Scholarships to give lessons in learning in Leeds

The fund, which looks set to provide up to £3,333 a year in living costs, is available to one student every year at both Horsforth High and Elliott Hudson College.

The scholarship, launched by Frank Hester, the founder of an IT company, TPP, is aimed at students who may be deterred from staying in education by financial reasons.

Horsforth School is less than a mile from TPP’s new headquarters.

To qualify for the scholarship at this school, the student must have a family income of below £25,000 or mitigating circumstances that have affected their learning.

They must also have achieved a consistently high academic performance.

Elliott Hudson College is a free school which opened last year.

Students are eligible for the scholarship if they were previously a pupil at Swallow Hill Academy or live in Armley.

Their family income must also be below £25,000.

Mr Hester said: “I grew up in Armley and I know how many great kids there are in that area, who maybe just need an extra helping hand to be able to achieve their ambitions.

“We also wanted to work with Horsforth High because we’ve been in the town for nearly 20 years now.

“I’m excited to meet students who apply for this scholarship and for staff at TPP to work with them to help them achieve great things in further education.”

Simon Mason, the director of post-16 education at Horsforth High, welcomed the scheme and told the Yorkshire Evening Post: “We warmly welcome such a tremendous opportunity for our students over the coming years to be able to benefit from this generous scholarship from a global employer with roots in Horsforth.”

Elliott Hudson’s principal, David Holtham, added: “This very generous scholarship is an amazing opportunity for one of our students.

“Equally important is the ability to form a close relationship with a forward thinking local employer.”