The Education Maintenance Allowance (Pilot Areas) Regulations 2000

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations revoke and replace the Education Maintenance Allowance (Pilot Areas) Regulations 1999 and the Education Maintenance Allowance (Pilot Areas) amendment Regulations 2000.

The Regulations make provision for the payment of allowances by the local education authorities listed in the Schedule to or in respect of students over compulsory school age.

Regulations 4 to 6 provide for the conditions which have to be satisfied for the allowances to be paid. Regulation 4 provides for conditions as to residence in a relevant area specified in the Schedule. Regulation 5 provides for conditions as to income and Regulation 6 provides for other conditions. Amongst the other conditions is a requirement for an education maintenance allowance learning agreement (an expression defined in regulation 7) to be signed by a parent, student and on behalf of the institution.

Regulations 8, 9, 10 and 11 prescribe further circumstances in which each of the allowances, that is the weekly allowance, the termly bonus, the achievement bonus and the special allowance can be paid.

The main differences between these Regulations and the 1999 Regulations are:—

(a) they apply to more local education authorities (the authorities to which these regulations apply for the first time being listed in Part II of the Schedule);

(b) specific provisions are made for “vulnerable students” defined in regulation 2 in certain areas;

(c) no weekly allowance is payable if a student does not attend an institution by reason of pregnancy or confinement, but a new provision is made (regulation 11) for certain areas under which a special allowance can be paid in respect of a woman who returns to the institution after the birth of her child where the period of absence has not exceeded 18 weeks.