Learner Support Fund
What is the Leaner Support Fund?
The Government have allocated the Learner Support Fund to WAES to provide financial help to students who have significant difficulty meeting the costs associated with learning.
A number of changes have been introduced to the learner support fund this year as a result of changes outside WAES and our own evaluation. These are:
• The amount granted to us to support students in financial hardship has stayed the same as last year
• We have been granted additional funding this year to help English for Speakers of other Languages students with tuition fees but we can’t spend this for any other purpose
• Many students (especially those on English for Speakers of other Languages courses) are now being required to pay tuition and exam fees.
• We are required to raise more income by charging fees to students across WAES and this will increase each year.
• This means we will face increasing demands on a fund that isn’t growing
• If we achieve our student recruitment targets this year, the entire Learner Support Fund will not be enough to cover the cost of everyone’s tuiton and exam fees.
WAES faces the challenge of using the fund we have in the fairest way to benefit as many students as possible knowing that we can’t meet everyone’s needs. We have decided the most important thing to do is to ensure that as many students as possible can join a class and take their exam. Therefore:
• In 2008/9 there will not be any hardship cash grants to assist with travel or purchase of books and equipment
• The Welfare Officer will therefore no longer interview applicants for the Learner Support Fund
• The fund will be prioritised to contribute to the cost of tuition fees and exam fees for those in most need (mainly those in receipt of means tested state benefits)
• The process will be completed when you enrol if you are elgible and we will pay the money for tuition and exams on your behalf
• We will only help each student once each academic year (not each term as previously). This means if you enrol on more than one course this academic year you will have to pay the tuition fee and exam fee yourself even if you were supported financially for your first enrolment
If you require advice about other sources of financial help please speak to our Welfare Offiicer. You can book a confidential appointment via our Receptions at Amberley and Ebury.
Futher information is available from;
www.dfes.gov.uk, www.lsc.gov.uk,
Information about studying and financial help is available from:
www.support4learning.co.uk
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