Is EMA Fair???

looby75

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

You must be reading a different article from the one I am! It clearly states that there are only three circumstances in which EMA might be reassessed and a parent losing his/her job isn't one of them.

The BBC article also specifically addresses the issue of parental redundancy and explains that this won't happen.

How on earth did you come to your conclusion from the information I supplied?

but in my nephews case that's exactly what happend. He wasn't entitled in September 2008 as the family income was just over the threshold, his dad got made redundant shortly after that, he reapplied in july year and has been awarded £20 a week.

shaliz_2

I don't think you can generalise really.

All of my children have received EMA at the full rate.

My eldest boy is a fourth year medical student. My middle one is in the RAF going to fight for his country next year. The youngest just got one A*, six A's and three B's at GCSE. All of them had part time jobs whilst studying.

It really is a great help for them, and we could not have afforded for them to go to Uni without it.

Oldernotwiser

rev_henry wrote: »

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/14To19/MoneyToLearn/EMA/DG_066955

Its all there on the directgov official EMA site:
'The ‘EMA guarantee’ means you automatically get EMA payments at the same rate for up to three years, even if your household income goes up. This applies up to the year in which you reach 19.
So if you got EMA last year, you weren’t doing an e2e programme and your circumstances haven’t changed, you don’t need to complete a form for 2009/2010. Just enrol at your learning provider for 2009/10, and you’ll continue to get your EMA payments.'



'You’ll need to fill in a 2009/10 application form if:

• you haven’t applied for EMA before – or you weren’t entitled to it in 2008/09, but think you might be now
• you got EMA for 2008/09, but you think you may be entitled to a higher level of support this year because your household income circumstances have changed'

I wasn't disagreeing with this part of it, it was having it reassessed that's not supposed to happen.

Oldernotwiser

looby75 wrote: »

but in my nephews case that's exactly what happend. He wasn't entitled in September 2008 as the family income was just over the threshold, his dad got made redundant shortly after that, he reapplied in july year and has been awarded £20 a week.

Yes, your post puzzled me before; it's not supposed to work like that, although obviously I'm pleased for your nephew.

looby75

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

Yes, your post puzzled me before; it's not supposed to work like that, although obviously I'm pleased for your nephew.

Maybe it worked out for him because BIL lost his job just after nephew started college and they were only just above the threshold on two wages.

lauh88

My experience of EMA:
I lived with my Mum and sister and the extra money helped with getting to school, trips etc. Basically replaced pocket money as my Mum couldn't afford to help me after my Dad left when I was 16. I actually started giving her £50 a month keep when I started working (I had 3 jobs at one point in 6th form, as well as getting EMA. Believe me £100 a week is nothing nowadays. Keeping up with my friends whose parents gave them money whenever was hard, they had cars, new phones, etc and didn't have to work or even attend 6th form like I did for it. )
I know the point of EMA is so you don't have to work but my Mums on a low income with 2 kids and a mortgage to pay so I still wanted to 'earn my share' and help my Mum out.
I went onto uni and now I'm training to be a secondary science teacher!
I know some kids do abuse the system (i.e. those with divorced parents, or self employed parents), but if you were offered £30 a week would you say no? I do think that either they should tighten the rules, when I was at school it was a sliding scale, i.e. some would get £10, £20, or the full £30 depending on their parents earnings, but I think everyone who qualifies gets £30 now? Which is unfair on the kids whose parents are £1 over and don't qualify.

33pelter

very unfair in MOST cases as people who don't benefit (like me!) are left with anything we were able to get (parents couldn't throw £30 out each and every week and pay bonuses lol)
Then again, at uni alot of the EMA people get free grants of up to £3000 while the rest of us will be saddled with debt.... how is that fair? Our parents don't provide any of it yet because they earn over the threshold we are disadvantaged?

bestpud

33pelter wrote: »

very unfair in MOST cases as people who don't benefit (like me!) are left with anything we were able to get (parents couldn't throw £30 out each and every week and pay bonuses lol)
Then again, at uni alot of the EMA people get free grants of up to £3000 while the rest of us will be saddled with debt.... how is that fair? Our parents don't provide any of it yet because they earn over the threshold we are disadvantaged?

That's something you need to take up with your parents!

Oldernotwiser

33pelter wrote: »

very unfair in MOST cases as people who don't benefit (like me!) are left with anything we were able to get (parents couldn't throw £30 out each and every week and pay bonuses lol)
Then again, at uni alot of the EMA people get free grants of up to £3000 while the rest of us will be saddled with debt.... how is that fair? Our parents don't provide any of it yet because they earn over the threshold we are disadvantaged?

Why do people in your situation get angry with the government and not your parents? If you have parents who are on a decent income and they don't choose to help fund your education then that's really a subject to be discussed within the family.

It seems fair enough to me that students from low income households get more money than those from comfortably off homes, even if these parents choose to spend their money elsewhere!

rev_henry

I do think this problem of parents not paying their fair share is an issue though. The reason you don't get as much in the way of uni grants is because the government deem that your parents can make up the difference. When they don't it does result in those from higher incomes being disadvantaged financially in real terms.