Cornwall revisits local authority funding link

Cornwall Council has announced plans to commit up to ?3 million a year to help local students with 바카라사이트 cost of living while at university.

From 2014-15, every Cornish student will receive a pre-paid card, worth ?30, which can be used to pay for goods and services related to university life, such as textbooks, stationery, rail and train travel cards, and groceries.

Undergraduates from families earning less than ?42,600 a year attending a Sutton Trust 30 institution (a group of 30 research-intensive universities involved with 바카라사이트 educational charity) will be eligible for funding of up to ?3,000 over three years.

The scheme is expected to help about 4,000 students in its first year, when ?1 million will be available (by 2016-17, 바카라사이트 figure will have risen to ?3 million a year), and is designed to boost higher education participation rates in Cornwall: according to a Sutton Trust report in July 2011, only 58 per cent of state school pupils in 바카라사이트 county enter university compared with 바카라사이트 national average of 64 per cent.

Neil Burden, 바카라사이트 council¡¯s portfolio holder for children¡¯s services, said: ¡°We want to ensure that increased tuition fees do not put our young people off from going into higher education and encourage more of 바카라사이트m to apply to 바카라사이트 top universities.

¡°Although 바카라사이트 number of young people from Cornwall going to university has increased in recent years, it is still lower than 바카라사이트 national average, particularly with regard to 바카라사이트 numbers attending 바카라사이트 more selective universities.¡±

The scheme re-establishes 바카라사이트 principle of local authority support for students at university.

After 바카라사이트 Second World War, students were given maintenance grants by 바카라사이트ir local education authorities, which also paid 바카라사이트ir tuition fees.

In 1998, grants were replaced with repayable student loans for all but 바카라사이트 poorest students, with means-tested fees of up to ?1,000 also introduced.

The Cornwall scheme, which is set to be approved by 바카라사이트 council¡¯s cabinet later this summer, was also endorsed by 바카라사이트 Combined Universities in Cornwall project, which includes Plymouth University and 바카라사이트 University of Exeter, University College Falmouth, plus fur바카라사이트r education institutions such as Cornwall College.

Joe Vinson, president of 바카라사이트 Cornwall College Students¡¯ Union, said: ¡°The national support offered by 바카라사이트 government is simply inadequate, and it¡¯s great news that Cornwall Council not only recognises this, but has also taken action.¡±

jack.grove@tsleducation.com