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Thomas Hardye School
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Free Meals and Bursary

Financial Support in the Sixth Form 

Academic Year 2026-2027 

Supporting Students

The Thomas Hardye School is committed to doing everything possible to financially support Sixth Form students to overcome specific financial barriers to participation in their education. This usually means providing financial support to students from low-income households to assist them with: 

  • School meals 
  • Transport to and from school 
  • Books, equipment, and specialist clothing that they need for their study programme 
  • UK trips as long as there is a clear link between the learning activities and experiences, and student’s study programme goals or course objectives. Overseas trips are not usually covered, and can only be funded where the trip is essential and compulsory in order to meet the study programme goals or course objectives, and a UK trip would not have been able to meet these goals and objectives at a lower cost.

In addition, we are able to loan laptop devices to students who do not have access to a suitable device at home to support their studies.

The school will not use bursary funds in any way that does not fall within the permitted use guidance issued by the Department for Education.

Free School Meals in Further Education

From 1st June 2026, Free School Meal eligibility is re-checked annually. Anyone on Universal Credit (as well as some other benefits) is eligible for Free School Meals. Applications can be made through the Dorset Council website.

The Thomas Hardye (THS) School Sixth Form has a duty to make Free School Meals available to eligible pupils on any day that they attend. This is allocated as a daily free allowance.  

The 16-19 Bursary – Academic Year 2026 – 2027 

Applications for the Bursary in the Sixth Form should be made directly to the school.

The 16 to 19 Bursary Fund provides financial support to help students overcome the specific financial barriers to participation they face so they can remain in education. 

There are two types of 16 to 19 bursaries: 

  • Bursaries for defined vulnerable groups
  • Discretionary bursaries

Students may be eligible for one or both bursaries.

Students in defined vulnerable groups are those who are:

  • in care
  • care leavers
  • receiving Income Support (IS), or Universal Credit (UC) 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
  • receiving Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or Personal Independence Payments (PIP) in addition to Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) or UC - all benefits must be received by the student, in their own right.

Any Sixth Form student eligible for Free School Meals will also be eligible for the Discretionary Bursary at The Thomas Hardye School. Please note that all schools and colleges set their own eligibility criteria, and so eligibility at one institution does not guarantee eligibility at others.

Students (or a responsible adult on their behalf) must apply for the Bursary for each separate academic year. The Bursary will NOT automatically continue from year 12 into year 13.

Both types of bursary funding are to help eligible students with the essential costs of participating, such as travel to and from school or college or to buy essential books, equipment, or specialist clothing (protective overalls, for example) that are required for their study programme. These are items a student would otherwise need to pay for to participate. 

The bursaries cannot be awarded at a flat/fixed rate. Every bursary is based on need, and the amount awarded will be based on the needs of the student. Students who meet the criteria for a bursary are not automatically entitled to financial support if they do not have financial needs and/or their participation needs are covered by other sources. They may receive a lower amount of bursary or no bursary funding, if they do not have any actual participation costs. 

All bursary payments will be made directly to the student, by BACS transfer to the student’s own bank account. Payments will not be made to parents or carers.

The school receives a limited fund for the bursaries. We will assess the number of applications and the needs of all students in September, to determine what level of support we are able to offer. All bursary students in 2026-2027 will receive:

  • a lunch allowance, whether they are eligible for Free School Meals or not.
  • funding to cover the cost of the most cost-effective transport to get them to and from school, if they live more than 1 mile from school, or have a physical disability.
  • free (or reimbursed) books, equipment, and specialist clothing that they need for their study programme.
  • free participation in any trips that are compulsory for their programme of study.

Through the bursary, we will also offer a discount of 25% off of UK trips as long as there is a clear link between the learning activities and experiences, and student’s study programme goals or course objectives. However, depending on the number of bursary students, and the amount of funding that the school has for the year, a per pupil annual £150 limit for non-compulsory trips usually applies. The school reserves the right to alter this limit, or introduce other limits depending on funding constraints.

All bursary payments will be directly linked to attendance, behaviour and performance. The school reserves the right to withdraw or suspend bursary payments where attendance falls below acceptable levels

General Eligibility Criteria for Bursaries

Enrolment 

Students must be enrolled at the Thomas Hardye School Sixth Form, to be eligible for a Bursary here. 

Age 

Students enrolled in the THS Sixth Form must be aged 16 or over but under 19 on 31 August 2026 to be eligible to receive a bursary. Students aged 19 or over are only eligible if they are continuing on a study programme they began aged 16 to 18 (‘19+ continuers’) or have an education, health and care plan (EHCP). 

Residency 

Students must meet the residency criteria in the "DfE funding rules for post-16 provision", to be eligible for a free meal, or the Bursary. 

Students who will meet the residency criteria include: 

  • British Citizens. 
  • Irish Citizens. 
  • EU citizens with settled status, who have been resident in the UK for at least 3 years. 
  • Those whose passport has been endorsed to show they have right of abode in the UK, AND who have been resident in the UK for at least 3 years. 
  • Those who have a certificate of naturalisation or registration as a British Citizen, AND who have been resident in the UK for at least 3 years. 
  • Those with (or their spouses, civil partners and children with) refugee status (RS), humanitarian protection (HP), discretionary leave (DL), exceptional leave to enter (ELE) or exceptional leave to remain (ELR). 
  • Dependants of adults residing legally in the UK who have been given immigration rights as workers to reside in the UK. 
  • Asylum seekers. 

This is not an exhaustive list; however, we believe that it covers the statuses which we are most likely to come across. We would encourage anyone who is unsure if they meet the residency criteria, to apply anyway, and we will be happy to help ascertain whether they meet the residency criteria. 

Eligibility: bursaries for young people in defined vulnerable groups

This bursary is to support students in defined vulnerable groups, who are unlikely to be receiving financial assistance from parents or carers. 

To be eligible for this bursary, students must meet at least one of the following criteria: 

  • Be in care (local authority only, and NOT a private foster care arrangement made between the parent and the person who will care for the child) 
  • Be care leavers (looked after for a period of 13 weeks consecutively (or periods amounting to 13 weeks), beginning after the age of 14 and ending after the age of 16) 
  • Receive Income Support (IS), or Universal Credit (UC) 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. 
  • Receive Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or Personal Independence Payments (PIP) in their own right as well as Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) or UC in their own right. 

Eligibility: discretionary bursaries 

This bursary is intended to support students from lower-income families, who may experience financial barriers that could prevent them accessing their education.

This policy is set by the school, and reviewed annually. For the 2026-2027 academic year, students will be eligible for discretionary bursary support if they have confirmed eligibility for Free School Meals (FSM) in the same year.  It is therefore essential that an application for FSM is submitted before completing the bursary application. FSM eligibility is usually confirmed within a matter of minutes.

Application Form - Internal students

If you are an existing student, with a Thomas Hardye School email address, please use the following link to complete the application:

Sixth Form Free Meal and Bursary Application 2026-27 (Internal) – Fill in form

Application Form - External Students

If you are joining our Sixth Form from another school or college, and do not yet have a Thomas Hardye School email address, please use the following link to complete the application:

Sixth Form Free Meal and Bursary Application 2026-27 (External) – Fill in form

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