YPLA e-bulletin

Issue 43
7 March 2012

16-19 Bursary Fund

Access to the 16-19 Bursary Fund for publicly funded students attending independent schools and colleges in 2012/13 academic year

This message outlines changes to the arrangements for access to the 16-19 Bursary Fund for publicly-funded students attending independent schools and colleges, including 19-24 year old learners with a Learning Difficulty Assessment attending a YPLA funded Independent Specialist Provider, in the 2012/13 academic year.

Non-Maintained Special Schools and Independent Specialist Providers

In 2012/13 the 16-19 Bursary Fund will be allocated directly from the Education Funding Agency (EFA) to all Non-Maintained Special Schools (NMSS) and EFA-funded Independent Specialist Providers (ISP), in the same way as they currently are to general FE colleges.

Local authorities will not be responsible for routing 16-19 bursary funding to any NMSSs and ISPs in 2012/13. Those NMSSs and ISPs that were not given an allocation in 2011/12 will receive one in 2012/13. We will write to all providers by the end of March to inform them of their allocations.

Independent Specialist Providers

Responsibility for funding the education and training of 19-24 learners with a learning difficulty assessment (LDA) lies with the DfE. Many attend general FE colleges where they are able to access the adult discretionary learner support fund, but some attend EFA-funded Independent Specialist Providers, which do not receive funding for adult discretionary learner support.

In 2012/13, EFA-funded ISPs will receive an additional amount of bursary funding to enable them to provide discretionary bursaries only to financially disadvantaged 19-24 year old students with a LDA who need further support to remain at college.

Independent Schools

In 2012/13 publicly funded SEN/LDD students attending independent schools will be able to apply to the local authority in which the school is based (the host local authority) for support from the 16-19 Bursary Fund. In 2012/13 the EFA will not fund any independent schools directly.

In 2011/12, the student’s home local authority took responsibility for administering bursaries - this change ensures that schools only have to liaise with one local authority.

If you have any questions, please email us at 1619bursaryfund@ypla.gov.uk

Information for:

• Local authorities
• Independent Specialist Providers
• Independent private providers

General Articles for everyone	Young People Articles for post-16 providers	Academies Articles for Academies and Sponsors
Education Funding Agency contact details National Careers Service launch	2012/13 academic year funding 16-19 Bursary Fund ONS reclassification of sixth form and FE colleges Placement Technical Guidance for Independent Specialist Providers for 2012/13 Sixth form colleges: Changes to Instruments and Articles of Government Local authorities grant return and use of funds statement 2011-12	2012/13 academic year funding Academies Capital Maintenance Fund 2012-13 Whole of Government Accounts Reminder: Academy financial returns due Summer schools programme for disadvantaged pupils

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