless it is for additional expenses not met by JCP. Discretionary Learner Support falls within the definition of Access Funds for Income Support / Job Seekers Allowance / Employment Support Allowance purposes. If you are in receipt of welfare benefits you must declare if you receive payments from Discretionary Learner Support. The general rule is that;

· If the payment is a lump sum, one off payment not intended to cover items covered by benefit it is unlikely to affect your benefit.

· If it was intended for items covered by benefit – i.e. food, ordinary clothing or footwear, household fuel, or rent for which housing benefit is payable – then the payment could affect the benefit payable, if you have savings/capital exceeding £6,000.

· If the learner received a series of payments and the payments were intended for items covered by benefit then a £20 a week disregard would apply, with the remainder being taken into account as the person's income and reducing the amount of benefit payable.

· If the learner received a series of payments and the payments were intended for items not covered by benefit then they would be fully disregarded.

Disability Living Allowance should be ignored when including your income in the application form.

The funds may not be used to replace support already provided for through welfare benefits. They can however be used to provide temporary support with emergencies whilst you are waiting for benefit support to start.

Other things you need to know about our hardship and childcare grants

• You can apply for either or both a hardship and a childcare grant. Our Application Forms are available for download here, or you can ask for a copy at any of our centre.
• You can apply at any time during your course, but it is a limited pot of money, you are therefore advised to apply as soon as possible after enrolment. Not everyone who is eligible will recieve a grant.
• The grants are means tested so you will need to provide proof you are on a means tested benefit or provide information about your household income and expenditure to be considered for a grant.
• You can appeal against our grant decision if you are not happy with it. Your learning centre can provide information on how to do this.
• If hardship funds are used to buy equipment, the equipment remains our property and must be returned at the end of the course.
• If you do not complete the course you may be required to pay back part or all of the grant.
• Where we provide grants for childcare, we can arrange to pay the grant direct to your childcare provider.
• We cannot always provide the full amount of grant you ask for.

If I need more information about the 19+ Discretionary Learner Support Fund who can I speak to?

For more information and advice speak to Sue on 01670 622123. You can aslo download our 19+ Discretionary Learner Support Fund Application Form and Applicant Guidance here.