Funding assessment

WITHOUT disputing the importance and value of the education maintenance allowance (EMA) and financial support available for 16 to 19-year-olds to support their post-compulsory education, the report headlined “Sixth-formers fear abolishing allowance” (Gazette, June 30) did, I fear, fail to explore the full situation with regards to the funding support available to 16 to 19-year-old students in 2011-12, as far as we are aware, in relation to government announcements.
By The Newsroom
Published 14th Jul 2011, 08:00 BST

At the end of March, 2011, the government announced a new 16 to 19-year-old bursary fund to support the most vulnerable young people to participate in, and benefit, from post-16 education and training from September, 2011.

All post-16 education school, college and training providers have recently received notification of their allocations from the Young People’s Learning Agency (YPLA), which is responsible for the administration of this fund.

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Working in tandem with all other colleges in Sussex, we are assessing the scope of the funding to meet the needs of our students.

We are working to develop a fair and equitable framework for how the funding will be allocated, and we will shortly disseminate this framework to applicants to the college.

The new bursary fund has been designed to provide bursaries of £1,200 to young people in nominated vulnerable groups, including, children in care, care-leavers, and those on income support. In addition, there is a discretionary element to the fund, designed to allow providers to support students, including those in their first year of post-16 study, and top-up payments to those who are currently in receipt of EMA, who will continue to be supported through transitional arrangements where appropriate.

The YPLA suggests that under these arrangements, the most vulnerable will receive over £400 more than the average annual payment under EMA.

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Transitional arrangements will help current recipients of EMA, who are part-way through their studies and currently receiving EMA. All students who successfully applied for EMA in 2009-10 will continue to receive payments at the level set out in their EMA guarantee for each week they are in education or training, until the end of the 2011-12 academic year.

While those students who successfully applied for the maximum weekly EMA payment of £30 in 2010-11 will be eligible for £20 for each week they are in education or training, until the end of the 2011-12 academic year.

There is no doubt that with the changes afoot for university fees, starting in autumn, 2012, and the ending of the EMA, albeit with the new bursary fund and EMA transitional arrangements in place, these are testing times for young people and the post-16 education sector

However, prospective students and their parents should be assured that the college, like all providers, will provide as much clarity as possible as to the financial support available to support the aspirations of young people to access post-16 education and training.

Peter Corrigan,

principal

Worthing College

Related topics:Sussex