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For Schools and Colleges
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Schools Membership Scheme Event Travel Bursary

Guidance for Schools

 

The Travel Bursary

Schools attending an on-site Schools Membership Scheme event may be eligible to receive a bursary of up to a maximum of £250 to contribute towards costs incurred by the school for supplying travel to students for the event (i.e. mini bus hire/coach).

Schools will need to retain evidence of the cost associated with travel to/from the event in order to claim the travel bursary. Travel bursary payments will be made to schools after the event has taken place. Should a school cancel last minute, any costs incurred for travel will not be reimbursed by Durham University and the school will be liable for such payments.

Please note, the travel bursary pertains to specific SMS events only and is not transferrable to other activities at the University. However, should a school attend more than one SMS event throughout the course of the academic year we will consider whether further bursary claims can be accommodated on a case-by-case basis.

What Travel Can I Claim?

Under normal circumstances schools may claim the bursary for the following costs associated with transport:

  • Coach/minibus/taxi hire;
  • Petrol costs for use of a school minibus. Petrol costs are reimbursed at 45 pence per mile from/to the school postcode to/from the postcode DH1 3LE;
  • In the instance that public transport is easier or cheaper (for example train) we may be able to reimburse the school for these costs. Schools wishing to purchase public transport for their students should first discuss this with the Schools Membership Scheme Team.
  • We recognise that schools may incur additional costs associated with attending events such as the cost of supply teachers. The primary purpose of this bursary is to facilitate schools participating by mitigating the costs they incur. It may not always be possible to cover additional, non-travel specific costs but we are happy to discuss this with you in advance of the event.

The travel bursary will not cover costs for individual delegates (teachers, students, parents/guardians) where personally incurred. If you are concerned about any other additional travel costs associated with the visit you should speak directly to your University contact before claiming.

How Can I Claim a Travel Bursary for My School?

To claim the travel bursary you must send evidence of travel costs (invoice/receipt from hire company etc.) and a school invoice to schools.membership@durham.ac.uk. Please note we do not need receipts for petrol if a school minibus has been used for the journey.

Your school invoice must be typed/written on a letter headed document, with the following details included:

  • Name of School;
  • All invoices must contain a reference number – this can be any single string of characters (letters and numbers);
  • Amount the school is claiming, this figure should match the evidence of travel costs or conform to the mileage calculations (as appropriate) up to a maximum of £250.00;
  • If using a school mini-bus please detail the number of miles being claimed;
  • Bank details including:
    • Bank account name
    • Sort code
    • Account number
  • Reason for invoice – this can simply say travel bursary/reimbursement.

 

What happens after I’ve submitted my Travel Bursary claim?

Once you have submitted your Travel Bursary claim a member of the team will review it and let you know if there is any information missing or if there are any problems.

You’ll receive a confirmation email once this has been approved by the University’s finance team and a BACS payment will be made to the school shortly after. Please be aware that this can sometimes take up to eight weeks to process. If you are concerned that you haven’t received payment then please contact schools.membership@durham.ac.uk.