Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the Further Education residential funding guidelines.

The guidance for the Residential Bursary Fund (RBF) is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/residential-support-scheme-guide/residential-support-scheme-2026-to-2027. In addition, the guidance for the Residential Support Scheme (RSS) is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/residential-bursary-fund-guide. This guidance is updated annually and outlines the opportunities available to people aged 16 to 19.

The RBF provides a contribution to eligible 16 to19-year-old student’s accommodation costs to support attendance at an institution delivering specialist provision.

The RSS can provide annual support of up to £3,458 (up to £4,079 in the London area) towards accommodation costs for students who live away from home because the same or similar level 2 or level 3 qualifications within their study programme are not available within daily travelling distance. Most students supported by RSS tend to live in rural areas and have limited access to a wide range of 16 to 19 further education provision.