Parents and carers
Hills Road Sixth Form College is committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming community where all students are enabled to meet their full potential and are respected as individuals.
Parents and carers
Bursary Fund
2026-27 Bursary Fund and Free School Meals
The Hills Road Bursary Fund provides government funding to help students with the essential costs of studying at college. The purpose of the fund is to ensure that financial circumstances do not prevent students from participating fully in their education.
Students only need to complete one application. The College will assess eligibility and determine the appropriate level of support, in line with government guidance.
Who can apply?
You can apply for support from the Bursary Fund if any one or more of the circumstances below apply to you.
You may be eligible if your total annual take home household income is below £35,000.
Household income includes:
- Earnings after tax and National Insurance
- Benefits (e.g. Universal Credit, Carer’s Allowance, Tax Credits)
- Maintenance payments received
- Income from self-employment, rental income or dividends
Support from the Bursary Fund is awarded on a sliding scale. This means that students from lower income households are normally able to receive a higher proportion of the costs they apply for, subject to a maximum annual award of £1,200 per student.
A percentage of funding refers to the proportion of the eligible costs applied for (for example, transport), not an automatic cash award.
| Total take-home household income | Less than £25,000 per annum |
|---|---|
| Amount of funding | 100% |
| Total take-home household income | Between £25,000 and £27,500 |
|---|---|
| Amount of funding | 80% |
| Total take-home household income | Between £27,500 and £30,000 |
|---|---|
| Amount of funding | 60% |
| Total take-home household income | Between £30,000 and £32,500 |
|---|---|
| Amount of funding | 40% |
| Total take-home household income | Between £32,500 and £35,000 |
|---|---|
| Amount of funding | 20% |
| Total take-home household income | More than 35,000 |
|---|---|
| Amount of funding | 0% |
Students from larger families (three or more dependent children) may be moved up one band to reflect higher household costs.
You may also apply if you are not normally eligible, but have experienced a sudden or exceptional change in financial circumstances, such as:
- Parental unemployment or reduced income
- Bereavement
- Other significant changes affecting household finances
In these cases, applications will be considered on an individual basis.
If you are unsure whether you qualify, we encourage you to apply. The Bursary Fund team can advise you.
Household income is assessed using recent financial information to reflect your current circumstances.
Applicants will normally be asked to provide:
- The most recent 3 months of payslips (or fewer if employment has recently started)
- The most recent 3 months of Universal Credit statements
- Recent benefit award notices (dated within the last 3 months)
- For self-employment, the most recent tax return and/or up-to-date accounts, plus any recent evidence of current earnings
If your financial circumstances change, you must request a reassessment. We may also carry out periodic checks to ensure continued eligibility.
Free College Meals
Free College Meals are a separate entitlement but are closely linked to bursary support. Those that are eligible receive weekly assistance with the cost of food, helping to ensure all students can focus on learning and fully participate in college life.
From the start of the 2026–27 academic year, students will be eligible for Free College Meals if they or their parents/carers are in receipt of Universal Credit at the point of application, regardless of earnings.
You may also be eligible if you or your parents/carers receive one or more of the following benefits:
- Income Support
- Income‑based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Income‑related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
- The guarantee element of State Pension Credit
- Child Tax Credit, provided you are not entitled to Working Tax Credit
- Working Tax Credit run‑on (paid for four weeks after eligibility for Working Tax Credit ends)
Eligibility is assessed in line with national government criteria.
How and when to apply
- Students starting in September are encouraged to apply by 30 June, where possible.
- Applications can be made before enrolment, during the academic year, or if circumstances change.
- If eligibility is confirmed later, support can usually be backdated to the start of the most recent term subject to the appropriate evidence of eligible costs.
Applicants will be required to provide evidence of income, benefits and circumstances. Submitting complete documentation helps avoid delays.
Conditions of receiving support
Students receiving support from the Bursary Fund are expected to:
- Maintain acceptable attendance and punctuality
- Follow the College Code of Conduct
- Continue to meet the eligibility criteria under which support was awarded
If these conditions are not met, eligibility for current or future support may be reviewed.
Providing false or incomplete information may result in:
- Payments being adjusted or stopped
- Any overpayment being recovered
Assessment, appeals and support
Applications are assessed by the Bursary team, and, where appropriate, college staff.
If an application is unsuccessful, students may appeal through the Bursary Fund team. Appeals will be reviewed by the Vice Principal (Student Progression & Support), whose decision is final.
Need help?
If you need help applying, are unsure what evidence to provide, or have complex circumstances, please contact:
We are happy to support you through the process.
2025-26 Bursary Fund and Free School Meals
The Bursary Fund is government funding available to students who may need financial support to enable them to study at the College. Any young person can apply for the Bursary, provided they meet the household income eligibility criteria.
The amount of funding available to each eligible young person will depend on each student's individual circumstances and their financial needs. There are many reasons a student may benefit from financial support, so we encourage application.
To apply for Free School Meals, please complete our application form. This applies whether you have received them in secondary school or are applying for the first time.
When to make your application
Students enrolling in September should aim to apply for the Bursary Fund by 30 June 2025 so that we can assess your eligibility before you take up your place at Hills Road in September. Bursary Fund payments will only be made to students whose enrolment is confirmed in late August, but we try to assess applications in July to help students make informed choices. Application forms can be submitted later in the academic year, but there may be delays in processing and confirming eligibility.
If you are viewing this later in the academic year, please do not feel deterred from sending your application. We will get back to you at the earliest possible convenience. You can apply at any point throughout your studies or in advance of enrolment.
If you have not yet applied or your application is currently being processed, please collect proof of purchase (e.g., travel tickets) for any educational expenses until your application has been finalised. We are typically able to backdate payments to the beginning of students’ studies once their eligibility has been confirmed.
The Bursary Fund
The Bursary Fund is made up of two distinct parts. Bursaries for students in defined vulnerable groups and a discretionary bursary. To find out more, please read the information below.
Students who meet the criteria and who have a financial need can apply for a bursary for vulnerable groups. The defined groups reflect that these students are unlikely to be receiving financial assistance from parents or carers, so may need a greater level of support to enable them to continue to participate in their education.
Bursary funding criteria
The fund is for young people who are 16 or over, but under 19, on 31 August in the academic year in which they start their programme of study. They must also satisfy one of the criteria below.
- In care
- Care leavers
- Receiving Income Support, or Universal Credit in their own right because they are financially supporting themselves or financially supporting themselves and someone who is dependent on them and living with them, such as a child or partner. Students whose parents receive Universal Credit would not qualify under this criteria
- Receiving Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payments in their own right, as well as Employment and Support Allowance or Universal Credit in their own right
Financial support available
Applications from young people in defined vulnerable groups may receive up to £1,200 a year, depending on the level of actual financial need they have. Occasionally, a student may meet the eligibility criteria for a bursary for vulnerable groups, but their financial needs may already be met, or they may have no relevant costs. In these circumstances, no bursary will be awarded.
If a student is eligible but only has limited financial needs (e.g., for a bus season annual season ticket for £500), only that amount will be awarded.
If a student qualifies for the vulnerable group bursary, but has financial needs higher than £1,200 per year, that student can also be considered for additional discretionary funding from the discretionary bursary.
Making an application
If you are eligible for the Bursary Fund, you will have five options to choose from when applying.
Once you start your application, you can use an account to return to saved work. We recommend that you set up an account, as our application form has multiple sections and requires uploads of various documents.
Please select the option that applies to your situation to find out the income and benefit documents you will need to upload.
If you were eligible for Free School Meals at your secondary school, you continue to be eligible at Hills Road. However, to start to receive that funding at Hills, we will need to have received evidence of your previous eligibility. Please make sure you have at least one of the following pieces of evidence to hand:
- Official letter/email from your County Council stating your Free School Meal eligibility.
- Official letter/email from your previous school stating your Free School Meal eligibility.
If you do not currently possess an official letter/email from your school, you should be able to request this from them. Alternatively, you may ask them to contact us via email to confirm you are receiving Free School Meals.
Under government guidelines, all students already receiving free meals from 1 April 2018 will be eligible to receive them until the end of the academic year 2025 to 2026. This will apply even if their household earnings rise above the new threshold during that time. From the start of the academic year 2026 to 2027, all recipients of Universal Credit will be entitled to a free meal.
Important information before you apply
Before completing our application form, please do your best to ensure you have all the necessary information ready to upload. If you are unsure what documents are required, please check the section above or email the Bursary Fund team for help. It is important to upload complete documents – e.g., if you are in receipt of Universal Credit, we will require three recent statements in full. Both parent/carer and student are required to sign the form (if applicable to your circumstances), so please complete this together.
Please try your best to upload all the necessary documentation when you apply, as this means we will be able to process your application as promptly as possible. If you have not uploaded all necessary evidence, the Bursary Fund will contact you to request the outstanding information, which may delay the process.
At the end of the application form, you will be required to sign a declaration to confirm that all the evidence you have provided is correct and complete to the best of your knowledge. Giving false or incomplete information that leads to incorrect/overpayment may result in future payments being stopped, any incorrectly paid funds being recovered, and in the case of fraudulent behaviour, potential referral to the police.
How to apply
Whether you are a current student or holding an offer of a place to join us in September, please submit your application as early as possible. If your application is approved in advance of September, we will be able to process payments more promptly once the term begins. If your circumstances change, you can apply to the Bursary Fund at any point throughout your studies.
What happens next?
The Bursary Fund team should be in contact shortly after you have submitted your application to discuss the details with you. However, please be mindful that, at the start of the academic year, we are typically processing a significant number of applications, so please be patient during this time. Appeals against unsuccessful applications may be made to the Vice Principal (Student Progression & Support) via The Bursary Fund team within two weeks of the notification being received. Appeals will be settled within two weeks and advised in writing.
If you have not yet applied or your application is currently being processed, please collect proof of purchase (e.g., travel tickets) for any educational expenses until your application has been finalised. We are typically able to backdate payments to the beginning of students’ studies once their eligibility has been confirmed.
More information
Money from the Bursary Fund is used towards essential, course-related costs which support post-16 participation, including:
- Specialist materials relating to courses followed - e.g., Art/Photography
- Additional course costs - e.g., essential educational trips and visits, music tuition, course packs and textbooks (some textbooks will be available to collect from the library)
- Transport costs
- Essential exam/test expenses required for post-18 progression (e.g., Bio Medical Admission Test BMAT, National Admission Test for Law LNAT, UKCAT, STEP, etc.).
We regret that we are unable to provide financial support for college trips which are not compulsory and essential to the academic programme.
