The Education (Student Support) Regulations 2011

Childcare grant E+W

45.—(1) An eligible student (“A”) qualifies for a childcare grant in connection with A's attendance on a designated course in accordance with this regulation.

(2) Subject to paragraphs (3) and (4), the childcare grant is available in respect of an academic year in which A incurs prescribed childcare charges for—

(a) a dependent child who is under the age of 15 immediately before the beginning of the academic year; or

(b) a dependent child who has special educational needs within the meaning of section 312 of the Education Act 1996 M1 and is under the age of 17 immediately before the beginning of the academic year.

(3) A does not qualify for a childcare grant if A or A's partner [F1 —

(a) has elected to receive the childcare element of the working tax credit under Part 1 of the Tax Credits Act 2002; or

(b) is entitled to an award of universal credit the calculation of which includes an amount under regulation 31 of the Universal Credit Regulations 2013 (childcare costs element)].

(4) A does not qualify for a childcare grant if the prescribed childcare charges that A incurs for A's child are paid or to be paid by A to A's partner.

(5) Subject to [F2 paragraphs (6) and (8)], the basic amount of childcare grant for each week is—

(a) for one dependent child, 85 per cent. of the prescribed childcare charges, subject to a maximum amount of £148.75 per week; or

(b) for two or more dependent children, 85 per cent. of the prescribed childcare charges, subject to a maximum amount of £255 per week

except that A does not qualify for any such grant in respect of each week falling within the period between the end of the course and the end of the academic year in which the course ends.

(6) For the purposes of calculating the basic amount of childcare grant—

(a) a week runs from Monday to Sunday; and

(b) where a week in respect of which prescribed childcare charges are incurred falls partly within and partly outside the academic year in respect of which childcare grant is payable under this regulation, the maximum weekly amount of grant is calculated by multiplying the relevant maximum weekly amount in paragraph (5) by the number of days of that week falling within the academic year and dividing the product by seven.

(7) In this regulation “prescribed childcare charges” means childcare charges of a description prescribed for the purposes of section 12 of the Tax Credits Act 2002 M2 .

[F3 (8) Where A’s application for a childcare grant does not identify a childcare provider, the Secretary of State may limit—

(a) the amount of grant paid to A to the amount specified in paragraph (9), and

(b) payment of the grant to one quarter of the academic year,

until A has submitted details of the childcare provider to the Secretary of State.

(9) In paragraph (8), the amount of childcare grant is 85 per cent of the prescribed childcare charges, subject to a maximum amount of £115 per week.

(10) Subject to paragraph (8) and (11), a childcare grant is payable in respect of the four quarters of the academic year.

(11) Subject to paragraph (12), where one of the events listed in regulation 17(a), (b), (c), (e), (f), (g) or (h) occurs in the course of an academic year, a student may qualify for a childcare grant in respect of such quarters as begin after the relevant event occurs.

(12) Where the state of which the student is a national accedes to the EU the student may qualify for the childcare grant only if the student has been ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom and Islands throughout the three year period immediately preceding the first day of the first academic year of the course.]

Textual Amendments

F1 Words in reg. 45(3) substituted (29.4.2013) by The Universal Credit (Consequential, Supplementary, Incidental and Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations 2013 (S.I. 2013/630), regs. 1(2), 54(4)

F2 Words in reg. 45(5) substituted (with application in accordance with reg. 1(2)(b) of the amending S.I.) by The Education (Student Fees, Awards and Support) (Amendment) Regulations 2012 (S.I. 2012/1653), regs. 1(2)(a), 17

F3 Reg. 45(8)-(12) inserted (with application in accordance with reg. 1(2)(b) of the amending S.I.) by The Education (Student Fees, Awards and Support) (Amendment) Regulations 2012 (S.I. 2012/1653), regs. 1(2)(a), 18

Marginal Citations

M1 1996 c.56; section 312 was amended by the Education Act 1997 (c.44), Schedule 7, paragraph 23, the Schools Standards and Framework Act 1998 (c.31), section 140, Schedule 30, paragraph 71 and Schedule 31, the Learning and Skills Act 2000 (c.21), Schedule 9, paragraph 56, the Education and Inspections Act 2006 (c.40), Schedule 1, paragraph 3 and the Apprentices, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009 (c.22), section 59 and Schedule 2.

M2 Regulation 14 of the Working Tax Credit (Entitlement and Maximum Amount) Regulations 2002 (S.I. 2002/2005; as amended by S.I. 2003/701, S.I. 2003/2815, S.I. 2004/762, S.I. 2004/1276, S.I. 2004/2663, S.I.2005/681, S.I. 2005/769, S.I. 2005/2919, S.I.2006/217, S.I. 2006/766, S.I. 2006/963, S.I. 2007/824, S.I.2007/968, S.I. 2007/2479, S.I. 2008/604, S.I.2008/1879, S.I.2008/2169, S.I.2009/679 and S.I.2009/800) S.I. 2009/2887, S.I. 2010/751, S.I. 2011/721 sets out the charges that are prescribed for the purposes of section 12 of the Tax Credits Act 2002.