Glossary
16 to 19 bursary
Financial support paid to students to help them stay in education, distinct from the funding that pays for their teaching.
In full
The 16 to 19 bursary supports students with the costs of participating in education, with a defined vulnerable-group element and a discretionary element administered by the institution.
It is student support rather than programme funding, and has its own eligibility, evidence and record-keeping requirements.
Where this comes up
module
16 to 19 funding: how the formula actually works
Student numbers, band, national rate, retention, programme cost weighting and uplifts. Where each element comes from, and which of them your own data controls.
scenario
A student needs maths but nothing shows it
A 16 to 19 student without a qualifying maths grade is studying maths, but the record does not show it.
diagnostic
Planned hours do not match the timetable that is actually delivered
The planned hours recorded for 16 to 19 students do not reconcile to the timetable being delivered, so students may be in the wrong funding band.
scenario
A new finance director asks why income moved
A finance director new to further education sees earnings fall in a month where recruitment was strong. The explanation is in the mechanism.
scenario
An enrichment session is cancelled in November
A weekly enrichment session counted in planned hours is withdrawn after half term. Nobody thinks of it as a funding decision.
module
Building a funding map for your college
A funding map sets out every stream a college receives, how each is earned, when it reconciles and what data drives it. It is the fastest way for a finance or leadership newcomer to become useful.