Students: Childcare

(asked on 18th October 2022) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support his Department provides to PHD students who require financial assistance with childcare.


Answered by
Kelly Tolhurst Portrait
Kelly Tolhurst
This question was answered on 25th October 2022

The department recognises the value of parents continuing in education and provides a range of support for students in further or higher education to support them with childcare.

Students starting a doctoral degree on or after 1 August 2018 are eligible to receive a postgraduate doctoral loan of up to £27,892 to help with course fees and living costs, including childcare.

In addition to the above childcare support for doctoral students, all parents are eligible for the universal 15 hours of free early education which is available to all 3 and 4-year-olds regardless of family circumstances.

Working parents of 3 and 4-year-olds may also be eligible for an additional 15 hours of free childcare if they earn the equivalent of 16 hours a week at national minimum/living wage and under £100,000 per year. Students who participate in paid work in addition to their studies and meet the income requirements will be eligible for the additional hours.

Parents who meet these income criteria may also be able to receive support from Tax-Free Childcare, which can be worth up to £2,000 per year for children aged 0 to 11, or up to £4,000 per year for disabled children aged 0 to 16.

Further information on the childcare offers available to parents can be found at: https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/.

The department remains committed to improving the cost, choice, and availability of childcare, and we continue to look at ways to make childcare more affordable and to encourage families to use government-funded support they are entitled to.

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