The government’s replacement for the Educational Maintenance Allowance (EMA) is failing as it is “inadequate”, according to a report from Barnardos. 

The report found that the cut in funding was not only confusing, but was leaving many vulnerable young people without enough means to carry on learning, with some students reported to be skipping meals in order to pay for their transport fares to and from college. The report looked at 51 disadvantaged youngsters and the colleges they attend, and found that many young people that should be supported by the Bursary Fund “will be held back because they say they can’t afford to continue.”

Paul Davis, managing director of Perspective, commented: “This latest report illustrates that the government’s replacement Bursary Fund is unsuitable for meeting the needs and requirements of England’s disadvantaged youths. At a time when youth unemployment is reaching record levels the government should be doing all it can to encourage young people to stay in education, thereby enhancing the likelihood of them finding work once they’ve completed their studies.”

Whereas the EMA was a £560 million a year scheme, the government’s £180 million replacement Bursary Fund is too small an amount to meet the needs of England’s poorest students. The EMA offered a payment of £30 a week to students with a household income of less than £30,000 PA. The replacement Bursary Fund however is only targeted at young people who are in care, leaving care or on income support, with the majority of the sum being placed into a discretionary fund run by colleges that can often be poorly managed or misspent.