Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the average cost to a family of supporting a young person aged 16 to 18 in full-time education or training.

My Rt hon. friend, the Secretary of State, has not undertaken such an assessment. However, I can assure the hon. Member that the Government is fully committed to ensuring that all young people, including those from the most disadvantaged families, can continue to participate in further education and training after they leave school. We are investing over £7 billion to fund a place at school or college for every 16- or 17-year-old who wants one. We recognise that some young people need additional help with the costs associated with attending further education or training, and we offer a range of financial support, which is set out here:

www.gov.uk/browse/education/student-finance

The 16 to 19 Bursary Fund is a key part of our participation strategy to support young people in education and training. It allows schools and colleges to target financial support towards those who need it most. They are free to establish their own eligibility criteria for payments from the Bursary Fund, because they are best placed to identify those students experiencing the greatest financial disadvantages or course-related costs; and because they have the best knowledge of local circumstances and the individual barriers that can prevent young people from participating.

Feedback gained from institutions and students indicates that the scheme is achieving its aims. The majority of institutions surveyed think the Bursary Fund is having a positive impact on young people’s participation (77%) and engagement in learning (70%). Similarly, more than three-quarters (78%) think it is effective in targeting young people facing the greatest barriers to participation.

Students have also confirmed their support for the Bursary Fund with the majority of recipients surveyed saying it allows them to cope better (75%), and a third of those saying it is integral to being able to continue in education.

School and academy sixth forms already have to provide free meals to disadvantaged students who are over 16. From September 2014, free meals will also be available to disadvantaged students taking further education (FE) courses across the whole FE sector, which will provide further support for families. It will also help students with their studies as we know that they perform better when they have access to good-quality, regular meals.

The support I have outlined above is part of a range of measures implemented by the Department for Education that have contributed to achieving the lowest levels of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) since records began in 1994. This is important because the effects of being NEET are recognised as having a significant financial cost for the families of young people.