Blue Stamp Bursaries - Information for Teachers
How to nominate your student for a Blue Stamp Bursary
Blue Stamp Travel Bursaries
Blue Stamp Bursaries support disadvantaged young people by contributing to the cost of language courses and work experience abroad.
Teachers nominate students aged 16+ who are studying French, German or Spanish at A-level on a full-time course at a UK school or college. The nomination includes a reference written by the teacher along with a personal statement in the target language written by the student.
Nominations open on 1 November 2026. The first bursaries will be awarded in February 2027.
This page explains:
Bursaries Overview[Anchor: bursaries-overview]
Blue Stamp Travel will award bursaries worth £500 to students who are experiencing hardship or disadvantage which prevents them from participating in language learning opportunities in France, Germany or Spain.
Teachers are invited to nominate who is studying French, German or Spanish at A-level (or equivalent) on a full-time course at a UK school or college.
Bursaries will be awarded to students who demonstrate a passion for learning their chosen language but who face particular barriers to international mobility due to disadvantage or hardship. Students must be aged 16–19 at the time of starting their proposed trip.
To nominate a student, teachers write a reference for the student, explaining why the student would benefit from the course or work experience, along with the nature of the disadvantage or hardship they experience.
The student submits a personal statement written in the target language, in which they explain why they would benefit from the bursary.
Bursaries are available for courses and work experience packages in France, Spain and Germany.
What do Blue Stamp Travel Bursaries Cover?[Anchor: what-funding-covers]
Blue Stamp Travel Bursaries cover £500 of the cost of the following course types:
- Intensive Language
- Work and Study
- Work Experience Abroad
All these packages include half-board accommodation. The student will need to show they have a realistic plan to cover the remaining costs of the trip, including travel, lunches, and spending money.
Students must choose a destination and course type before the nomination can be submitted.
Bursary Destinations
Students can use a bursary towards the cost of courses in France, Germany or Spain.
How to Nominate a Student[Anchor: how-to-nominate]
Nominations can be submitted through Babel, our award-winning bespoke trip management platform.
To nominate a student, the teacher submits a reference for the student explaining why they deserve to be awarded a Blue Stamp Bursary. The reference should show why the student has demonstrated exceptional commitment to the study of their chosen language, not only within the classroom but also through their own self-motivated activities (such as wider reading, entry into competitions, or participation in relevant programmes).
The reference should also explain the nature of the hardship and disadvantage which the student experiences, and why these have prevented the student from travelling abroad to access language learning opportunities. Blue Stamp Travel recognises that hardship and disadvantage take many forms and does not require documentary evidence to support the teacher’s judgement.
Student Personal Statement[Anchor: personal-statement]
The student’s personal statement allows the student to explain why they should be awarded a Blue Stamp Bursary. It should be around 400 words in length and written in the target language.
The student should use the personal statement to explain:
- their motivations for seeking a bursary
- the choice of destination and course
- evidence of commitment to language learning
- future study or career plans and how language learning will contribute to those
The personal statement will be assessed by a first-language speaker of the target language. It must be the student’s own work (without the use of AI).
Nomination Deadlines[Anchor: nomination-deadlines]
Nominations will open on 1 November 2026. All nominations received from that point onwards will be assessed on 1st February 2027. Decisions will be announced on 15th February 2027.
The next nomination cycle ends on 1st June 2027, with decisions announced on 15th June 2027.
Thereafter, nominations will be assessed at three points each academic year:
- 1st November (for travel from February to April)
- 1st February (for travel from May to August)
- 1st June (for travel from September to February)
Nominations must be received in time for assessment at least 10 weeks prior to student’s proposed trip. Bursary awards will be valid for 6 months after the date of announcement.
Assessment Process and Criteria [Anchor: assessment-criteria]
Nominations will be shortlisted internally by Blue Stamp Travel. The shortlist will be assessed by the directors of Blue Stamp Travel in conjunction with external assessors who have experience of senior leadership roles in UK education.
The primary criterion for evaluating a nomination relates to evidence of the student’s commitment to their language studies, and the teacher’s assessment of why the student would benefit from the language course or work experience. The evidence could relate to the student’s prior attainment in public examinations, progress and improvement over time, school prizes or awards, evidence of involvement in language learning outside the classroom, or any other point the teacher feels illustrates their passion and commitment.
How Bursaries are Paid
Successful candidates will be awarded funding in the form of a £500 contribution towards a language course (including accommodation and half-board meals). The funding is valid for six months after the announcement of the decision. Cash alternatives will not be offered.
Students must pay the deposit (typically £150) to enrol on the course, and then pay all remaining trip costs not covered by the bursary not less than 12 weeks before travelling.
Blue Stamp Travel’s standard booking conditions apply at all times.
How Bursaries are Funded[Anchor: how-bursaries-funded]
Donations can be made at the point of enrolling for a trip, through an account on Babel or via our website at any time.
For example, a traveller taking a trip with us may choose to add £10, £25 or £50 to their trip. Blue Stamp Travel will match this contribution to the Bursary Fund.
Working in collaboration with our partner language schools, we secure packages at a special rate for Blue Stamp Bursary recipients. These packages maximise the benefit for as many students as possible and ensure that donations are well used. In effect, each £1 donated by a parent/carer or traveller can secure £3 of a course or package.
GDPR
Nominations are treated in the strictest of confidence and all information submitted will be subject to our Privacy Policy and GDPR policy.
Blue Stamp Travel Bursaries – Information for Teachers
Nominations are only accepted from teachers at UK schools or colleges.
Nominations can be submitted through the application form on Babel, which will go live when nominations open on 1 November 2026.
At present there is no function to save a nomination before submitting. We recommend drafting your nomination in another application and pasting it into the web form.
We do not apply any strict or exclusive definition of disadvantage. Rather, we will consider any evidence of circumstances that have created a barrier to a student participating in mobility for study purposes abroad. We do not require supporting evidence of this other than a comment from the teacher in the course of their nomination.
Nominations should be submitted in advance of the assessment date not less than 10 weeks before the student’s proposed travel dates. The following can be considered a good rule of thumb:
- 1st November deadline for travel at Easter / Summer half term
- 1st February deadline for travel in summer holidays
- 1st June deadline for travel in the October half term or at Christmas
Parental/carer consent is not required to submit a nomination, but it is required for any student to travel if they are aged under 18 at the start of their trip. For this reason, we recommend discussing nominations with parents/carers before submitting the nomination.
Bursary nominations will be considered for students to travel after they have taken their A-levels (or equivalent), as long as they have a firm offer of a university place to study that language. The nomination should explain clearly why the trip is necessary after a student has completed their A-levels.
