if you got £30 a week....

SuziQ

My daughter used the EMA very sensibly,it enabled her to be more independent at college and has taught her a few budgeting skills (essential for Uni!) but I was also very grateful that the extra trips she had to do were also subsidised-eg,as she was doing A level spanish they offered a week at a college in spain in half term,it made an enormous dfference to her when it came to the exam but I would have really struggled with the full cost of it.

She still took a packed lunch and used an oyster card for travel. I do think it's unfair that someone on a low income,but just over the threshold gets nothing but I suppose they have to draw the line somewhere.
I don't think the incentive element worked though. My daughter will always be on time and is dedicated enough to attend every session of whatever course she does (that's just her nature.) From what she told me,other kids on EMA- having perhaps already lost it early in the week for being late or whatever would just skive even more because there was no longer any point being there. She felt a lot of kids at her college didn't really want to be there to learn-a lot of them were just there to put off the dreaded day they would have to find a job.

If I had been in a better financial situation and not eligible for EMA for her, I would like to think I may have been able to give her a similar amount each month for her to use the same way. However I expect that I would have struggled to do it.