Childcare support for students

Learner Support can help students at further education colleges with the costs of books, equipment, transport, and accommodation and can also be used to help pay childcare costs.

To find out more and to apply for the Learner Support Fund contact the Student Support or Welfare Officer at the college. If the student is in the Sixth Form, contact their Local Education Authority. The average grant each student will receive is about £1,300 each year. It should not affect the level of benefits that a student is entitled to.

Find out more about learner support on GOV.UK.

Students with children can receive:

• The Childcare Grant (to help with childcare costs)
• Parents' Learning Allowance of up to £1,863 (to help towards learning costs)
• Child Tax Credit

Childcare Grant

Higher-education students who are parents are eligible for a Childcare Grant based on their financial circumstances. The grant pays a percentage of the costs of childcare and is paid for 52 weeks of the year for children up to the age of 14 (up to 16 for children with special needs). The Childcare Grant is for students with dependent children.

You can get 85% of your childcare costs or a fixed maximum amount, whichever is less.

The maximum you can get is:

• Up to £183.75 a week for one child
• Up to £315.03 a week for two or more children

Find out more about the childcare grant on GOV.UK.

There is a childcare allowance for NHS-funded students to help with childcare costs during their studies. Parents who are interested in becoming nurses, midwives or physiotherapists will know that the NHS can make a significant contribution to childcare costs.

Under the scheme up to 85% of childcare costs will be met. Up to £128.78 per week for students with one child or £191.45 per week for two or more children could be available. The allowance is means tested.

This funding will help NHS students who face difficulties when training due to increased financial commitments, including childcare costs. Help with childcare costs will be for children under 15 and under 17 if the child has special needs.

Find out more about the childcare allowance on NHS.UK.

Limited funding may be available through these for individual students. Your local or college library may be able to help you with details of organisations that offer trusts and funds.

Useful publications that carry information on trusts and funds that you can look out for in libraries are:

• Educational Grants Directory (published by the Directory of Social Change)
• The Grants Register (published by Macmillan Reference Limited)
• Charities Digest (published by Waterlow Information Services)

The Educational Grants Service (EGS) offers guidance and advice on funding for those studying in post-16 education in the UK. EGS operates nationally providing comprehensive advice and information on sources of funding available for post-16 education and training including loans, grants, benefits, access funds, hardship funds, bursaries and charitable trusts.

View the Family Action Grants programme for more information.

This loan is aimed at students aged 18 and above who are doing a vocational course (education or training courses where you learn skills specific to a particular job or career e.g. leisure and tourism, engineering, nursing). A Career Development Loan offers funding for two years whilst students are in education or job-related training (or three years if the course requires one year of in work training). This loan can be used for any costs related to studying and training including childcare costs.

The students will have to repay this loan, but not until one month after completing the course. The Skills Funding Agency pays the interest on the loan during the course, so students only pay interest once they start repaying the loan. A Career Development loan may affect benefit entitlement, so students also need to contact their benefits advisor.

Contact and resources

To find out more about Career Development Loans contact the National Career Service on 0800 100 900 or check out the Career Development Loans webpages on GOV.UK.