case study: ethan jones-stephens

Financial support

VULNERABLE BURSARY

Young people in the defined vulnerable groups are eligible for a bursary of up to £1,200 a year, which equates to approximately £30 per week during term time.

The defined vulnerable groups are students who are:

• In care • Care leavers • Receiving Income Support 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 or

Personal Independence Payments in their own right as well as Employment and

Support Allowance or UC in their own right.

DISCRETIONARY BURSARY

This fund is used to assist students who may benefit from financial assistance to complete their course. Any such contributions will only be made towards costs incurred for attending college. (The 16–19 bursary does not provide childcare funding – please refer to the Care to Learn website for under-20 childcare funding.) The bursary fund is limited and allocations will be based on financial need. Financial assistance will mainly be in the form of weekly credits on students’ ID cards for the purchase of meals and resources in college, with the possibility of some additional cash payments. Further assistance may be available for participation in trips and visits, the payment of exam re-sits or the purchases of other resources required for college activities. Allocations will not be made until a student is enrolled and achieves 100% attendance.

FREE COLLEGE MEALS

Eligibility for free meals is based on an assessment of household income. If you or your parents/carers are in receipt of one or more of the following benefits, you may be eligible for free meals:

• 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 guaranteed element of State

Pension Credit • Child Tax Credit (provided you are not also entitled to

Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190, as assessed by Her

Majesty’s Revenue and

Customs) • Working Tax Credit run-on – paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working

Tax Credit • Universal Credit – if you apply on or after 1 April 2018 your household income must be less than £7,400 a year (after tax and not including any benefits you get)

our pass

The bus pass that gives 16–18-year-olds the freedom to travel, work and learn. It has been designed to support young people at a crucial point in their lives.

Our Pass is a bus pass for 16–18-year-olds. For a one-off £10 administration fee, it unlocks free bus travel right across Greater Manchester – meaning that young people could make potential savings of over £500.

order your card now

Create an account to order your card online at https://ourpass.co.uk. You can apply from 1 September after your 16th birthday, until 31 August after your 18th birthday (or until your 18th birthday, if this is 31 August). You will need the following:

• An email address • A passport-style photo to upload, which will be printed on your card • Proof that you live in Greater Manchester • Proof of your date of birth • A valid payment card (for the £10 administration charge) Our Pass is a UK first, and is in a pilot phase that started in September 2019. The potential for making Our Pass permanent will be reviewed over the course of the pilot.

Depending on age and eligibility, members may be able to enjoy free bus travel or exclusive offers, or both, until the end of the pilot project in September 2022.

FAQs available at: www.ourpass.co.uk

Key dates The Year Ahead

applications open

Monday 13 September 2021

attend an open event

Open Day - Saturday 9 October Open Evening - Thursday 18 November

application deadline

Thursday 9 December 2021, 12pm

interviews

Interviews are held November 2021-February 2022

offers

All offers will be made by March 2022

new student welcome day

Wednesday 13 July 2022

gcse results day

Thursday 25 August 2022

enrolment day

Friday 26 August 2022 If you have decided that RSFC is the place for you, you can now begin completing the application form online at www.rochdalesfc.ac.uk

September 2021

You should read the prospectus and look at our website: think carefully about the subjects you might want to study at RSFC. Depending on COVID-19 safety guidelines we might visit your school to talk to you about the application process, so please have your questions ready. If we are unable to visit your school this year, you can contact the college with your questions in a number of ways including email, telephone and via our social media channels.

Attend one of our open events where you will be able to meet staff and find out what RSFC has to offer you. We hope to run these in college but, depending on COVID-19 safety guidance, we may have to hold them online.

December 2021

Have you completed your application form yet? Don’t worry, you still have some time left. You might need to get some more advice about your subject choices from your teachers, parents/ carers or the careers office. Alternatively, you can give us a call. Shortly after we have received your application, we will interview you for your place at RSFC. These interviews are informal and will give you further advice and support on your choices. The deadline for applications from students is 12pm on Thursday 9 December 2021.

January 2022

You will be invited for an interview with a member of staff.

February 2022

Interviews for places at the college continue.

March 2022

You should have received an update on the progress of your application. If you haven’t heard from the college, please contact us.

May 2022

Good luck with your GCSEs!

july 2022

We will be sending you some further information in the post about enrolment and what will be happening in your first few weeks of college. You will be invited to our New Student Welcome Day. Attendance is a compulsory part of the enrolment process.

August 2022

GCSE results arrive. It is now time to enrol at Rochdale Sixth Form College! Our enrolment day will be Friday 26 August 2022. Please ensure that you are available on this date as places cannot be guaranteed for those who do not attend

September 2022

Following your enrolment day, you will receive information and dates for the induction day and the first day of teaching.

NB: This timeline may change and is subject to COVID-19 safety guidelines.