I have been a teacher for 26 years, a Headteacher for 11 years and, at the age of 50, this much I know about helping Cat White get to university.
We need to raise £1,600 for one of our Year 13 students Cat White to attend the British Institute of Music: Manchester and we need your help...
Cat White has been a ‘pupil premium’ student throughout her 7 years at Huntington School. Her family struggles financially and in addition Cat is the official ‘Young Carer’ for her Mother who is disabled. They live with step-dad and Cat’s younger sister. Cat has always been an exceptionally positive and hardworking student at school with a huge ‘growth mindset’ approach to everything she has ever done here. In 2015 her family continue to have severe financial difficulties, with Cat telling me that her part time job wages are paying the family bills right now – she has no money to call her own. Cat has always shown a really keen interest in music and, with a great singing voice, has always wanted to pursue a post-18 pathway in this area. Cat currently has an offer for the ‘song writing’ course at the institution she would really love to attend – the British Institute of Music: Manchester (BIMM). This would initially be a one year ‘Diploma’ course (no specific grades required at A level – her audition secured her offer) which then leads on to the three year Degree course. Although Cat wasn’t a strong enough composer to receive an offer for the ‘song writing’ degree course straight away, they felt she would be an ideal student to take the one year course as a ‘stepping stone’ onto the degree course (a bit like art foundation before art degree). However, the one year diploma course is not funded in the same way as the degree course; ‘Student Finance England’ offer the normal student finance package for the degree course, but not the one year course. The one year course does NOT carry any tuition fees, but Cat would have to fund her accommodation and living expenses herself – something that her family are not in a position to fully fund. There are no bursary funds available from BIMM for the one year course. Cat has costed her financial needs as:
- Accommodation at the Manchester ‘Student Village’: £101 per week = £4,444 (44 week contract)
- Food costs: £30 per week = £1,320 (44 weeks’ worth of food) Cat to cover this from p/t time job in Manchester
We have also compared this with the cost of living at home or buying a season rail ticket, all of which would work out at a similar figure. To cover Cat’s accommodation cost - current funding position:
- After contacting a number of charitable trusts Cat has only been able to secure a £500 donation from ’The Princes Trust’ which is available if she can match this amount from an additional source;
- We are hopeful that £500 can be secured from the ‘Huntington Opportunities Trust Fund’;
- £1321 can be made available from pre-2012 ‘un-named’ 6th form accounts;
- Cat’s family can provide a max. of £500 - this will be the total money Cat will receive from members of her family for her 18th birthday present in May.
Summary: Total accommodation cost for year: £4,444 Less the Princes Trust/Hunt Opp fund: £1,000 (500 + 500 matched funding) Less the family contribution: £500 (max) Less the school contribution: £1,321 Shortfall: £1,623
If you can help fund Cat's Diploma course please click here...
Cat's story in her own words...
My name is Cat White and for as long as I can remember I have had a passion for music. Through my love for singing and a really supportive music department at school, I have for the past 7 years been able to nurture and enjoy this passion, to the point where I am absolutely certain that this is the future pathway I want to follow.
I’m not what you would call a ‘strong academic’, but through my dogged perseverance and sheer hard work over the years, I have been lucky enough to audition for - and be accepted on - a one year Diploma ‘composing’ course at BIMM (British Institute of Music: Manchester), a course which will then lead me directly into the 3 year composing degree programme.
Despite being the official ‘Young Carer’ for my disabled Mother since I was nine, my home background is a really happy one but a financially very poor one. Consequently I am struggling to find the necessary funding to secure my accommodation and living expenses for the next year, before I can then claim student finance for the 3 year degree programme that follows.
My school are working hard to try and secure some funding for me, but I would be immensely grateful if you felt able and willing to contribute towards my education for the next year, as I am unable to formally accept the Manchester course without the necessary funding in place.
I hope you enjoy listening to my level Music Technology song composition, which had to be based around the words of Nelson Mandela’s ‘Long Road to Freedom’ and show ‘a wide variety of uses of technology’.
[audio wav="https://johntomsett.com/content/images/wordpress/2015/05/3c-catriona-white.wav"][/audio]
Thank you for reading and listening.
Cat White, May 2015