Statistics Publication Notice: Lifelong Learning Series- Experimental Statistics: EDUCATION MAINTENANCE ALLOWANCES - STUDENTS AND PAYMENTS PART YEAR 2004-05

DescriptionStatistics on Education Maintenance Allowances in Scotland August 2004 to January 2005
ISBN07559 1133 4
Official Print Publication Date
Website Publication DateJune 22, 2005

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    22nd June 2005
    ISBN 0 7559 1133 4 (Web only publication)

    This document is also available in pdf format (56k)

    The first interim statistics on Education Maintenance Allowances ( EMAs) for the period August 2004 to January 2005 are published today on the Scottish Executive website. A further release on the entire academic year 2004-5 will be published in the autumn.

    Education Maintenance Allowances are means tested payments of £10, £20 or £30 per week to young people attending school or further education college on a full time basis. Following satisfactory attendance and completion of a learning agreement, additional bonus payments of £150 are payable in January and June (see http://www.emascotland.com/).

    EMAs were introduced across Scotland from August 2004 for 16 year olds (those whose birthday fell between 1st March 1988 and 28th February 1989). In the coming two years eligibility will extend to 17 and 18 year olds.

    Prior to national roll-out the scheme was tested in 4 local authority areas 1; in the pilot areas the whole age range is already eligible in 2004-05.

    This release contains statistics on all students who have received EMA payments in Scotland. The data include payments made up to 4 February (school) or up to 31 December plus the January bonus (college).

    The main points are as follows:

    • 20,200 students received EMA payments in Scotland, about 30% of all 16 year olds
    • Most EMA participants, 78%, received the maximum weekly payment of £30 ( Table 1) and 86% of all EMA funding supported students entitled to the maximum amount ( Table 2)
    • 10,930 students received a bonus in January for adhering to their learning agreement ( Table 4)
    • Female EMA recipients were marginally more likely to gain a bonus than males ( Table 5)
    • Those entitled to the £30 weekly payment were less likely to receive a bonus than other EMA recipients ( Table 5 and Table 6)
    • Of the three payment levels only the £30 EMA payment level focused on young people who live in a deprived neighbourhood ( Table 7).

    The following tables are available on the Scottish Executive Statistics Website: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/17875/10430

    Table 1: Total number of students receiving an EMA payment, by level of entitlement

    Level

    All Students

    Female

    Male

    percent

    All

    20,200

    10,915

    9,285

    100%

    £10

    2,370

    1,245

    1,125

    12%

    £20

    1,980

    1,050

    930

    10%

    £30

    15,850

    8,620

    7,230

    78%

    Note: Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 5. Source: SEEMA stats database

    Table 2: Amount paid out 1 by level of entitlement

    Level

    Amount (£millions)

    percent

    All

    8.5

    100%

    £10

    0.5

    6%

    £20

    0.7

    8%

    £30

    7.3

    86%

    Note: Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 5. Source: SEEMA stats database
    1: Including January bonus

    Table 3: Number of students by place of study and level of entitlement

    Level

    All Students

    School

    College

    School %

    College %

    All

    20,200

    15,515

    4,685

    100%

    100%

    £10

    2,370

    1,940

    430

    13%

    9%

    £20

    1,980

    1,640

    340

    11%

    7%

    £30

    15,850

    11,935

    3,915

    77%

    84%

    Note: Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 5. Source: SEEMA stats database

    Table 4: Number of students receiving a bonus in January 2005

    Level

    All Students

    Female

    Male

    School

    College

    All

    10,930

    5,980

    4,950

    8,380

    2,550

    £10

    1,355

    715

    640

    1,145

    210

    £20

    1,135

    610

    525

    940

    195

    £30

    8,440

    4,655

    3,785

    6,295

    2,145

    Note: Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 5. Source: SEEMA stats database

    Table 5: Percentage of students receiving a bonus
    Base: All students who have received EMA payments

    Level

    All Students

    Female

    Male

    School

    College

    All

    54%

    55%

    53%

    54%

    54%

    £10

    57%

    57%

    57%

    59%

    49%

    £20

    57%

    58%

    56%

    57%

    57%

    £30

    53%

    54%

    52%

    53%

    55%

    Note: Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 5. Source: SEEMA stats database

    Table 6: Percentage of school students receiving a bonus
    Base: All school students who have received at least 6 EMA payments

    Level

    All Students

    All

    77%

    £10

    82%

    £20

    79%

    £30

    75%

    Note: Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 5. Source: SEEMA stats database

    Table 7: Students and amounts by neighbourhood type :
    Percentage in most deprived areas 1

    Level

    Students

    Students receiving a bonus

    Amounts

    All

    21%

    21%

    21%

    £10

    10%

    9%

    9%

    £20

    12%

    12%

    11%

    £30

    24%

    24%

    23%

    Note: Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 5. Source: SEEMA stats database
    1: The 976 most deprived datazones out of 6505 datazones

    For comparison: 17% of all 16 year olds live in the most deprived areas

    NOTES TO NEWS EDITORS

    1. These statistics are collected by the Scottish Executive from local authorities (school pupils) and the Scottish Further Education Funding Council (further education colleges).
    2. This is the first time that these statistics are published. A full year analysis will be published in the autumn. In common with the practice of other administrations the data have been classified as experimental. This is a classification under the National Statistics Protocol http://www.statistics.gov.uk/about/national_statistics/cop/downloads/datapresentation.pdf for data that are new and not yet sufficiently tested. See ( Technical Note) for the technical article that explains the categorisation.
    3. The analysis by neighbourhood type uses the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation http://www.scotland.gov.uk/stats/simd2004/. To avoid bias pupils older than 16 from the pilot areas have been excluded from this part of the analysis.

    This news release, together with associated tables listed above, is published on the Scottish Executive website http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/17875/10430

    those who do not have access to the Internet, please contact the authors.

    For media enquiries please contact:

    Tim Jays
    Scottish Executive
    Press Office
    Tel. (0131) 244 2682

    For further information, non-media enquiries and comments on this publication, please contact:

    Gerhard Mors/ Andrew Murray
    Scottish Executive
    Enterprise & Lifelong Learning Department
    Analytical Services Division
    3 rd Floor, Meridian Court
    5 Cadogan Street
    Glasgow, G2 6AT
    Tel. (0141) 242 0271
    Fax. (0141) 242 5579
    E-mail.fhestatistics@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

    EMA Statistics - Technical Note

    1. Data on the uptake of Education Maintenance Allowances in Scotland for part of the academic year 2004/05 are published on 22 June 2005 as 'experimental statistics'.

    2. The underlying data are collected by the Scottish Executive from local authorities and by the Scottish Further Education Funding Council from further education colleges. To minimise the burden on data providers in the first few years of the roll out a range of formats for the submission of the information was accepted to take maximum advantage of existing systems.

    3. The data are collected as part of the administration of Education Maintenance Allowances. Data from most local authorities on pupils who attend local authority education department schools is of good quality. Further investigation is required for some groups of students, including:

    • Students in special schools
    • Students in private schools
    • Students who have moved during the reporting year.

    4. Many authorities use the reference number issued by SQA to reference students, other local authorities use internal numbering systems. This means that a small number of students may be double counted. However the publication takes a cautious approach: only pupils for whom full person details and payment details are available and included. On balance the published data are more likely to be an under estimate.

    5. The issues in this note will be investigated for year two of the EMA roll-out. Thereafter the classification as 'experimental' will be reviewed.

    Lifelong Learning Statistics Branch
    Scottish Executive
    Enterprise Transport and Lifelong Learning Department
    16/6/05

    1. East Ayrshire, Glasgow, Dundee and West Dunbartonshire; an evaluation of the pilots is available at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/37432/0010162.pdf and http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/37432/0010161.pdf

      Page updated: Tuesday, June 21, 2005