The Employment and Support Allowance Regulations 2008

Interpretation E+W+S

131.—(1) In this Chapter—

“academic year” means the period of twelve months beginning on 1st January, 1st April, 1st July or 1st September according to whether the course in question begins in the winter, the spring, the summer or the autumn respectively but if students are required to begin attending the course during August or September and to continue attending through the autumn, the academic year of the course is to be considered to begin in the autumn rather than the summer;

“access funds” means—

(a)

grants made under section [F1 68] of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 F2 [F3 or section 74 of the Higher Education and Research Act 2017] F4 ... for the purpose of providing funds on a discretionary basis to be paid to students;

(b)

grants made under sections 73(a) and (c) and 74(1) of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980F5 ;

(c)

grants made under Article 30 of the Education and Libraries (Northern Ireland) Order 1993F6 , or grants, loans or other payments made under Article 5 of the Further Education (Northern Ireland) Order 1997 F7 in each case being grants, or grants, loans or other payments as the case may be, made for the purpose of assisting students in financial difficulties;

(d)

discretionary payments, known as “learner support funds”, which are made available to students in further education by institutions out of funds provided by the [F8 [F9 Secretary of State under section 14 of the Education Act 2002] or F10 ... under sections 100 and 101 of [F11 the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009]]F12 ; or

(e)

Financial Contingency Funds made available by the Welsh Ministers;

“college of further education” means, in Scotland, an educational establishment by which further education is provided;

[F13 “contribution” means—

(a)

any contribution in respect of the income of a student or any person which the Secretary of State, the Scottish Ministers or an education authority takes into account in ascertaining the amount of a student's grant or student loan; or

(b)

any sums, which in determining the amount of a student's allowance or bursary in Scotland under the Education (Scotland) Act 1980, the Scottish Ministers or education authority takes into account being sums which the Scottish Ministers or education authority consider that it is reasonable for the following persons to contribute towards the holder's expenses—

(i)

the holder of the allowance or bursary;

(ii)

the holder's parents;

(iii)

the holder's parent's spouse, civil partner or a person ordinarily living with the holder's parent as if he or she were the spouse or civil partner of that parent; or

(iv)

the holder's spouse or civil partner;]

“course of advanced education” means—

(a)

a course leading to a postgraduate degree or comparable qualification, a first degree or comparable qualification, a diploma of higher education or a higher national diploma; or

(b)

any other course which is of a standard above advanced GNVQ, or equivalent, including a course which is of a standard above a general certificate of education (advanced level), a Scottish national qualification (higher or advanced higher);

“covenant income” means the income payable to a student under a Deed of Covenant by a person whose income is, or is likely to be, taken into account in assessing the student's grant or award;

“education authority” means a government department, [F14 a local authority as defined in section 579 of the Education Act 1996 (interpretation)], an education authority as defined in section 123 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973F15 , an education and library board established under Article 3 of the Education and Libraries (Northern Ireland) Order 1986F16 , any body which is a research council for the purposes of the Science and Technology Act 1965 F17 or any analogous government department, authority, board or body, of the Channel Islands, Isle of Man or any other country outside Great Britain;

“full-time course of advanced education” means a course of advanced education which is—

(a)

a full-time course of study which is not funded in whole or in part by the [F18 Secretary of State under section 14 of the Education Act 2002] [F19 or under section 100 of the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009] or by the Welsh Ministers or a full-time course of study which is not funded in whole or in part by the Scottish Ministers at a college of further education or a full-time course of study which is a course of higher education and is funded in whole or in part by the Scottish Ministers;

(b)

a course of study which is funded in whole or in part by the [F18 Secretary of State under section 14 of the Education Act 2002] [F20 or under section 100 of the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009] or by the Welsh Ministers if it involves more than 16 guided learning hours per week for the student in question, according to the number of guided learning hours per week for that student set out—

(i)

[F21 in the case of a course funded by the [F18 Secretary of State] F22 ..., in the student’s learning agreement signed on behalf of the establishment which is funded by [F23 the Secretary of State] for the delivery of that course; or]

(ii)

in the case of a course funded by the Welsh Ministers, in a document signed on behalf of the establishment which is funded by that Council for the delivery of that course; or

(c)

a course of study (not being higher education) which is funded in whole or in part by the Scottish Ministers at a college of further education if it involves—

(i)

more than 16 hours per week of classroom-based or workshop-based programmed learning under the direct guidance of teaching staff according to the number of hours set out in a document signed on behalf of the college; or

(ii)

16 hours or less per week of classroom-based or workshop-based programmed learning under the direct guidance of teaching staff and it involves additional hours using structured learning packages supported by the teaching staff where the combined total of hours exceeds 21 per week, according to the number of hours set out in a document signed on behalf of the college;

“full-time course of study” means a full-time course of study which—

(a)

is not funded in whole or in part by the [F24 Secretary of State under section 14 of the Education Act 2002] [F25 or section 100 of the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009] or by the Welsh Ministers or a full-time course of study which is not funded in whole or in part by the Scottish Ministers at a college of further education or a full-time course of study which is a course of higher education and is funded in whole or in part by the Scottish Ministers;

(b)

a course of study which is funded in whole or in part by the [F24 Secretary of State under section 14 of the Education Act 2002] [F26 or section 100 of the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009] or by the Welsh Ministers if it involves more than 16 guided learning hours per week for the student in question, according to the number of guided learning hours per week for that student set out—

(i)

[F27 in the case of a course funded by the [F24 Secretary of State] F28 ..., in the student’s learning agreement signed on behalf of the establishment which is funded by [F29 the Secretary of State] for the delivery of that course; or]

(ii)

in the case of a course funded by the Welsh Ministers, in a document signed on behalf of the establishment which is funded by that Council for the delivery of that course; or

(c)

is not higher education and is funded in whole or in part by the Scottish Ministers at a college of further education if it involves—

(i)

more than 16 hours per week of classroom-based or workshop-based programmed learning under the direct guidance of teaching staff according to the number of hours set out in a document signed on behalf of the college; or

(ii)

16 hours or less per week of classroom-based or workshop-based programmed learning under the direct guidance of teaching staff and it involves additional hours using structured learning packages supported by the teaching staff where the combined total of hours exceeds 21 per week, according to the number of hours set out in a document signed on behalf of the college;

“full-time student” means a person who is not a qualifying young person or child within the meaning of section 142 of the Contributions and Benefits Act F30 (child and qualifying young person) and who is—

(a)

aged less than 19 and is attending or undertaking a full-time course of advanced education;

(b)

aged 19 or over but under pensionable age and is attending or undertaking a full-time course of study at an educational establishment; or

(c)

on a sandwich course;

“grant” (except in the definition of “access funds”) means any kind of educational grant or award and includes any scholarship, studentship, exhibition, allowance or bursary but does not include a payment from access funds or any payment to which paragraph 13 of Schedule 8 or paragraph 52 of Schedule 9 applies;

“grant income” means—

(a)

any income by way of a grant;

(b)

in the case of a student other than one to whom paragraph (c) refers, any contribution which has been assessed whether or not it has been paid;

(c)

in the case of a student who is a lone parent[F31 , is a person who has no partner and who is responsible for and a member of the same household as a young person] or is a person to whom Part 4 applies, any contribution which has been assessed and which has been paid,

and any such contribution which is paid by way of a covenant is to be treated as part of the student's grant income;

“higher education” means higher education within the meaning of Part 2 of the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 1992F32 ;

“last day of the course” means the date on which the last day of the final academic term falls in respect of the course in which the student is enrolled;

“period of study” means—

(a)

in the case of a course of study for one year or less, the period beginning with the start of the course and ending with the last day of the course;

(b)

in the case of a course of study for more than one year, in the first or, as the case may be, any subsequent year of the course, other than the final year of the course, the period beginning with the start of the course or, as the case may be, that year's start and ending with either—

(i)

the day before the start of the next year of the course in a case where the student's grant or loan is assessed at a rate appropriate to the student's studying throughout the year or, if the claimant does not have a grant or loan, where a loan would have been assessed at such a rate had the claimant had one; or

(ii)

in any other case the day before the start of the normal summer vacation appropriate to the student's course;

(c)

in the final year of a course of study of more than one year, the period beginning with that year's start and ending with the last day of the course;

“periods of experience” means periods of work experience which form part of a sandwich course;

[F33 “postgraduate loan” means a loan to a student undertaking a postgraduate master’s degree course or a postgraduate doctoral degree course pursuant to regulations made under section 22 of the Teaching and Higher Education Act 1998;]

“sandwich course” has the meaning prescribed in regulation 2(9) of the Education (Student Support) Regulations 2007F34 , regulation 4(2) of the Education (Student Loans) (Scotland) Regulations 2007 F35 or regulation 2(8) of the Education (Student Support) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2007F36 ;

“standard maintenance grant” means—

(a)

except where paragraph (b) or (c) applies, in the case of a student attending or undertaking a course of study at the University of London or an establishment within the area comprising the City of London and the Metropolitan Police District, the amount specified for the time being in paragraph 2(2)(a) of Schedule 2 to the Education (Mandatory Awards) Regulations 2003 F37 (“the 2003 Regulations”) for such a student;

(b)

except where paragraph (c) applies, in the case of a student residing at the student's parent's home, the amount specified in paragraph 3(2) of Schedule 2 to the 2003 Regulations;

(c)

in the case of a student receiving an allowance or bursary under the Education (Scotland) Act 1980F38 , the amount of money specified for the relevant year appropriate for the student set out in the Student Support in Scotland Guide issued by the Student Awards Agency for Scotland, or its nearest equivalent in the case of a bursary provided by a college of further education or a local education authority;

(d)

in any other case, the amount specified in paragraph 2(2) of Schedule 2 to the 2003 Regulations other than in paragraph (a) or (b) of that paragraph;

“student” means a person, other than a person in receipt of a training allowance, who is attending or undertaking a course of study at an educational establishment;

“student loan” means a loan towards a student's maintenance pursuant to any regulations made under section 22 of the Teaching and Higher Education Act 1998F39 , sections [F40 73(f)], 73B and 74 of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 or article 3 of the Education (Student Support) (Northern Ireland) Order 1998 F41 and is to include, in Scotland, amounts paid under regulation 4(1)(c) of the Students' Allowances (Scotland) Regulations 2007F42 .

(2) For the purposes of the definition of “full-time student” in paragraph (1), a person is to be regarded as attending or, as the case may be, undertaking a full-time course of study, a full-time course of advanced education or as being on a sandwich course—

(a) subject to paragraph (3), in the case of a person attending or undertaking a part of a modular course which would be a full-time course of study for the purposes of this Part, for the period beginning on the day on which that part of the course starts and ending—

(i) on the last day on which the claimant is registered with the educational establishment as attending or undertaking that part as a full-time course of study; or

(ii) on such earlier date (if any) as the claimant finally abandons the course or is dismissed from it;

(b) in any other case, throughout the period beginning on the date on which the claimant starts attending or undertaking the course and ending on the last day of the course or on such earlier date (if any) as the claimant finally abandons it or is dismissed from it.

(3) For the purpose of sub-paragraph (a) of paragraph (2), the period referred to in that sub-paragraph is to include—

(a) where a person has failed examinations or has failed to successfully complete a module relating to a period when the claimant was attending or undertaking a part of the course as a full-time course of study, any period in respect of which the claimant attends or undertakes the course for the purpose of retaking those examinations or that module;

(b) any period of vacation within the period specified in that paragraph or immediately following that period except where the person has registered with the educational establishment to attend or undertake the final module in the course and the vacation immediately follows the last day on which the claimant is required to attend or undertake the course.

(4) In paragraph (2), “modular course” means a course of study which consists of two or more modules, the successful completion of a specified number of which is required before a person is considered by the educational establishment to have completed the course.

Textual Amendments

F1 Word in reg. 131(1) substituted (26.10.2009) by The Social Security (Miscellaneous Amendments) (No. 4) Regulations 2009 (S.I. 2009/2655), regs. 1(1), 11(14)(a)

F2 1992 c. 13.

F3 Words in reg. 131(1) inserted (1.8.2019) by The Higher Education and Research Act 2017 (Further Implementation etc.) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/1027), regs. 1, 31(2)

F4 Words in reg. 131(1) omitted (26.10.2009) by virtue of The Social Security (Miscellaneous Amendments) (No. 4) Regulations 2009 (S.I. 2009/2655), regs. 1(1), 11(14)(b)

F5 1980 c. 44.

F6 S.I. 1993/2810 (N.I. 12). The functions under article 30 were transferred by S.R. 1999/481 and the relevant amending instruments are S.I.1997/1772 (N.I. 15), S.I. 2005/1116 (N.I. 5) and S.I. 2005/1963 (N.I. 13).

F7 S.I. 1997/1772 (N.I. 15).

F8 Words in reg. 131(1) substituted (1.9.2010) by The Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009 (Consequential Amendments to Subordinate Legislation) (England) Order 2010 (S.I. 2010/1941), art. 28(4)(a), reg. 1

F9 Words in reg. 131(1) substituted (1.5.2012) by The Young Peoples Learning Agency Abolition (Consequential Amendments to Subordinate Legislation) (England) Order 2012 (S.I. 2012/956), arts. 1, 22(4)(a)(i)

F10 Words in reg. 131(1) omitted (26.5.2015) by virtue of The Deregulation Act 2015 (Consequential Amendments) Order 2015 (S.I. 2015/971), art. 1(2)(a), Sch. 3 para. 14(4)(a)

F11 Words in reg. 131(1) substituted (1.5.2012) by The Young Peoples Learning Agency Abolition (Consequential Amendments to Subordinate Legislation) (England) Order 2012 (S.I. 2012/956), arts. 1, 22(4)(a)(ii)

F12 2000 c. 21. Section 5 was amended by the Education Act 2002 (c. 32), section 178(1), (2)(a) and (b). Section 6 was amended by the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001 (c. 10), sections 34(7) and 42(6) and Schedule 9. Section 9 was amended by the Education and Inspections Act 2006 (c. 40), section 176(2).

F13 Words in reg. 131(1) substituted (6.4.2009) by The Social Security (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2009 (S.I. 2009/583), regs. 1(2), 10(7)

F14 Words in reg. 131 substituted (5.5.2010) by The Local Education Authorities and Children’s Services Authorities (Integration of Functions) (Local and Subordinate Legislation) Order 2010 (S.I. 2010/1172), art. 1(1), Sch. 3 para. 81

F15 1973 c. 65, section 123 was substituted by the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 (c. 39), section 180 and Schedule 13, paragraph 92(28).

F16 S.I. 1986/594 (N.I. 3).

F17 1965 c. 4.

F18 Words in reg. 131(1) substituted (1.5.2012) by The Young Peoples Learning Agency Abolition (Consequential Amendments to Subordinate Legislation) (England) Order 2012 (S.I. 2012/956), arts. 1, 22(4)(b)(i)

F19 Words in reg. 131(1) substituted (26.5.2015) by The Deregulation Act 2015 (Consequential Amendments) Order 2015 (S.I. 2015/971), art. 1(2)(a), Sch. 3 para. 14(4)(b)(i)

F20 Words in reg. 131(1) substituted (26.5.2015) by The Deregulation Act 2015 (Consequential Amendments) Order 2015 (S.I. 2015/971), art. 1(2)(a), Sch. 3 para. 14(4)(b)(ii)

F21 Words in reg. 131(1) substituted (1.9.2010) by The Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009 (Consequential Amendments to Subordinate Legislation) (England) Order 2010 (S.I. 2010/1941), art. 28(4)(b)(ii), reg. 1

F22 Words in reg. 131(1) omitted (26.5.2015) by virtue of The Deregulation Act 2015 (Consequential Amendments) Order 2015 (S.I. 2015/971), art. 1(2)(a), Sch. 3 para. 14(4)(b)(iii)(aa)

F23 Words in reg. 131(1) substituted (26.5.2015) by The Deregulation Act 2015 (Consequential Amendments) Order 2015 (S.I. 2015/971), art. 1(2)(a), Sch. 3 para. 14(4)(b)(iii)(bb)

F24 Words in reg. 131(1) substituted (1.5.2012) by The Young Peoples Learning Agency Abolition (Consequential Amendments to Subordinate Legislation) (England) Order 2012 (S.I. 2012/956), arts. 1, 22(4)(c)(i)

F25 Words in reg. 131(1) substituted (26.5.2015) by The Deregulation Act 2015 (Consequential Amendments) Order 2015 (S.I. 2015/971), art. 1(2)(a), Sch. 3 para. 14(4)(c)(i)

F26 Words in reg. 131(1) substituted (26.5.2015) by The Deregulation Act 2015 (Consequential Amendments) Order 2015 (S.I. 2015/971), art. 1(2)(a), Sch. 3 para. 14(4)(c)(ii)

F27 Words in reg. 131(1) substituted (1.9.2010) by The Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009 (Consequential Amendments to Subordinate Legislation) (England) Order 2010 (S.I. 2010/1941), art. 28(4)(c)(ii), reg. 1

F28 Words in reg. 131(1) omitted (26.5.2015) by virtue of The Deregulation Act 2015 (Consequential Amendments) Order 2015 (S.I. 2015/971), art. 1(2)(a), Sch. 3 para. 14(4)(c)(iii)(aa)

F29 Words in reg. 131(1) substituted (26.5.2015) by The Deregulation Act 2015 (Consequential Amendments) Order 2015 (S.I. 2015/971), art. 1(2)(a), Sch. 3 para. 14(4)(c)(iii)(bb)

F30 Section 142 was substituted by the Child Benefit Act 2005 (c. 6), section 1(2).

F31 Words in reg. 131(1) inserted (31.10.2011) by The Social Security (Work-focused Interviews for Lone Parents and Partners) (Amendment) Regulations 2011 (S.I. 2011/2428), regs. 1, 5(4)

F32 1992 c. 37.

F33 Words in reg. 131(1) substituted (15.7.2020) by The Social Security (Income and Capital) (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/618), regs. 1, 7(6)

F34 S.I. 2007/176.

F35 S.S.I. 2007/154.

F36 S.R. 2007/195.

F37 S.I. 2003/1994.

F38 1980 c. 44.

F39 1998 c. 30. Section 22 was amended by the Learning and Skills Act 2000 (c. 21), section 146(1) and (2)(a), the Higher Education Act 2004 (c. 8), sections 42(1), 43(1), (2) and (3) and 50 and Schedule 7, the Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003 (c. 1), section 722 and Schedule 6, Part 2, paragraph 236(a) and (b) and the Finance Act 2003 (c. 14), section 147(3).

F40 Word in reg. 131(1) substituted (27.10.2008) by The Employment and Support Allowance (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2008 (S.I. 2008/2428), regs. 1(2), 8(9)

F41 S.I. 1998/1760 (N.I. 14).

F42 S.S.I. 2007/153.