Education Maintenance Allowance - exceptions

Titch89

MrsE wrote: »

Are they allowed one or two years of it?

3 years. (some people do NVQs, which take 3 years)

John38_2

I know someone whose entitled to £30 a week but they weren born on the 3rd September. They couldn't get anything for the first year either.

The age discrimination case is an absolute non starter. "Isolate her from her peers damaging her wellbeing?" Your having a laugh? Surely? What about Y13 when all her peers have turned 18, going out drinking, and shes still 17? Shall we change the law so your 17 year old daughter get in into nightclubs with her mates?

At the end of the day, she could always resit the GCSES she doesn't get an A* in back at school, and then go and do A Levels with 14 A* grades, get EMA for two years, and go to Uni with people her own age.

Pont

John38 wrote: »

I know someone whose entitled to £30 a week but they weren born on the 3rd September. They couldn't get anything for the first year either.

The age discrimination case is an absolute non starter. "Isolate her from her peers damaging her wellbeing?" Your having a laugh? Surely? What about Y13 when all her peers have turned 18, going out drinking, and shes still 17? Shall we change the law so your 17 year old daughter get in into nightclubs with her mates?

At the end of the day, she could always resit the GCSES she doesn't get an A* in back at school, and then go and do A Levels with 14 A* grades, get EMA for two years, and go to Uni with people her own age.

Hmmm John, thanks for your comments - as I've said before all contributions welcome. The isolating from peers etc is just pointing out that she has spent the last 11+ years with the same group of classmates. I think your reference to the drinking age falls down a little as this law doesn't affect my DD for an entire year - she may have to do without a beer for anything between 5 days and almost a year as her peers will all reach the age of 18 at various stages throughout the year. EG many of her friends have August birthdays so they will also have to wait to go out to the pub with their older classmates. So no I don't expect the drinking age to be changed so my daughter can get into nightclubs.

When you write of re-sitting GCSEs please note, as mentioned previously, she has already left school - this is not in question by any of the authorities. Also she only needs 4 B grades to do the A level courses at college so bearing in mind her anticipated grades, re-sitting would be a pointless exercise (how many GCSEs does one person need?).

All I'm saying here is that the powers that be haven't accounted for the grey area between school leaving dates (Ed Law 1996 'reached 16 years before the start date of the next academic term') and EMA cut off date of 31st August (in England/Wales). There is anything up to 8 days between these dates (depending on where you live and the particular year in question).

John38_2

Pont wrote: »

Hmmm John, thanks for your comments - as I've said before all contributions welcome. The isolating from peers etc is just pointing out that she has spent the last 11+ years with the same group of classmates. I think your reference to the drinking age falls down a little as this law doesn't affect my DD for an entire year - she may have to do without a beer for anything between 5 days and almost a year as her peers will all reach the age of 18 at various stages throughout the year. EG many of her friends have August birthdays so they will also have to wait to go out to the pub with their older classmates. So no I don't expect the drinking age to be changed so my daughter can get into nightclubs.

When you write of re-sitting GCSEs please note, as mentioned previously, she has already left school - this is not in question by any of the authorities. Also she only needs 4 B grades to do the A level courses at college so bearing in mind her anticipated grades, re-sitting would be a pointless exercise (how many GCSEs does one person need?).

All I'm saying here is that the powers that be haven't accounted for the grey area between school leaving dates (Ed Law 1996 'reached 16 years before the start date of the next academic term') and EMA cut off date of 31st August (in England/Wales). There is anything up to 8 days between these dates (depending on where you live and the particular year in question).

At the end of the day, she's a victim of her own sucess.

If she wasn't so bright, she'd be starting Y11 in September anyway, so STILL wouldn't of got any financial support in regards to EMA.

She will get it during Y13, as you know. If shes desperate to get her 3 years worth of EMA, why doesn't she consider doing a BTEC National in a subject she enjoys after her A levels? They take 2 years, and are equal to 3 A Levels. She'll get EMA for both years. She could then go onto Uni....

Oldernotwiser

John38 wrote: »

She will get it during Y13, as you know. If shes desperate to get her 3 years worth of EMA, why doesn't she consider doing a BTEC National in a subject she enjoys after her A levels? They take 2 years, and are equal to 3 A Levels. She'll get EMA for both years. She could then go onto Uni....

Have to say that this is a pretty daft suggestion and I assume that you only made it tongue in cheek. Doing 2 years of A levels and 2 years of a BTEC National just to get £30 per week for a year would be pretty stupid and a complete waste of 2 years of anybody's life - with the possible exception of somebody who'd done really badly in their A levels and were doing this as an alternative to resits.

SWMBO

At least she'll still be eligible for child benefit. DS is considering studying with the Open University as a stepping stone to bricks & mortar university study, as he finds the quality of the material much better. At the moment there's a huge grey area where school students can do A levels and OU courses side by side and still receive child benefit, but students of the same age studying those same courses at home don't.

Oldernotwiser

SWMBO wrote: »

At least she'll still be eligible for child benefit. DS is considering studying with the Open University as a stepping stone to bricks & mortar university study, as he finds the quality of the material much better. At the moment there's a huge grey area where school students can do A levels and OU courses side by side and still receive child benefit, but students of the same age studying those same courses at home don't.

Surely that's to do with being a full time student? You can't be defined as full time with the OU, however many units you're studying.

SWMBO

A student at a 6th form or college studying 3, 4 or 5 A or AS levels plus an OU course continues to get child benefit, but a student doing exactly the same number of courses at home doesn't. Its nothing to do with 'full time' or not, nor is it because of studying at home. Providing they were home educated prior to turning 16 they are still eligible beyond 16. Its a loophole that has arisen because when the rules were written students studied either A levels OR OU, not both. Home educating parents are asked in much more detail about the courses undertaken. Technically the rule about CB not being payable to a 16 - 19 year old studying an OU course in addition to their A levels should apply also to students attending a 6th form or college, but in practice they aren;t asked, or its 'overlooked'.

Oldernotwiser

SWMBO wrote: »

A student at a 6th form or college studying 3, 4 or 5 A or AS levels plus an OU course continues to get child benefit, but a student doing exactly the same number of courses at home doesn't. Its nothing to do with 'full time' or not, nor is it because of studying at home. Providing they were home educated prior to turning 16 they are still eligible beyond 16. Its a loophole that has arisen because when the rules were written students studied either A levels OR OU, not both. Home educating parents are asked in much more detail about the courses undertaken. Technically the rule about CB not being payable to a 16 - 19 year old studying an OU course in addition to their A levels should apply also to students attending a 6th form or college, but in practice they aren;t asked, or its 'overlooked'.

I'm not nit picking, I'm interested. So a student studying A levels at home is eligible for CB but if they're doing an OU course on top of it they're not? Could you give an example? (This is a genuine question, honest!) Sorry, I'm a bit confused.

SWMBO

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

I'm not nit picking, I'm interested. So a student studying A levels at home is eligible for CB but if they're doing an OU course on top of it they're not? Could you give an example? (This is a genuine question, honest!) Sorry, I'm a bit confused.

Didn't think you were. I hope my replies are not too confusing, although its a situation that is far from straightforward.

Student A, doing A levels in Maths, Further Maths & Physics, plus an OU course about volcanoes at Nice'n'Sunny 6th form would get a form sent to their parents & they'd reply that they yes they were continuing their education at nice'n'sunny 6th form & their CB would continue.

Student B, doing A levels in Maths, Further Maths & Physics, plus an OU course about volcanoes at home would get a form sent to their parents & they'd reply that they yes they were continuing their education at home. They'd get a further form asking them to detail what they were studying & the mention of an OU course (being HIGHER, not further, education) would trigger CB being stopped.

That's my understanding of the situation, though we won't get the form ourselves until next academic year.

Sorry, I'm a bit confused.

Yup, me too. I don't see how the level of study affects how much my son needs my financial support. It seems to me to be discriminating against brighter students.