Issue - meetings

[Report of the Director of Children's Services. To be introduced by the Leader of the Council.]

This report provides the details to the July 2020 Cabinet report which agreed to provide financial support to young people on low incomes to access university, including selection process, mentoring at school, a bursary grant while at university and paid  work experience within the Local Authority.

The Leader introduced the report which set out the further details on the delivery of the Haringey Fairer Education Fund to young people in the borough for 2021. The scheme existed to open up more opportunities, for the borough’s young people, and give them more choice on their future.

There were a number of interventions outlined to support children from some of the most deprived families in Haringey, including the creation of a bursary grant that Haringey’s young people can apply for. It was noted that the deadline for applying to the bursary for the 2021 cohort was today [ 10th of November]

The policy was about fairness and the fund aimed to provide young people from financially disadvantaged backgrounds additional support to go on to university and more financial security once they get there.

The Leader believed that the Council can make a contribution to make university more affordable for low income families and this decision enabled this.

RESOLVED

To agree the detail of the scheme as set out in paragraph 6 of this report, including the funding associated with the scheme and the panel structure for the decision making on those students who will receive the bursary.

Alternative options considered

Several other options were considered:

A scheme covering the full cost of tuition fees – rejected as it did not support the young person’s month to month living expenses and because the scheme proposed has a broader reach in terms of young people.

A Haringey student loan was rejected because it would not reduce debt for the students which is already a perceived barrier to accessing higher education.

Reasons for decision

Haringey is committed to creating greater equality, including in education and opportunities for access to higher education.

The interventions in this Haringey Fairer Education Funding scheme are designed in the context of wider inequalities. They aim not just to support young people who are considering the affordability of university, but also to support them as they carry out their studies and with their entry into the job market afterwards, through the use of mentoring and work experience.  Fuller details of how young people would be supported as part of the scheme is set out in the July 2020 Cabinet report.