Hartpury University and Hartpury College is delighted to announce the launch of The Sedbury Trust’s Grant during National Care Leavers week (24-28 October 2022), to support young care leavers with the cost of education.
More than £33,000 will be made available, divided amongst eligible applicants. It is hoped that the costs will go some way to addressing the key concerns among care experience students wishing to access education, in particular accommodation costs.
Funding from the Trust will be targeted at young people with experience of care, helping them to access valuable financial support for their studies. The funding will apply to students wishing to attend both Hartpury University and Hartpury College.
National Care Leavers Week is a nationwide event that aims to reflect on the experiences of care-experienced individuals and raise awareness of support and opportunities on offer.
Professor Andy Collop, Vice-Chancellor, Principal and CEO of Hartpury, said: “Education can be transformative, and we recognise that the transition into both further and higher education can feel like an enormous step. For this reason, we’re keen to support our care experience students in any way we can.
“When you become a student at Hartpury, you become part of something bigger, part of a community. The Hartpury family is a very special one indeed and we’re delighted to offer our care experience this support in partnership with our friends at The Sedbury Trust.”
Sally Walker, Trustee at The Sedbury Trust said: “Everyone at The Sedbury Trust understands the transformational impact that individual grants can have on the lives of young people with care experience. We’re delighted to have linked up with Hartpury University and Hartpury College to introduce innovative and thoughtful ideas on how we invest, effectively, to make a difference to the lives of care experience students in Gloucestershire.”
Hartpury University students can already access the Care-leavers and Independent Students bursary, with £1,500 available per student to support study for the duration of the programme. Further details can be found on the website.
The Hartpury Achievement and Success Centre aims to boost achievement and students’ chances of securing their dream job. Academic support, learning support and wellbeing support are all key focuses, delivered through workshops, group sessions and 1:1 appointments.
Hartpury provides extra support to all care experienced and estranged learners who attend the institution. A dedicated Independent Learners Network is used to promote information that may be useful including funding opportunities. In addition, drop-in and wellbeing sessions are planned throughout the year. Hartpury University has also taken The Stand Alone Pledge, which supports estranged students.
