Help with childcare
If you have children of pre-school age, you may be entitled to help with the cost of childcare while you study.
While the College no longer provides an on-campus childcare provision, there are a few schemes available to help with childcare costs at other Ofsted-approved providers, depending on eligibility.
Free Childcare
Eligible working parents may get up to 30 hours of free childcare if their child is 3-4 years old, under the government’s funded extended childcare entitlement. Your eligibility will depend on whether you are working, how much you earn, your child’s circumstances and your immigration status.
Not all providers take part in this scheme and those that do must be Ofsted-approved. If your current or chosen provider is not offering 30 hours of free childcare per week, you may wish to consider alternative providers who may be able to meet your needs.
For further information about the scheme, check your eligibility and apply, please visit gov.uk/30-hours-free-childcare.
Care To Learn
Young parents under 20 at the start of their course may be entitled to help with childcare costs of up to £175 per week whilst studying with the Care to Learn scheme. Your chosen childcare provider must be registered with Ofsted. The scheme is administered by the College on behalf of the government.
You can find out more about Care to Learn, including eligibility and how to apply, at gov.uk/care-to-learn.
Learner Support Fund
Students aged 19 and over whose courses are funded by either the Adult Education Budget or an approved Advanced Learner Loan, can apply for funding via the Learner Support Grant to help with childcare costs.
Submitted applications will be assessed for eligibility and means-tested by the Finance team and you will need to provide evidence of benefits and/or income where applicable. We cannot guarantee a definite date for payments but will attempt to make payments by late October once the bursary is approved.
It is student’s responsibility to ensure that childcare fees are paid upfront – once your application has been approved, you must submit receipts to the College and these will be reconciled with your attendance, with payment made to you through BACS. Only days attending the course are covered by childcare fees and the College does not fund any retainer fees charged by childcare providers.
Application forms can be either downloaded here or picked up from the Admissions office at either campus.
