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“..commitment to helping and supporting those in Tower Hamlets with the greatest need, or those who have a financial disadvantage in their quest for education and training….”

Dear Applicant,

The Tower Hamlets & Canary Wharf Trust Fund is a registered charity that was launched by Tower Hamlets Council and Canary Wharf Limited in 1990. Through its grants, the Trust seeks to promote the advancement of further and higher education as well as vocational training for Tower Hamlets residents. During its life, the Trust has helped to support the training and further education for over 4,500 local residents.

The Trust is committed to helping and supporting those in Tower Hamlets with the greatest need for education and training, allowing them to progress into employment or to enhance their education with a view to finding employment.

The Trust is independent of Tower Hamlets Council’s Student Finance Section but is administered by the Children, Schools and Families Directorate.

The Trustees, using the Assessment and Eligibility Rules that accompany this application form will take decisions on all complete applications shortly after the closing date which is 12 noon on Friday 15th June 2018. Any application received by the Trust after the closing date will not be c o n s i d e r e d .

I look forward to receiving your application.

Yours sincerely,

Estakar Ahned, Trust Administrator

For further information please telephone: 0207 364 6171 Available Monday to Friday 9am –5pme-mail: estakar.ahmed@towerhamlets.gov.uk

Tower Hamlets & Canary Wharf Further Education Trust

2018/19

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Comments from Trust Fund recipients:

“If it wasn’t for the Trust Fund, I wouldn’t have been able to complete the course and I am grateful for their help. The application form was easy to complete and the process was very straight forward. Thank you once again.” Maria (ABC Counselling Diploma)

“The Trust Fund is a great resource for students like myself who cannot fund their education costs. I have only been able to complete my Masters with the help of this fund. My career prospects are now much wider. I feel I can now compete on an international level of professionalism within the film and TV industry. I thank the Trust Fund to help me get this far.” Seemab (MA Filmmaking)

“I benefited immensely from the grant I was awarded to pay my college fees. I wouldn’t have been able to complete this stage of my gardening course without i t .”Dymphna (City & Guilds – Hard Landscaping)

“The Trust Fund has made a significant positive effect on my educational life. The fund helped me to undertake a Nutrition Specialist Diploma specifically in the UK Fitness Industry, which has opened up new career doors for me.”Syeda (Nutrition Specialist Diploma)

“The Trust Fund helps me to come to class and learn English. Without English I cannot work. I need English so I can learn and get a job. The Trust Fund money makes this possible.” Hafsa (ESOL L2)

“My subject required a lot of investments, software, books, equipment and the Trust Fund helped me to stand up and be ready to future employment.”Khalil (Music Technology Specialist)

“It has benefited me tremendously; as if I had not been funded I would not have been able to afford the course. I enjoyed it and it has made me more employable as a Beauty Therapist as I now have this qualification.” Racheal (NVQ3 Beauty/Nail Technician)

“I would like to express my heart felt gratitude to the Trust Fund, as it has enabled me to achieve my Masters degree, which has transformed my career prospects in the best possible manner.” Sonia Ben Achoura (MSc Health Psychology)

“The Trust Fund is a really good thing as it has enabled me to study for a qualification that will allow me to get freelance work in the translation industry. It allowed me to be a student and study when I couldn’t really afford to do so.” Neil (MA Technical & Specialised Translation)

“It is brilliant! If I did not get funded I would never have got my diploma. I am going to train as a solicitor soon and it is all possible because of the help I received from the Trust Fund.” Asma (Legal Practice Course)

“I passed my MSc with distinction from the LSE. I couldn’t have done it without the financial support of the trust. So thanks very much!” Hannah (MSc Health)

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Notes for filling in your application form

General InformationIt is important that you read these notes carefully before you fill in your application form. You must answer all the questions as fully as possible. If there is not enough space to answer any question in full, you may continue your answer on A4 paper. Make sure you staple all your papers and supporting documents firmly to the application form. Photocopies of supporting documents will be acceptable.

If you do not answer a question or omit the relevant supporting evidence, we may have to write to you to ask for the information. This will delay the processing of your application.

You should fill in this form if: You currently live in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. You have lived in Tower Hamlets since 9th June 2015. You are ordinarily resident in the UK or have been granted Indefinite or

Exceptional leave to remain, Humanitarian Protection or Discretionary Leave to remain in the United Kingdom or have Refugee Status.

You should not fill in this form if: You do not live in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. You will have lived in Tower Hamlets for less than three years by the

9th June 2018. You are not ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom.

Part 1: Your Personal DetailsQ6. Enter your current full address and postcode.

You need to provide evidence/ confirmation that you currently live in Tower Hamlets. Provide a photocopy of one of the documents listed below that is addressed to you and is dated less than one month old.

* Council Tax bill* Electricity bill* Pay slip* Bank statement

* Tenancy Agreement (not private landlord)* DWP letter* Credit Card statement* Gas bill

* Home Office letter * Rent card/Mortgage statement* Phone bill * Housing office letter

Q7. You need to provide evidence/confirmation that you have lived in Tower Hamlets since 30th June 2015. A photocopy of one of the documents listed below, addressed to you, will be acceptable provided the date it was issued was on or before 15th June 2018 and corresponds to an address in Tower Hamlets.

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* Council Tax bill* Electricity bill* Pay slip* Bank statement

* Tenancy Agreement (not private landlord)* DWP letter* Credit Card statement* Gas bill

* Home Office letter * Rent card/Mortgage statement* Phone bill * Housing office letter

**note: If the Home Office has recently granted you Refugee Status then you only need to provide a photocopy of your Refugee Grant letter.

Q9. To be eligible for support, you must be living in the United Kingdom without the Home Office placing any restriction on your stay. If you are unsure then contact the trust administrator before completing the rest of the form.

Q11. Enter the names, ages and relationship (to you) of any other members of your family, apart from your parents, who currently live with you, including your spouse/partner, brothers, sisters and children.

Part 2: Your Course/Apprenticeship DetailsQ12. If you received or were offered any financial support from the Trust last year (i.e. in the 2017/18 academic year) you should tick the ‘yes’ box, even if you did not take up the award.

In all circumstance you must return the main form by the closing time/date of 12 noon on the 15th June 2018.

In all circumstances, you must return the main application form by the closing date with or without the college acceptance form attached.

Part 3: Your Previous Education and SupportQ15(b). If you are unsure about how many hours and total number of weeks you will attend, you should contact your college/university directly.

Q23. If you have made an application for or been offered other grants for your nominated course, provide details of amounts you have been offered or applied for. If grant applications are still pending, you must inform the trust administrator as soon as an award is offered to you.

Q24. If you have received previous support from the Tower Hamlets & Canary Wharf Further Education Trust at any time, then provide the date of award and amount of support received.

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Part 4: The Support You Are SeekingIn this section you will need to indicate the level of support that you are seeking. The payment of tuition fees and maintenance cannot exceed the maximum levels detailed in Q25 and Part 4 of the Assessment and Eligibility Rules.

Q25(a). Any student who is eligible for, or already receives, further

education support will not normally be considered for support. Any support offered to successful applicants is made on the condition that the

student attends the course regularly and makes satisfactory progress with their studies.

Prolonged absence (including, for example, through illness) may result in the award being reduced or cancelled altogether.

If you leave your course, you will lose your entitlement to any of the remaining grant that you may have originally been offered. The Trust reserves the right to seek repayment for any monies that they consider may have been overpaid to you.

Approved support for tuition fees will normally be paid directly to your chosen college or university. It is sometimes possible, in exceptional circumstances, for the trust to refund students directly fees that they have already paid. However, the trust administrator in each case must first confirm in writing that this arrangement is acceptable.

Fees cannot be paid at a greater rate than that originally offered to you. It is important that you double-check the amount before specifying it on the application form.

Maintenance grants are normally paid in three separate instalments. Thirty-five percent (35%) of the award is paid in the first term, another 35% in the second term and then a final 30% in the third term.

If you are currently in receipt of DWP assistance you must declare to the DWP any support that you are offered or receive. It is possible that certain benefits such as Income Support will be affected.

The trustees will not offer financial support through a maintenance grant, where it is likely to directly affect the amount of Income Support, Job Seekers Allowance or any similar income based benefit (collectively referred below as “Income Support benefit”) that the applicant would ordinarily receive.

You are strongly advised to check with your local DWP office for further guidance on the relationship between benefits and grants before you submit the Trust application.

Under the current advice that the trustees have received, anyone undertaking a full-time course, who receives more than £360 by way of maintenance support from the Trust, is liable to have their Income Support benefit reduced pound for pound. For this reason, the maximum maintenance grant that the Trust is willing to offer students in receipt of Income Support benefit, will be £360 (please see rule 4.1).

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Part 5: Your Financial Circumstances You need to complete this section if:

If you are seeking fees and maintenance support or If you are seeking maintenance only support.

You do not need to complete this section:

If you are seeking fees only support. If you are seeking fees only support, go straight to Part 6, ‘A statement in

support of your application’.

Important note: you will still need to provide evidence that you currently live in Tower Hamlets. Please refer to Q6 for guidance.

Q29. If the sole source of income in your household is from DWP support, such as 'Income Support', then tick the ‘yes’ box and proceed directly to Part 6 of the application form ‘a statement in support of your application’. You will need to provide a photocopy of the first three pages of your most recent DWP book. If the DWP money is paid directly into your bank account, a confirmatory letter from the DWP will be acceptable.

Q30. For gross income you will need to provide a photocopy only (do not send in the original) of either your P60 form for the tax year ending 5th April 2016 or your March 2016 payslip.

For deductions against your income you will only need to provide a photocopies. The evidence could include your most current rent card or rent statement, mortgage statement or your last (i.e. 2016/17) council tax bill.

Q31. Please attempt to estimate your income and deductions during the year from when you start your course (i.e. from September 2017 to August 2018).

It is possible that some applicants may not have an income at all during the period of their study or there may be a significant increase in their income. If this is the case, then you should insert an explanation in the ‘comments box’.

Part 6: A Statement In Support Of Your ApplicationYou will need to explain why you are seeking support from the Trust and how your course will help you to further your chosen career; what difference will your chosen course/qualification make to your contribution to Tower Hamlets in the future?

For those applying for support for the second or subsequent year of a course, give a report on your progress and how you now see your future.

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Part 7: SummaryUse this checklist to make sure that you have provided all the information that we require.

The application form must be fully completed and submitted with copies of all the documents we have asked for. If, for whatever reason, you are unable to provide the relevant documents, you should seek guidance from the trust administrator.

If you have not answered a question or have omitted to attach a copy of the relevant supporting information, we may have to write to you to ask for the information. This will cause a delay in processing your application. The Trustees are not able to consider incomplete forms.

Part 8: DeclarationYou must read this section very carefully, then sign and date the form in the spaces provided or your application for support may be delayed or refused.

If your application for support is successful, we will send you a letter confirming eligibility as soon as possible after the closing date. This will also detail the value of the support that will be offered to you.

Please retain the ‘Assessment and Eligibility Rules’ and the ‘Notes for completing the application form’ for your reference. You do not need to send them back with your application form.

CommunicationsIf you provide an email address on your application form you will receive an e-mail to acknowledge it’s receipt. You will also be contacted by e-mail if we need more information from you. However, you will be notified of the decision on your application by letter

Please note that the Administrator is normally only available in the Town Hall on a Tuesday from 10.30 am. Please ’phone or e-mail in the first instance if you have an enquiry.

Tower Hamlets & Canary Wharf Further Education Trust,c/o Benefits, Mulberry Place, 5 Clove Crescent , London E14 2BG

If you require any assistance in completing any aspect of this form or if you need any further information then please telephone:

Tel: 020 7364 6171 - Available Monday to Friday 9am –5pm Fax: 020 7364 63656Email: estakar.ahmed@towerhamlets.gov.uk

Completed Applications Should Be Returned To: