Evaluation of the 16-19 Bursary Fund: year 1 report

Key Findings: The total number of young people in England receiving a Defined Vulnerable Group (DVG) Bursary in 2011/12 is estimated to be 27,400. The total number of students awarded Discretionary Bursaries in 2011/12 in England is estimated to be 251,800. - Profiles of applicants and recipients for DVG and Discretionary Bursaries across all characteristics were very similar, suggesting that no groups were more or less likely to be awarded Bursaries if they applied. - The majority of providers used income-related criteria to determine eligibility for Discretionary Bursaries, with Free School Meal entitlement, household income and household benefit receipt being the most common criteria. Other eligibility criteria used by providers included identifying financial needs, transport costs and equipment needs. - Discretionary Bursaries were most commonly awarded to cover the costs of transport or educational equipment. - In-kind awards were used by more than a quarter (27%) of providers for at least some Bursaries and by a smaller proportion (12%) for all Bursary awards. - Two-thirds of providers (68%) thought that the Bursary Fund was effective in targeting young people with the greatest barriers to participation

Observations of the X-ray Nova GRO~J0422+32: II: Optical Spectra Approaching Quiescence

We present results obtained from a series of 5~\AA\ resolution spectra of the X-ray Nova GRO~J0422+32 obtained in 1993~October, when the system was approximately 2 magnitudes above quiescence, with ${\rm R \sim 19}$. The data were obtained in an effort to measure the orbital radial velocity curve of the secondary, but detection of the narrow photospheric absorption lines needed to do this proved elusive. Instead we found wide absorption bands reminiscent of M~star photospheric features. The parameters determined by fitting accretion disk line profiles (Smak profiles) to the H$\alpha$ line are similar to those found in several strong black-hole candidates. Measurements of the velocity of the H$\alpha$ line are consistent with an orbital period of 5.1~hours and a velocity semi-amplitude of the primary of $34 \pm 6$~\kms. These measurements, when combined with measurements of the velocity semi-amplitude of the secondary made by others, indicate that the mass ratio $q \sim 0.09$. If the secondary follows the empirical mass-radius relation found for CVs, the low $q$ implies a primary mass of $M_x \sim 5.6$\mo, and a rather low (face-on) inclination. The H$\alpha$ EW is found to be modulated on the orbital period with a phasing that implies a partial eclipse of the disk by the secondary, but simultaneous R~band photometry shows no evidence for such an eclipse.Comment: Accepted for ApJ, plain latex, 5 figures available as self-extracting uuendoced, compressed, tarfiles (from uufiles