Thursday 4 June 2026
Novotel, Birmingham
Novotel, Birmingham
This one-day event aims to support member’s understanding of guidance and create an opportunity to share practice as well as establish a network of support for those administering the bursary and, providing financial support and education. The conference is aimed at both operational staff and those who manage Student Finance and other guidance teams.
This year delegates will follow one of 2 pathways:
1. Beginners: for those new to Student Finance/Bursary or have been in the area for a while but have received limited training or are new to managing the area
2. Experienced: for people who have worked with Student Finance/Bursary for a number of years and are reasonably confident but want to improve their knowledge and understanding
Our conference is sponsored by PayMyStudent
“The UK’s leading Student Bursary Fund Management and Online Payment system, PayMyStudent, is proud to be sponsoring the National Association for Managers of Student Services (NAMSS) Student Finance Conference.
Supporting this important event reflects the values of our two companies: to provide the Further Education (FE) sector with a positive student experience, simplifying internal college processes, and ensuring audit compliance.
The PayMyStudent software provides the best-in-class bursary management and payment systems to Colleges, Sixth Forms, and Universities.”
Ben Ibell, CEO of PayMyStudent
This event is also open to non NAMSS members. Save money on Conference Tickets by clicking here to become a NAMSS member before booking.
09.00am
Registration
09.30am
Workshop 1
11am
Refreshment Break
11.15am
Workshop 2
12.45am
Lunch & Software Drop-in
2.15pm
Workshop 3
3.15pm
Q&A Session
Workshop 1 – Reading and Understanding the Guidance for 26/27
Emma Gipson, Associate Director at RSM UK Consulting will talk through the 26/27 16 to 19 Bursary Fund Guide to help delegates understand it and start to form an action plan to ensure compliance from the start of the new academic year. With time for questions, this should be a really valuable session.
Workshop 2 – Assessing applications accurately and effectively
Sharon Cousins, NAMSS Executive and Vice Principal Student Experience at Newham College will host this session along with Clare Gurney, Product Manager at PayMyStudent. Sharon and Clare will share their experience in FE to really help delegates to ensure they are assessing bursary applications both accurately and effectively. There will be plenty of time to ask questions and share practice.
Workshop 3 – Establishing a transparent, robust process with timelines and a suite of communications
Having a transparent and robust process for Student Finance is vital whatever size your college or Finance Team is. Seral Shevket, Student Finance and Contact Centre Manager and her colleague Tia Tonkinson, Student Finance Team Leader at BMet, will talk about their processes and how they manage their communications as well as answer questions and provide really practical advice.
Workshop 1 – Reading and Understanding the Guidance for 26/27
Peter Clark and Raman Hayre from the Policy Team at the Department for Education will talk through the 16-19 Bursary Fund Guide for 26/27 focussing on the changes made for the new academic year. There will be a rare chance to ask the DfE questions about the Guidance to help clarification.
Workshop 2 – Preparing for Audit
Emma Gipson, Associate Director at RSM UK Consulting will host this great session to help delegates prepare for a stress free and successful audit. Find out what Auditors look for, evidence you should be preparing and where colleges often fall down. This is a great opportunity to ask an Auditor questions before they arrive at the college gates.
Workshop 3 – Reviewing your processes and policies
NAMSS Chair and Associate Principal Students/Customers at Chichester College Group, Lisa Humphries and Sharon Cousins, NAMSS Executive and Vice Principal Student Experience at Newham College will join forces to share their practice and offer practical advice and guidance to ensure that your Student Finance processes are current and compliant.
Tribal (EBS), OneAdvanced (ProSuite) and PayMyStudent will be joining us to answer your questions whether you are a current user of their Student Finance/Bursary software and have practical questions and queries or, if you are considering purchasing a package in the future and would like a closer look at the possibilities.
It’s not often you get 3 of the biggest players in the sector in a room together so do make the most of this rare opportunity. You will also have the chance to ask other end users (your fellow delegates) about their experiences of the various software packages; good and bad.
The Drop-In will be open during registration, over our extended lunch break and from 3.15pm.
The last part of our day will be a fantastic opportunity for you to ask sector experts and experienced practitioners and managers your burning Student Finance/Bursary questions.
There is no formal panel and we’re moving away from delegates having to ask their question in front of everyone instead, we’re planning small ‘chat’ areas for you to join and leave as you want.
Use the time to access the expertise of NAMSS Executive, our software guests, RSM, DfE and colleagues who have worked in FE for many years.
1 day event – Listen, learn, share, network and be inspired in just 1 day.
3 Workshops for each delegate pathway
Share practice –Find out what others have found works and what doesn’t and talk about new ideas.
Non NAMSS Members – the Conference is open to non-members but tickets are more expensive.
