Educational Maintenance Allowance: Lincolnshire

Mark Simmonds
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of pupils in further education in Lincolnshire received the educational maintenance allowance in each year since 2004.

Phil Hope
This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council, who operate Education Maintenance Allowances for the DfES and hold the information about take-up of the scheme. Mark Haysom, the Council’s chief executive, has written to the hon. Member with the information requested and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Library.

Letter from Mark Haysom, dated 22 December 2006:

I am writing in response to your recent Parliamentary Question that asked what percentage of pupils in further education in Lincolnshire received the educational maintenance allowance in each year since 2004.

Information on the number of young people who have applied, enrolled and received Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) is available at Local Authority level. EMA take-up is defined as young people who have received one or more EMA payment in the academic year.

The National EMA scheme was phased in over time to successive 16-year old age groups. 2004/05 was the first year of National EMA and therefore we can only give data for 16 year olds in that year. Of those that were in full time education in the Lincolnshire Local Authority area, some 49.6% received one or more EMA payment.

This percentage is based on the participation estimates of 16 year olds in full time education that are outlined within the Statistical First Release 13/2006. In 2004/05 the amount of 16 year olds in education was 6300. However it should be noted that not all those in full time education would have been eligible for EMA on income grounds. At present we are unable to give similar percentages for 2005/06 as the sub-national participation estimates for 2005 are not currently available. They are due to be published in June 2007.