Will you accept a photocopy of the birth certificate for an Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) application?No, an original full birth certificate must be submitted with your Education Maintenance Allowance. Unfortunately, North Ayrshire Council is unable to accept abbreviated birth certificates, medical cards, baptism certificates, passports or photocopies of documents.
Will I get my Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) payment if I am off sick?You will be able to self-certify any illness for up to 5 full days/10 half days in an academic session. Beyond this a doctor’s medical certificate must be produced which may have to be at your own expense. All medical certificates should be sent to your Learning Centre as soon as possible.
A period medical absence that extends over a period of 3 weeks will be the subject of review.
Will I get any money if I submit my application for an Education Maintenance Allowance after the closing date?It is possible that a student might start their course and only hear about EMAs afterwards. Payment of arrears can be made to the beginning of the current term if the application is received by the cut off date (see details below).
Autumn Intake
If application is made before 30th September 2011 payment will be backdated to the beginning of the academic year, provided that the Learning Agreement criteria have been met. Applications received from 1st October 2011 onwards are eligible for backpayment from the Monday of the week in which the original application was received provided that the Learning Agreement criteria have been met.
Winter Intake
If application is made before 29th February 2012 payment can be backdated to the beginning of that term, provided that the Learning Agreement criteria have been met. Applications received from 1st March 2012 are eligible for backpayment from the Monday of the week in which the original application was received provided that the Learning Agreement criteria have been met.
In all cases, the onus is on the student to prove that they have satisfied the conditions of the EMA Learning Agreement from the beginning of that term.
Arrears will not be considered for any previous term.
Applications will only be processed for the academic session 2011/2012 until 31st March 2012. No applications will be accepted after this date. Applications received prior to 31st March 2012, where further information is being sought, must be fully complete by 13th April 2012 or the application will be withdrawn.
When should I submit an application form for an Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA)?Education Maintenance Allowance application forms, addressed directly to age eligible young people, were provided to schools for distribution in June 2011. You should submit your form as soon as possible in order to avoid any delay in processing your award. Autumn Intake young people, i.e. those young people who were born between 1st March 1992 and 30th September 1995, should apply by 30th September 2011 in order to have their award backdated to the start of the academic session. Winter Intake young people, i.e. those young people born between 1st October 1995 and 29th February 1996, should apply by 29th February 2012 in order to have their award backdated to the start of January 2012.
What is an Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA)?An Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) is a weekly payment of up to £30 to help support a young person in education beyond the statutory school leaving age of 16.
What is an Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) Learning Agreement?To be eligible for an EMA, young people must have agreed and signed an EMA Learning Agreement that must also be countersigned by their parent/carer and by an appropriate representative of the Learning Centre where they are studying.
A Learning Agreement is an agreement between the young person and a Learning Centre that spells out the Learning that will be offered and the responsibilities of both the young person and the Learning Centre. It is the young person’s responsibility to ensure that they have a valid Learning Agreement.
Does my performance at school affect my entitlement to my Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA)?Yes, your EMA payment can be withheld, without warning if you fail to meet the conditions attached to your EMA Learning Agreement. This could include; attendance falling below 100% in any one week, persistent latecomings, failure to comply with the schools discipline policy and failure to progress in your studies.
Does every young person staying on at school after 16 get an Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA)?Only young people who live in household where the total income is below £20,351 (where the young person is the only dependant), or £22,403 (where there is an additional dependant in the household), are potentially eligible for an EMA.
Do I get paid for in-service days and public holidays?In-Service days as counted as days attended for EMA purposes. With regards to public holidays, providing there are 3 or more attendance days in a week, young people will be eligible to receive payment for that week.
Are pupils who are educated at home eligible for an Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA)?EMAs will be available to young people who are undertaking full-time non-advanced level of study by home education. Students applying for an EMA as a home educated student must have a history of home education prior to reaching their official school leaving date. The EMA programme will be administered for these students by the local authority in which the home education is based.