Community Education Fund Access Policy
# Community Education Fund Access Policy
## Purpose
NSEMM’s Community Education Fund (CEF) ensures that financial circumstances are never a barrier to accessing high-quality tutoring and mentoring. This policy sets out who qualifies for CEF support, how contributions are calculated, and how the fund is managed to remain sustainable.
## Scope
This policy applies to all enquiries for tutoring, mentoring, and university admissions support from students in Year 7 and above (KS3+). Services for students in Year 6 or below (primary age / KS2) are offered on a Flexible Contribution Programme (FCP) basis only and are not eligible for CEF subsidy.
## The Flexible Contribution Programme
NSEMM operates a Flexible Contribution Programme (FCP) for all families. Under FCP, families choose what they can afford to contribute per session, subject to the minimum floors set out in this policy. The FCP model means NSEMM does not operate a fixed fee schedule — instead, contributions reflect individual circumstances.
## CEF Eligibility
The CEF provides additional subsidy, reducing the family contribution to £5 per session (or £0 for Full Bursary recipients), with NSEMM’s Community Education Fund covering the remainder.
CEF eligibility is determined by one or more of the following:
### IMD Proactive Pathway
Families in postcodes falling within Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) deciles 1–3 are automatically offered CEF support, regardless of declared contribution. NSEMM checks IMD data server-side using the postcode provided at enquiry; this check is never disclosed to the family.
### Price-First Pathway
Families who indicate they are able to contribute below NSEMM’s current price threshold (typically £10 per session) are offered CEF Standard support, subject to fund availability.
### Full Bursary Pathway
Families who provide a school referral letter — on headed paper, signed by a named member of school staff, with the staff member’s school email address provided — may qualify for a Full Bursary. Under Full Bursary, the family contribution is £0 per session and NSEMM’s CEF covers the full session cost. Families receiving support from a Local Authority home education officer may also qualify. Full Bursary requests are subject to volunteer triage and letter verification.
## Contribution Tiers
| Tier | Condition | Min/session | CEF pays |
|—|—|—|—|
| Full Bursary | School referral letter (headed paper, named staff, school email) + parental declaration; OR LA home-ed officer letter | £0 | Full cost |
| CEF Standard | IMD decile ≤3 OR declared contribution below threshold; fund not in Emergency band | £5 | Cost minus £5 |
| FCP Standard | Healthy/Monitoring band; no CEF qualification | £10 min | — |
| FCP Constrained | Constrained band; no CEF qualification | £15 min (£5 with school referral) | — |
| Emergency | Emergency band; CEF-eligible families only | £5 | Cost minus £5 |
## Fund Bands
The CEF fund is managed using a session-runway model. The fund balance is converted to a session count based on NSEMM’s published session cost rate. Four bands apply:
– **Healthy** (≥100 sessions runway): Full CEF access; all tiers available.
– **Monitoring** (50–99 sessions): Full CEF access; trustees notified.
– **Constrained** (16–49 sessions): FCP minimum rises to £15/session for non-CEF families. CEF families unaffected.
– **Emergency** (<16 sessions): New CEF-eligible families still accepted at £5/session. Non-CEF families not affected by the Emergency band directly, but should be aware that service capacity may be prioritised for CEF-eligible families.
Bands use a ±5 session hysteresis to prevent rapid oscillation at boundaries.
## Sibling Policy
Where a family has an existing or recent (within 24 months) CEF-eligible student, a sibling enquiry will automatically inherit CEF eligibility. The inherited tier is based on the sibling's assessment.
## School Referral Pathway
Schools and education professionals may refer students directly. A referral letter on headed paper, naming the referring member of staff and their school email address, unlocks the Full Bursary pathway. The referring staff member will receive a secure upload link. NSEMM retains referral letters in accordance with our Data Protection Policy.
## Misrepresentation
By submitting this enquiry you confirm all information provided — including financial circumstances, school referral details, and GCSE retake status — is accurate and complete. Where NSEMM determines on reasonable grounds that material misrepresentation has occurred, NSEMM reserves the right to: (a) suspend or terminate provision of services; (b) recalculate the applicable contribution at NSEMM's published session cost rate; and (c) recover the difference between any subsidised contribution and the full rate for sessions already delivered. This is consistent with our Anti-Fraud, Bribery and Corruption Policy.
## Review
This policy is reviewed annually by the Board of Trustees or following a material change to the fund balance or CEF rate structure.
*Effective date: 1 April 2025. Approved by the Board of Trustees.*