Welsh Assembly Government | Education Maintenance Allowances Awarded in Wales

Education Maintenance Allowances Awarded in Wales – Update at End of November 2010

The latest National Statistics on Education Maintenance Allowances awarded in Wales, produced by the Welsh Assembly Government, were released on 8 December 2010 according to the arrangements approved by the UK Statistics Authority.

This Statistical First Release presents information on the number of applications for Education Maintenance Allowances (EMAs) by students studying in Wales for the period up to 30 November 2010. The EMA Wales scheme was introduced for 16 year olds for the first time in 2004/05. In 2005/06, the scheme was extended to include 16 and 17 year olds and, in 2006/07, 18 year olds. The scheme is designed to provide an incentive for students from lower-income families to continue and remain in full-time education. The principal component of the EMA is a weekly allowance, linked to satisfactory attendance, for eligible students attending learning centres in Wales. Students can qualify for awards of £10, £20 or £30 depending on household income. They can also qualify for periodic additional bonuses of £100 if agreed learning objectives are met.

The data, based on applications received by 30 November 2010, are correct as at 2 December 2010.

The key points from the latest release are:

So far, a total of 37,740 EMA Wales applications have been received for the academic year 2010/11.
34,950 (93 per cent) of applications received have been approved, 520 (1 per cent) have been rejected and 2,150 (6 per cent) are incomplete(1).
3 per cent more EMA applications have been received for 2010/11 than at the same point last year (for 2009/10), while the total amount of approved applications is 6 per cent higher.

(1) These may include applications that are “missing information” (e.g. no date of birth included) or “missing evidence” (e.g. birth certificate).