300 students at Priestley to miss out on grants (From This Is Cheshire)

300 students at Priestley to miss out on grants

9:10am Wednesday 22nd February 2012 in News

OFFICIALS in Warrington have reacted to a report that says ‘inadequate’ education funding is leading to teenagers dropping out of college.

Research by Barnados says scrapping the Educational Maintenance Allowance in favour of a bursary scheme has failed to support young people.

Matthew Grant, deputy principal of Priestley College, said that around 300 students who would have received cash under the EMA scheme have not done so this year.

He said that teenagers are not dropping out of Priestley College but believes that the reduction in funding is leading to some opting out of going to college altogether.

“Surprisingly there has been more retention but maybe that is because less young people are going to college in the first place,” said Mr Grant.

“I think nationally people are being put off going to college.”

The decision to axe EMA was made in 2010 by education secretary Michael Gove.

It means that college students from low income families are getting up to £700 less a year in support for travel, text books and food.

The Government says that EMA was not affordable but Warrington North MP Helen Jones criticised the funding cuts.

She said: “I always warned that abolishing EMA would reduce the numbers staying on in education.

“It is very sad to see these latest figures because, taken with the youth unemployment figures, they show that we are wasting a whole generation.

“The government should take up our suggestion and have a tax on bankers bonuses to create jobs and training for young people. “ Warrington South MP David Mowat said that axing EMA was necessary as support was not targeted enough.

He said: “The Government decided that EMA was not the most appropriate way of distributing funds to needy children.

“There are booming numbers of apprenticeships, nearly 1,130 in Warrington South last year, and in some cases these can be far more valuable and rewarding than an academic education.”