Agenda and minutes

Consideration was given to the submitted report presented by Alison Leone, Principal Officer, Student and Business Support, in relation to the requirement for the Local Authority to make an annual determination on exercising powers to make financial awards to new Further and Higher Education students, as conferred by the School Standards and Framework Act, 1998.  

The report outlined the legislation that existed in relation to the provision of discretionary financial awards by local authorities.  It was noted that whilst the School Standard Framework Act, 1998, gave local authorities the power to make financial awards to new Further and Higher Education students and to 16-19 year olds who were still attending school, the Standard Spending Assessment from 1999-2000 withdrew the available funding. 

New funding was made available to students from a Young Persons’ Learning Alliance grant in the form of Learner Support Grants.  For the academic year 2011/12 onwards the discretionary Learner Support had been replaced by the 16-19 Bursary Fund, which was administered by individual Further and Higher Education providers.   

Proposals for consideration were presented in relation to the Local Authority’s responsibility to make an annual determination for each financial year under the School Standards and Framework Act, 1998. 

Options for consideration were:

1. That the Local Authority determine not to take up the power in any circumstances and not make any provision for considering applications.
2. That the Local Authority decide to exercise the power only in respect of certain groups or categories of student.
3. That the Local Authority decide to exercise the power generally and consider applications from all students in accordance with policies on eligibility. 

It was noted that in all previous years the Authority had determined not to make any provision for considering applications and that there was no allocation under the Formula Grant to provide financial awards to Further and Higher Education students.  

Discussion ensued regarding the three proposed options. 

Resolved: -  That Option One (The Local Authority determine not to take up the power in any circumstances and not make any provision for considering applications) be approved.

Tuesday 10^th April, 2012, to start at 10.00 am in the Rotherham Town Hall. 

Resolved: -  That the next meeting of the Cabinet Member for Lifelong Learning and Culture be held on Tuesday 10^th April, 2012.