Home Home, Law & Money
If you need urgent support, call 999 or go to your nearest A&E. To contact our Crisis Messenger (open 24/7) text THEMIX to 85258.
Read the community guidelines before posting ✨

What do you think of EMA?

2»

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Melian wrote: »
    I did. I went to the same place where I went to school. I don't ever remember having to buy things such as paper, paying for photocopies or to resit exams.

    I had to pay to resit 2 of my GCSE science modules, which I resat in year 11 before my final exams. I also had to pay to resit AS modules. I was at the same school for GCSE and A level.

    I definitely always had to pay for photocopies in the science department, I had to pay for any equipment if I didn't turn up to school with it (my school wouldn't let you borrow a pen, you had to buy one off the teacher!), and if we lost any of our work books, we had to pay for them. Certain departments, albeit only the practical ones, would charge you a fee at the beginning of the year to cover material costs. If you didn't pay, you couldn't do practical/couldn't take home anything you made depending on the individual departments rules.

    As my school was a Foundation school, we didn't get all of the usual help from the LEA, especially to do with music lessons. You know why most people in my GCSE class did vocals? Because we didn't get as much help towards the costs of hiring instruments so none of us could really afford to play any!

    Anyway, circumstances vary between different schools/colleges/sixth forms, this is just how it was at my school.

    About holidays as treats: the last time I went on holiday with the family I live with (note I have been on holiday with my grandma more recently) was in 2003 when I was 13. We went to Malta. I saved up my wages to pay for myself to go to Germany 2 years ago, and I went to Clacton with some friends last year. I'm not going anywhere this year. I need as many hours at work as I can get.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Everything you say about university students applies to college students too, so you shoot your own argument in the foot.

    I don't really. There's no statutory funding available to students in further education, other than EMA for qualifying students.

    If they want to bring in a student loan system for further education students then that's fine, but I'd hazard a guess that a combination of child benefit, child tax credit and EMA for the qualifying young person would be sufficient.
    Franki wrote:
    Why should he have to pay towards it? I'm not his child and they've spent enough on bringing me up for the last eight years. I am justifiably angry at the student loans system and not only because of this.

    Because he's your mother's partner. Part of the responsibilities of taking on the role as guardian is that you sponsor your stepchildren through university. If he has the money- and if you've been assessed at that level of loan the combined income will be over £50k- then I don't see why other people should pay for you.

    If you're really struggling financially there's the Access to Learning Fund (ALF), a Government-sponsored hardship fund; talk to your University about it.
    I'm not sure how my sister would eat if it wasn't for her job, because she is at university in London and is therefore at a major disadvantage from the off.

    Student loan rates are significantly higher for students studying in London, so it's taken into account in the system.

    If she's really struggling that badly then she should apply to ALF, but part of being a student is being grown up and doing part time work to pay your way.

    I pushed trollies round Tescos in the middle of winter to pay for my studies, people who won't work get little sympathy from me. People who CAN'T work should get all the help and support they need, but there has to be a certain amount of self-responsibility here.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Kermit wrote: »
    I don't really. There's no statutory funding available to students in further education, other than EMA for qualifying students.

    Plus all course fees paid for every student. Something which isn't the case for university students.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Plus all course fees paid for every student. Something which isn't the case for university students.

    But that's to do with the funding of universities vs colleges - colleges get their funding directly from the government and have to adhere to stricter guidelines (i.e. teachers salaries, budgets, teaching content) whereas universities are to some extent private institutions that are allowed to do what they like although they are self regulated for the purpose of standards.

    If you went to a private 6th form college you wouldn't get any state support / student loan.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Plus all course fees paid for every student. Something which isn't the case for university students.

    That's not true. You'll have your fees waived if you're under a certain age and it's your first qualification. The age limits depend on whether you're going for a level two (GCSE or equivalent) or level three (A'Level or equivalent) qualification.

    Anyone else has to pay for their tuition.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Hey there :wave:

    Just wanted to say thanks for your views on this. The Department of Children, School and Families got in touch today to say:
    Could you convey our thanks to the respondents and assure them that their views will help to inform future policy development.

    :thumb:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Is it bollocks. There's not a college course in the country that has £1500 worth of costs associated with it. A bus pass, a couple of books (and I don't know anyone who had to buy more than that) and some pens and pads don't come to £30 a week, or even £10 a week, and it's ridiculous to suggest that this money was for that purpose. Hell, you could even buy a pretty good computer and have change.

    i went to college in london, it cost me £30 alone in travel each week, not including meals, 7 text books at £20 each, pens, pads, graph paper, a calculator, batteries for a dictaphone, folders to organise things, ink for my printer at home when my printing credits at college ran out...

    I was living off £45.70 a week - in my own flat not with parents at 16, plus EMA for pretty much the entire time i was at college, i'm really not too sure how i did it. But there is damn well no way i could have gone to college without it
Sign In or Register to comment.