KS4 Application

Welcome to ESA Academy: explore our courses, our mission and our facilities.

You’ll be able to quickly move around using the Prospectus navigation below on every course page. You can also begin planning your option blocks by clicking on the ‘Apply to Join’ button on the top right of every page.

Free School Meals

Your child could get a free school meal if you receive any of the following:

  • Income Support

  • Income-based Jobseekers Allowance

  • Income-related Employment and Support Allowance

  • Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999

  • The guaranteed element of State Pension Credit

  • Child Tax Credit (as long as you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and you don’t get more than £16,190 a year)

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

  • Universal Credit

If you think you may be entitled to Free School Meals, please apply to your local borough council not direct to the school.

Apply today if you receive any of these benefits. It takes 5 mins and in most cases they can tell you straight away if your child can get free meals at school.

We operate a cashless system here, free school meals are automatically added each day to your child’s account. Extra money may be added online by parents for additional purchases.

When your child starts with us in September they will be given a ParentPay login along with a password unique to that account. ParentPay may be used to pay for other purchases from the college shop or for college trips.

Lost cards are charged at £5 each for a replacement from our IT department.

Additional Support for FSM qualified-families:

If you are currently entitled to free school meals or have ever been in the last six years you are entitled to pupil premium funding that gives additional support to your child's learning as well as provides a free school meal.

Please make us aware as a college of any support you have received around free school meals enabling us to help you as much as possible.

You can also apply for help with school travel:

  • Bus travel – a SaverCard lets a young person (11-18 years old) travel by bus for half price. You might be able to get one for free.

  • Train travel – a TrainCard lets students in sixth form or college (16-18 years old) get 1/3 off their train tickets. You might be able to get one for free.

  • Bike lessons – you may be able to get half price bike lessons.

UK Government Bursary for 16-19 Year Olds

The 16 to 19 Bursary Fund provides financial support to help students overcome specific financial barriers to participation so they can remain in education.

There are 3 priority groups for the 16 to 19 bursaries:

  • High Priority Group - bursaries for defined vulnerable groups 

  • Medium and Low Priority Groups - discretionary bursaries which institutions award to meet individual needs, for example, help with the cost of transport, meals, books and equipment

Learn more and apply by clicking the link below: