Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

You can get them for £20 a month now, which you'd easily spend on credit if you're on pay as you go. not a lot of money really!
plus because of internet access it means you may not have to pay for net access at home - so the blackberry contract is far cheaper!

Tell me where.. that's a lot less than I am paying! But as I have just entered an 18 month contract at £35 per month my hands are probably tied. Even though, on O2, my contract is £15 per month less than my sister's, on Orange.

onewestguncopse wrote:EMA is the source of much deabte and frustration in the school. Particularly when children who get £120 a month ALSO qualify for other handouts because of their parental income, when others whose parents earn £37,000 gross (not a huge wage these days, particularly if you are on a joint income) get absolutely nothing from the Government or the CH foundation in terms of extra handouts etc.

IMHO this is madness - but that is a whole different discussion!!

I couldn`t agree more Ian!

Someone who is a monitor, has academic buttons and who has never had a punishment in 7 years , whose parents certainly can not afford to give up to £30 a week in pocket money, despite both earning, who isn`t eligible for EMA or bursary awards and other CH hand-outs, who has been unable to claim back travel expenses to University Open Days and interviews, now has to find money to fund yet another trip, the trip to Germany in the summer with the Band .
Where is it going to come from?
There aren`t many money trees around, I`m afraid.


How I loathe EMA .
Especially when I see it being squandered by many.
The Government got it so wrong, IMHO.

Mrs C. wrote:

onewestguncopse wrote:EMA is the source of much deabte and frustration in the school. Particularly when children who get £120 a month ALSO qualify for other handouts because of their parental income, when others whose parents earn £37,000 gross (not a huge wage these days, particularly if you are on a joint income) get absolutely nothing from the Government or the CH foundation in terms of extra handouts etc.

IMHO this is madness - but that is a whole different discussion!!

I couldn`t agree more Ian!

Someone who is a monitor, has academic buttons and who has never had a punishment in 7 years , whose parents certainly can not afford to give up to £30 a week in pocket money, despite both earning, who isn`t eligible for EMA or bursary awards and other CH hand-outs, who has been unable to claim back travel expenses to University Open Days and interviews, now has to find money to fund yet another trip, the trip to Germany in the summer with the Band .
Where is it going to come from?
There aren`t many money trees around, I`m afraid.


How I loathe EMA .
Especially when I see it being squandered by many.

The Government got it so wrong, IMHO.

Don't they always

Education Maintenance Allowance: get up to £30 a week to carry on in learning after 16

I was going to ask, but decided not to be so lazy. Google told me in a couple of seconds.

I'm stunned, nay, staggered, nay, astounded, nay, stupefied - it's so STUPID! These kids get over a hundred quid a month for going to school? I confess I haven't gone so far as to discover how you qualify - I'm not entirely sure I want to know...

Supposed to cover costs of e.g. books, shoes, etc., to enable those kids who might otherwise leave school as soon as they could (to try and get into the labour market or go on the dole) to continue their education.
Was not intended to be 'pocket money' for 'squandering'.
A worthy intention (even though Mr, Mrs and Ms Taxpayer are footing the bill), but madly inappropriate in application. The money is paid to and belongs to the child and there is no sanction on what they actually do with it. It would take a strong minded 16 year old to put it into a savings account to e.g. fund their future higher education, especially if their peers are being profligate with theirs! Under current legislation, neither the school nor the parents can intervene in any way.

My neighbours are totally P***ed off about EMA. They have 16 yr old twins in their first year of A levels, and in spit of also having a 7 yr old in primary school do not qualify for EMA.

Ajarn Philip wrote:

Education Maintenance Allowance: get up to £30 a week to carry on in learning after 16

I was going to ask, but decided not to be so lazy. Google told me in a couple of seconds.

I'm stunned, nay, staggered, nay, astounded, nay, stupefied - it's so STUPID! These kids get over a hundred quid a month for going to school? I confess I haven't gone so far as to discover how you qualify - I'm not entirely sure I want to know...

unfortunatley, not all of them ......

kerrensimmonds wrote:Under current legislation, neither the school nor the parents can intervene in any way.

I think I would/will be intervening despite the current legislation...

I think although i could have gotten the wrong end of the stick...but teachers/the school can actually stop an indivdiual getting a EMA payment if they do not think they have met levels in terms of effort to school work/ behaviour etc