Money to stay at school 'gimmick'

Means tested weekly allowances will be between �10 and �30

Welsh Conservatives have labelled plans to pay teenagers who stay on at school £30 a week a "gimmick".

Education Minister Jane Davidson announced the plans on Monday.

The "earn as you learn" scheme will be means-tested but has been hailed as a way of reducing the UK's post-16 drop out rate.

But Conservative education spokesman David Davies said it was a headline-grabbing gimmick.

In pilot projects carried out in a third of English LEAs, the attendance of 16-year-old boys rose by 6.9 percentage points while that of 16-year-old girls rose by 5.9 percentage points.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) and University of Loughborough estimated the staying on rate had risen by 10% in the most deprived areas.

Mr Davies told BBC Wales: "It's another example of headline-grabbing gimmick that Tony Blair has called for.

"We're going to be paying teenagers peanuts to stay on for two years and then charge them thousands to go to university."

Education maintenance allowances will be available across the country as of September this year.

Anyone who lives in a house where income is £30,000 or less will be eligible for the means-tested payments which will vary between £10 and £30 a week.

There is a great problem of poverty in parts of Wales and we have an opportunity to do something to the break the cycle of deprivation Rhys Williams, NUT Cymru

Bonuses of £100 could also be given out to students who stay with their courses and demonstrate advances in learning.

Ms Davidson's announcement follows a similar one in England.

She said: " Whilst we have introduced the Assembly Learning Grant scheme in Wales, which has clearly benefited those aged 18 plus, I do not underestimate the potential which EMAs have for encouraging 16 and 17 year olds to remain in education."

The minister said that extra money to fund the project had been agreed with the Treasury.

Latest Assembly Government figures show that nearly 40% of pupils stayed on at school after the age of 16, compared to just over 35% in 1990.

Rhys Williams of the National Union of Teachers' Cymru welcomed the decision and said evidence from pilot schemes in England had shown it could make a difference.

He said: "There is a great problem of poverty in parts of Wales and we have an opportunity to do something to break the cycle of deprivation."

Mr Williams said poorer areas of Wales had more pupils who left school without qualifications.

"It can be passed down from generation to generation, with grandparents and parents having a bad experience at school.

The allowances are set to start in September

"Anything that cuts across that in providing support for young people is wholly sensible."

He said it could be argued that there should be more money offered, but it was "an improvement on zero" and he thought £30 a week would make a difference to young people in making decisions.

David Eynon, headteacher at St Cenydd School in Caerphilly, which has 160 pupils in its sixth form, said it was also important that the quality and variety of courses on offer to students was there.

He said: "As a headteacher I'm glad to see resources coming into education in every shape or form. I'm well aware the importance the assembly is placing on post-16 education, it's important that research is done so we get the best possible value from the money coming in.

"It's also important that the system of means testing and administration is relatively straightforward, so pupils don't have their expectations built up and dashed."

E-mail this to a friend

Printable version