Meet theParentsThe experience of studentswith children in further and higher education

“This report and the underlying research sets out a clear picture of thechallenges facing student parents. NUS should be congratulated for takingthe lead on this issue and for undertaking the first UK-wide research on theexperiences of this large and growing group of students. This report shouldprovide a real stimulus to government, universities and colleges alike to worktogether to address the barriers to student parents entering and succeedingin tertiary education and help make lifelong learning a reality.”

Chris Keates, General Secretary, NASUWT

“This is a significant piece of research in a largely under-researched area.The findings provide compelling evidence of the lack of support andisolation that many student parents experience, and reveal that as a groupthey are at serious risk in terms of retention. The report has to make all of usworking in the higher and further education sectors consider carefully howwe can provide more effective support to student parents.”

Nicola Dandridge, Chief Executive, Equality Challenge Unit

“NUS should be proud of this very thorough research report highlighting thestruggles that student parents face. Daycare Trust campaigns for quality,affordable childcare for all and the lack of support for student parents is areal concern that we have lobbied on for some time. We fully support thepolicy recommendations in this report and hope to work with NUS onbringing about the changes student parents need.”

Alison Garnham, Joint Chief Executive, Daycare Trust

“The NUS student parents report provides a fascinating insight into the livesof people attempting to combine being a parent with modern study and theproblems that often make the experience a day to day struggle. Given thesurprisingly limited data currently available on student parents it is certain tobecome an invaluable resource to advisers and campaigners alike.”

Paul Norman, Membership Services Manager, MMUnionStudent Advice Centre

“This is an incredibly useful report which really helps to illuminate theexperience of student parents, many of whom are bringing up children alone.Many single parents want to study, but as this report outlines, more support isneeded – particularly for those in further education. We look forward to workingwith NUS to help put the changes recommended by the report into practice.”

Kate Bell, Head of Policy and Research, Gingerbread

“The Nuffield Foundation has, for many years, provided funds to studentparents in further and higher education so that they would not be differentiallydisadvantaged by responsibility for family care. The NUS research in thisreport clearly identifies many of the gaps in a highly complex system that wehave been attempting – in a small way – to plug, and the associated day-to-day issues that our grant-holders face. The recommendations set out herewould go a long way to filling these gaps at a national level.”

Josh Hillman, Assistant Director, The Nuffield Foundation

“QUB Students' Union welcomes this valuable piece of work. We see it as aprompt for HEIs to try and improve services to this group of students whoare bringing up the next generation of participants in third level education.”

Connie Craig, Student Advice Centre Manager, Queen’s Students’ Union

Photographs: Jenny Matthews

AcknowledgementsThis report would not have been possible without theparticipation – through focus groups, case studies andthe survey – of thousands of students with childrenacross the UK. We would especially like to thank thosewho took time out of their busy lives to participate infocus groups. Thanks also to the following individualsin students' unions, colleges and universities whohelped us to organise the focus groups: JonathanLovatt, Lynn Burt, Eleanor Brown, John Kerr, AnnSterrett, Saskia Middleton, Siobhan Gallagher,Michaela Hendricks, Helena Vickery, Liam Burns, CateChapman and Jonathan Dodds. Thanks also to KatieSmullen and Najeed Khan, and their families, whoappear in the photos in this publication.

At NUS our thanks go to all of our colleagues whohelped us at each stage of the research. Specialthanks go to Vicky Thomas who prepared the reportfor publication. We would also like to thank DavidMalcolm, Minda Burgos-Lukes and Jo O'Connor.

Thanks also go to all of the individuals whoparticipated in interviews and roundtable events. For afull list please see the Appendices, but here we wouldespecially like to thank Tamsin Hinton-Smith, SaraBosley, Paul Norman and Kate Bell for their supportthroughout the project.

Geraldine SmithSarah Wayman

Contents

1

Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Executive summaryKey findings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Key recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

IntroductionResearch method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Structure of the report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Policy context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Research findingsChapter 1: Who are Student Parents? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Chapter 2: Teaching and Learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Chapter 3: Student Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Chapter 4: Money Matters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Chapter 5: Childcare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

AppendicesAppendix A: Student parent funding index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Appendix B: Survey results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Appendix C: List of project interviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Appendix D: List of focus groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Appendix E: List of roundtable attendees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Contents

2

Meet the Parents

Welcome to ‘Meet the Parents’, the first ever UK-widereport into the experiences of students with childrenin further and higher education.

Government efforts to widen participation andundertake welfare reform have led to an increase in thenumber of students with children. But our research hasfound that the practical measures and imaginativethinking required to respond to the needs of suchstudents have not necessarily accompanied a rise innumbers. Student parents are trying to make the mostof the opportunities available; they are an inspiring andhard-working group of learners, highly motivated bytheir family responsibilities and passionate aboutlearning. Their determination to succeed is, however,constantly tested by a combination of obstructivepolicies, inaccessible institutional practices, andcultural assumptions about who ‘students’ are.

So who are student parents? Whilst researchsuggests that parents who study are more likely to bewomen, part-time and mature, it is also clear from ourresearch that students with children are a diversegroup. They can be mature or young learners;international or UK students; might access many formsof benefits and student support, or be eligible for none.We spoke to parents completing PhDs and thosebeginning level one courses, those who had neverbeen to their students’ union, and those whorepresented other students in sabbatical roles.

But more striking than the differences are thesimilarities in their experiences of education. Thisexperience is a challenging one, with limited childcarefunding available, complex student supportarrangements, inaccessible teaching practices, andlittle or no time to take part in wider student life.

The ability of parents to participate and succeed ineducation is central to the success of the

Government’s aims to end child poverty, raiseemployment, widen participation and increase skills.But just last year, Government cut institutional fundingfor equivalent or lower qualifications (ELQs), effectivelypricing many women ‘returners’ – those who havetaken time off to raise a family – out of highereducation. 2008 also saw the Department for Workand Pensions announce moves to eradicate incomesupport, and with it lone parents’ rights to accessfurther and higher education without having to also be‘available for work’.

Despite these obstacles, the students we spoke towere determined to succeed. Being a positive rolemodel to their children is enormously important tomany of those we spoke to. These students are usingtheir time in education to embed learning into theirfamily life, raising their children’s aspirations andexpectations in the process. The prospect of debtfrom participation in either further or higher education,in the form of tuition fees, course and childcare costs,means that the decision to enter education is nottaken lightly. As a result, student parents feel theyhave more to lose if they fail.

For the reasons outlined here it is crucial thatstudent parents receive the support they need tosucceed. We hope that this report will encourageefforts – by government, institutions and students’unions – to enhance the experience of students withchildren in further and higher education.

Foreword

Katie Curtis Ama UzowuruNational Women’s Vice PresidentOfficer, NUS (Welfare), NUS

Executive Summary

3

1Nobody knows exactly how many student parentsthere are because institutions are not required to

collect this information. This in turn makes accurateallocations of resources or budgeting impossible.Collecting data on numbers of student parents issomething that academics, advisors and studentsthemselves felt would improve the ability of institutionsand funding bodies to effectively support studentparents.

2 Research suggests that the majority of studentparents are women, mature and studying part-

time. Our research also found that the vast majority ofhome students do not move to attend college oruniversity (92 per cent of UK respondents). This canaffect their experience significantly, in terms of choiceof course and institution, travel time and costs, andlevels of participation in wider student life.

3 There was a clear trend for many student parentsto be studying on vocational courses, such as

social care, health or education, with 42 per cent ofour respondents having to do a placement as acompulsory part of their course. These studentsexperience particular difficulties accessing registeredchildcare. Placements can change from term to termand may require overnight stays, when registered careis unavailable.

4 Student parents are hard-working and passionateabout education, about improving their own and

their children’s educational and employmentprospects and financial security, and about thepositive impact that being a student parent had onboth their academic achievement and on theirrelationships with their children and family life. Three

quarters (75 per cent) of survey respondents felt thatbeing a student parent had been a positive experiencefor them and their family; more than a third felt thatbeing a student parent had helped them to be a goodrole model to their children.

5 Student parents consistently displayed genuineenthusiasm for their courses despite numerous

real and perceived barriers to their full and successfulparticipation in learning. The majority of these issuesstemmed from the mismatch between traditionalcourse organisation, including timetabling, holidays,deadlines, placements and group work and the needsof students with children.

6 Student parents are an at-risk group in terms ofstudent retention, with 60 per cent of survey

respondents having thought about leaving theircourse. This figure rises to 65 per cent for loneparents. Personal ambition and creating financialsecurity for their children are two of the main reasonsthat student parents remain on their course. Staff ininstitutions are a vital swing factor in student parents’experience, with individuals often ‘at the mercy ofbeneficent tutors’.

7 Little time, no money for additional childcare, andparenting responsibilities make it very difficult for

student parents to get involved with student lifeoutside their course. Timings of events, costs, alcoholand a lack of ‘child-friendly’ activities put additionalobstacles in the way of student parents’ engagementin the student community. One in ten say they feelisolated as a student with children.

Executive summaryKey findingsThis research was carried out between November 2007 and December 2008. During this time weconducted 10 focus groups, speaking to 73 student parents in the UK between May and October 2008.We also carried out face-to-face interviews with 17 student advisors, academics and campaigners andconducted a survey of 2,167 student parents between October and December 2008.

continues overleaf …

4

Meet the Parents

8 Students with children face considerable financialpressures due to a combination of insufficient

childcare funding, lack of funding for associatedcourse costs and reduced benefits. Lone parents arethe ‘poorest’ group; they are more likely to apply forhardship funds, take on additional debt and are lessable to work because of a lack of childcare supportfrom a partner. Student parents feel guilty that theirchildren 'go without' as a result of this.

9 There is no clear or consistent funding entitlementfor student parents in either FE or HE. Funding

depends on mode of study, sector, UK country, ageand marital status. This severely financiallydisadvantages some groups of student parentscompared with others. A significant proportion – 76per cent – of our respondents received no childcarefunding at all and only 11 per cent say they receiveenough funding to cover their expenses.

10 Student parents are one of the few groups ofstudents eligible for benefits whilst studying,

but the complex interaction between benefits andstudent support presents a number of problems.Student parents need to be ‘experts’ about what theyare entitled to, and agencies not communicating witheach other can often lead to over and underpaymentsof benefits, leaving students with debts or in serioushardship. Students have to switch between benefitsand student support several times a year.

11Provision of information about childcare optionsand financial entitlements were found to be

seriously lacking for students with children. Only 14per cent felt that they had received sufficientinformation about childcare, and just 18 per cent feltthey had received enough information about theirfinancial entitlements to make an informed decisionabout becoming a student parent.

12 Students with children face a number ofdifficulties accessing childcare which is suitable

for their needs. The national shortage of childcareplaces, high costs, a shortfall in childcare funding ofbetween 15 and 100 per cent for students across theboard, and the flexibility required by most studentparents combine to ensure that student parents aredisadvantaged from the offset.

13 79 per cent of student parents we surveyedalways, frequently or sometimes used family or

friends for childcare in order to attend university orcollege; of those more than a third (37 per cent) use itexclusively. One in five of all respondents pay for it,despite no statutory funding being available for such care.

14 Half of all students with children have been latefor, or have had to miss, a class because of

problems with childcare; 16 per cent have received alibrary fine for the same reason. Lone parents are morelikely to have missed lectures due to problems withchildcare or child sickness.

15 Students are not considered to be ‘goodcustomers’ for childcare providers. They often

need irregular hours, at awkward times and are subjectto last-minute changes and late provision of timetables.Providers may also have to wait for payment fromstatutory funding bodies.

Executive Summary

5

Data collection

1The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA)and Learning and Skills Council (LSC) should

make it a requirement for universities and colleges tocollect data on the parental status of a student, toallow the annual UK-wide collection of statistics ofstudent parent numbers in further education andhigher education. It is recommended that the ScottishGovernment and Welsh Assembly also consider thecollection of this information.

2 The Department for Innovation, Universities &Skills (DIUS) and the Department for Children

Schools and Families (DCSF) should use this data toinform calculations and allocations of funding for theAccess to Learning Fund (ALF), the Learner SupportFund (LSF) and the Childcare Grant.

3 Regardless of a national requirement, institutionsshould collect this data at registration in order to

enhance their ability to improve the support that bothinstitutions and students’ unions provide for studentparents.

4 Institutions should use this data to embed aholistic, integrated system of support for student

parents, to include detailed and timely informationabout services available and entitlements. Caringresponsibilities must also be taken into account inrelation to deadlines, extensions, library fines andattendance targets.

Teaching and learning

5Universities and colleges should carry out impactassessments of their teaching and learning

practices for student parents, including evaluating howtheir modes of study, deadline schedules, timetableprovision and styles of learning either positively or

negatively impact student parents; institutions shouldalso consider how such practices impact on their abilityto fulfil the requirements of the gender duty.

Student activities

6 Students’ unions should adopt ‘child-friendly’practices, including establishing child-friendly

areas in union buildings and a programme of activitiesin which parents and their children can participate.

7 Institutions and students’ unions should ensurethat relevant information and/or training is provided

to all individuals who work with student parents. Instudents’ unions this should include staff, officers,volunteers, student advisors and presidents of clubsand societies.

8 Institutions and students’ unions should supportthe development of online or in-person networks

of student parents, recognising the lack of time theyhave to establish these on their own.

9 Students’ unions should consider the ways inwhich student parents’ interests can be

represented through their democratic systems, giventhe restraints on their time.

Funding

10 All students should have an entitlement to somelevel of childcare funding, regardless of age,

mode of study, nationality or the sector in which theystudy.

11The HE childcare grant should be increased to100 per cent of childcare costs, extended to

part-time students and to adult learners in FE inEngland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The ScottishGovernment should consider introducing an equivalentmeans-tested entitlement in Scotland.

Key recommendationsNUS has identified six areas where changes to policies, practices and attitudes would significantlyenhance the experience of students with children in further and higher education. In this section we listour key recommendations under each of these areas. Each chapter of this report also concludes with adetailed set of recommendations for the consideration of Government, institutions and students’ unions.

6

Meet the Parents

12 Discretionary funding is vital to helping studentparents overcome considerable financial

hardship. As such, additional resource should be putinto the Parental Learning Allowance, LSF, ALF andSupport Fund to cover the additional childcare coststhat student parents inevitably accrue, other thanformal or registered childcare. Student nurses withchildren in Northern Ireland should also be entitled toapply for help via the Support Fund.

Childcare

13 DIUS and the Department of Health (DoH)should formally recognise the centrality of

informal childcare as a positive and integral part ofhow parents are enabled to study, and make acommitment to supporting students who need to usesuch care to participate in education.

14 DIUS and DoH should produce a statementdetailing how students with children will be

supported in accessing childcare when they are oncourses requiring overnight placements.

15 Institutions should provide detailed andaccurate information about childcare provision

in the local community for students with children.

16 Institutions should reimburse for any fines orcosts related to late timetable provision or last-

minute changes to timetable schedules.

17 Institutions should work with Family InformationServices, local authorities and schools to

explore how these agencies could work effectivelytogether to provide childcare for staff and students ininstitutions.

Better information, advice andguidance

18 To achieve better joined up thinking, signpostingand interaction between government

departments responsible for student parents, thereshould be ‘check-off systems’ between, DIUS,Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and DCSF. All three departments should consider the impacts onstudent parents in policy developments, and worktogether to mitigate negative impacts of these.

19 DIUS, the Student Loans Company (SLC) andthe LSC should work together to produce

accurate, reliable information for students with childrencovering both FE and HE. This should includededicated staff, a centralised website and paper-basedmaterials. Institutions should add to this to providetailored information for prospective and currentstudents with children.

20 DCSF should fund a student parent helpline,potentially as part of ‘Parent Know How’, the

existing hub of information for everyone in a parentingrole.

21Every JobCentre should have at least oneadvisor who has been trained in the

interactions between student support and benefits.

Introduction

7

This report presents the findings of a UK-wide studyinto the experiences of students with children infurther and higher education. The study wasconducted by the National Union of Students (NUS). The report is the first of its kind in Britain. It draws ona number of earlier studies into different aspects ofstudent parents’ experiences of further or highereducation in the UK to build a detailed, wide-rangingaccount of the realities of student life for parents.The study covers both full-time and part-timestudents at higher education institutions (HEI) andfurther education colleges (FEC), including the OpenUniversity (OU), participating in courses betweenlevels 1–5. Home and international student parentstook part, as did those from England, Wales,Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The aim of the research was to investigate the day-to-day experiences of students with children acrossthe UK, in order to devise strategies to equipgovernment departments, institutions and students’unions with the tools they need to ensure a qualitylearning experience for student parents.

Research methodResearch was carried out between November 2007and December 2008 via:• a literature review of existing research, policy and

data which was circulated amongst a group ofcritical readers for review;

• seventeen face-to-face interviews with expertsacross the fields of academia, student advice,policy, campaigning and practice; see Appendix Cfor a full list;

• focus groups with 73 student parents in 10 furtherand higher education institutions across the UK; seeAppendix D for details;

• an online survey of 2,167 students with children; seeAppendix B. The survey questions were circulatedwith a group of critical readers who providedfeedback and amendments;

• a ‘roundtable’ discussion, where our findings andanalysis were discussed with a group of experts inthe field; see Appendix E.

Each stage of the research built upon informationgathered from the previous stage. The literature reviewand interviews with experts informed the design of thefocus groups, the content of which subsequentlyinfluenced the questions asked in the online survey.The survey was not designed to be a representativesample in a quantitative sense, but to test the findingsfrom focus groups with a broader sample in order togive an overview of how student parents experiencefurther and higher education in the UK today. Whilstwe were pleased with the high number of completedresponses to the survey, the sample isdisproportionately weighted in favour of HE studentsand we were disappointed not to have reached moreFE students. However, the focus groups wereweighted in favour of FE students, and the data wegathered from interviews and focus groups as well asthe survey were remarkably similar across bothsectors. Where differences emerged, we havediscussed these. The roundtable discussion allowedus to test our findings, refine our ideas and discussrecommendations.

Structure of the reportThe report is divided into five chapters. Chapter onebriefly outlines the data that exist in relation to studentswith children and suggests the likely characteristics ofthe student population. Chapters two – five report thefindings of the research in relation to four aspects of thestudent parent experience: teaching and learning,student life, finance and childcare. Each chapter beginswith a summary of the findings and concludes with aset of recommendations. Our key findings andrecommendations are listed in the Executive summaryon pages 3–6.

Appendix A provides detailed information aboutstudent funding available for parents in further andhigher education in the UK. Appendix B providesdetailed survey results, and Appendices C–E listinterviewees, focus groups and roundtable attendees.

Introduction

8

Meet the Parents

Terminology• Student parent – a student studying in further or

higher education who has dependent child(ren). Forthe purposes of this report ‘children’ includes anyoneup to the age of 18.

• Mature student – the HE sector recognises thosewho apply for their course once they are 21 (20 inScotland) or above as ‘mature’. In FE, adult learnersare those aged 20 or over. However, the chances of a parent having taken time out to have a family andbe back in education by 21 are small. So, for thepurposes of this study, we refer to ‘young’ studentparents as those under 25 and ‘mature’ studentparents as those over 25.

• Institution – further education college or highereducation institution.

• For brevity, throughout the report we have at timesreferred to English funding bodies and departments.Unless otherwise stated, recommendations areusually applicable to the equivalent departments andbodies in the devolved administrations.

Policy contextThe experience of students with children in further andhigher education is influenced by a number of keynational policy drivers related to child poverty andeducation. Central to these are government attempts towiden participation in both further and higher education,to increase skill levels in the UK population and toeradicate child poverty by raising employment amongstdisadvantaged groups and reducing teenage pregnancy.

Who is responsible for student parents?Numerous government departments govern the dailyexperiences of student parents. In England, for example,as students they fall under the Department forInnovation, Universities and Skills. As parents, their freepre-school childcare places, their children’s schools,SureStart and Children’s Information Centres fall underthe Department for Children, Schools and Families. Forthose working part time, the childcare tax credit system is operated by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs.Students studying for vocational health-related coursesare funded directly by the NHS Bursary, funded by theDepartment of Health. For those in receipt of incomesupport and Job Seeker’s Allowance, particularly lone

parents, their benefits are administered by theDepartment for Work and Pensions.

Widening Participation and the skills agenda In 1997 the Dearing Committee published HigherEducation in a Learning Society. Amongst suggestionsas to how higher education should be funded, Dearingalso recommended the further expansion of highereducation and made a number of recommendationsaround widening participation, both in terms ofincreasing the absolute numbers in higher education andalso the proportion of students from under-representedgroups. Since then, ‘widening participation’ has been afocal point of education policy and a key feature of howinstitutions access funds from HEFCE. HEFCE hasspecific strategic aims around this agenda, andconsequently there is increasing impetus on the sector toreach certain targets around participation and retention ofspecific groups, including mature and part-time learners.

In 2007 the report Prosperity for all in the globaleconomy – World Class Skills by Lord Leitch shiftedattention back on to the further education sector withemphasis being placed on the need to develop Britaininto a world skills leader through increasing adult skills.Skills have been identified as essential to the UK’sposition in the global economy as well as to achievingsocial justice and equality, and this vision relies heavilyon the uptake of education and training, particularly inthe further education sector. Lone parents, statisticallythe group most likely to have no qualifications and beunemployed, are a clear target group for this agenda.

Education funding Over the last decade the notion that graduates shouldcontribute to the costs of their education has taken firmroot in government policy, and subsequently, legislation.In 1998 an upfront fee was introduced, and in 2004variable fees were enacted through the Higher EducationAct. With this came the requirement that institutions useadditional fee income for bursaries for students fromdisadvantaged groups where they charge above the1998 fee, though reports of chronic under-spends of suchmoney have prompted questions as to whether thesehave been distributed and accessed effectively.2 In 2009the higher education funding review will consider,amongst other things, whether or not to raise the limit onvariable fees.

Introduction

9

Since 1997 funding for further education has increasedsignificantly alongside Government initiatives includingan extended entitlement and targeted projects that haveincreased participation amongst disadvantaged learners.In 2000, when the Learning and Skills Council (LSC)was established, Learner Support Funds wereintroduced and remain to this day the main source ofdiscretionary childcare funding for adult learners infurther education.

Ending child povertyEducation policy in both further and higher educationhas, over the last ten years, increased the focus onstudents who are more likely to have children than‘traditional’ students. The government’s commitment toeradicate child poverty by 2020 has had a similareffect. The government’s strategy to focus on thecauses of poverty, in particular by raising employmentlevels and prospects amongst disadvantaged groups,has involved initiatives aimed at the increasedparticipation of such groups in further and highereducation with the assistance of projects such as SureStart. The successes of Sure Start programmes havesubsequently seen the expansion of the programme viathe development of Children’s Centres, which are set tobe a key locus for the provision of information abouteducational opportunities for lone and teenage parents.The connective tissue of many of these initiatives is theEvery Child Matters framework, which seeks toencourage more effective and accessible servicesfocused around the needs of children, young peopleand families, and places a special focus on agenciesworking together for the benefit of children.

Welfare reform One of the biggest impacts of the child povertycommitment has been Labour’s intense focus onraising employment levels for lone parents. There is nodoubt that lone parents’ – and more widely mothers’ –engagement in employment reduces poverty, and thatthe government sees Welfare to Work as key to endingchild poverty. Related initiatives began in 1998 withNew Deal for Lone Parents with its aim of increasinglone parents’ employment rate to 70 per cent by 2010.As a result of these initiatives, employment of loneparents has risen 12 per cent over the last decade.

The latest legislative reforms are included in the

government’s White Paper, Raising Expectations andIncreasing Support which states the government’s aimto increase the overall employment rate to 80 per centthrough tackling the unemployment of ‘hard-to-reach’groups. Reforms have already reduced lone parents’entitlement to income support whilst in education,forcing them to claim Job Seeker’s Allowance instead,meaning they will have to be ‘available to work’. Thisputs the possibility of any sustained period of time ineducation in jeopardy.

Childcare The levels of employment aspired to by thegovernment inevitably puts further demands on thechildcare sector to create yet more spaces for childrenas parents return to education or work. Thegovernment’s recognition of this is illustrated throughtheir development of a ten-year Childcare Strategy in2004, recognising the need for choice, flexibility,availability, quality and affordability to allow parents toreturn to the workplace. This was entrenched in the2006 Childcare Act which places a duty on localauthorities to secure sufficient childcare to enableparents to work, or to undertake education and trainingleading to work. In 2008, the Government announcedan investment of £100 million over three years toextend the offer of free education and childcare to20,000 2 year olds in the most disadvantagedcommunities. Recently, the Extended Schoolsprogramme has increased the focus on ‘wrap-around’childcare in primary schools, with a commitment tocore provision in every school by 2010.

Childcare funding The introduction of the means-tested Childcare Grantfor HE students in 2001 and Care to Learn funding foryoung FE learners following the launch of the TeenagePregnancy Strategy in 1999 are both indications thatfunding has become more generous for students overthe last decade. However, there are still no clear orconsistent entitlements for students requiring childcareacross UK. There has also been a steady diminution inthe Access to Learning Fund, directly affecting thoseparents unable to claim the Childcare Grant (CCG).The only group of students that do have a blanketentitlement to childcare are FE student parents underthe age of 20 through the Care to Learn programme.

1.Who are student parents?

SummaryThere is no authoritative data about the number ofstudent parents in either further or higher education, orabout the characteristics of the student parentpopulation. This is because institutions are notrequired to collect this data by HESA or the LSC. Whatwe do know, based on our own and existing research– including government surveys – is that:

• around a third of part-time students in further and higher education are parents; this figure dropsto approximately 7 per cent for full-time students inHE and may rise to as high as 40 per cent in FE;proportions of postgraduate students with childrenare not known;

• research indicates that students with children tendto be women, mature and part-time;

• a significant minority of student with children arelone parents; one third of our survey respondentsand a quarter of all households are headed by alone parent;

• student parents tend not to move to attenduniversity or college, and may have caringresponsibilities other than to their children;

• students with children are likely to beoverrepresented on vocational and professionalcourses, particularly those allied to medicine andeducation;

• pregnant students face particular challenges in theeducational system, particularly in relation tofinances and taking time out.

The lack of data about students with children seriouslylimits the ability of either sector to meaningfullysupport student parents, and means that resourceallocation is based on estimates. Collection ofmonitoring data about students with children is widelysupported:

• a significant number of interviewees advocated thecollection of this data in order to facilitate targetedsupport of student parents, some of whom felt thatthis would be the change that would make thebiggest difference over all;

• students with children that we spoke to feltcomfortable about this data being collected in orderto improve support.

11

12

Meet the Parents

When we started this project we began by askingtwo key questions. How many students havechildren? And what type of people are studentparents? We were surprised to find that thisinformation is not readily available.

How many students havechildren?The simple answer to this question is that nobodyknows. There is no authoritative data on the numbersof students with children in either further or highereducation.

The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA)information, which forms the central dataset forstudents in higher education, is based on datacollected by the Universities College and AdmissionsService (UCAS). UCAS does not at present ask aboutdependent children on its application form and HESAdoes not require individual universities to collect anydata on students with dependents on entry, or thosewho become pregnant during their study.

The picture is similar in further education wherecomparable data is collected through theIndividualised Learner Record (ILR), which does not atpresent ask whether a learner has children. Colleges,like universities, are not required to collect thisinformation, and indications are that few do: in a 2005study, for example, researchers found that only one FEcollege among several in East London recorded thenumber of lone parents in their student body.3

That said, it is possible to make an approximateestimate of the size of the student parent populationbased on indications from government surveys andfunding-related statistics (see Table 1). These suggestthat in HE, between five and eight per cent of full-timeundergraduates are student parents, and just over athird are part-time students. We did not come acrossany estimates of the postgraduate student parentpopulation. In FE, estimates vary more significantly butseem to suggest a considerably higher concentrationof student parents studying full-time, with a similarproportion of part-time students to HE.4

Social characteristics ofthe student parent populationIn as much as it is impossible to accurately measurethe social characteristics of students with children forthe reasons outlined above, our research – incombination with existing surveys – does give ussome clues as to who student parents are. Thesesources suggest that the majority of student parentsare women, mature students, studying part-time, andthat a significant minority are lone parents. Thesefactors act singly and in combination to shape theexperience of students with children – often to theirdisadvantage.

WomenThe majority of respondents to our survey werewomen; they represented 87 per cent of the totalcompared to 12 per cent men. In our focus groups,we had a slightly lower proportion of men at around 9per cent. Additionally, student advisors often referredto parents as ‘she’ when giving examples of theirexperiences. One advisor specifically picked up onthis and said, “I know I keep saying ‘she’, but it reallyis women we are mainly talking about.” 14

Our research reflects the data currently available,which gives a clear indication that the majority ofstudent parents (with primary responsibility for caring)are women. Labour Force Survey data suggests that, inFE, 35 per cent of women learning full-time havedependents under 16, compared to only 13 per cent ofmen.15 Care to Learn statistics report an even widerdisparity with only 1 per cent of applicants for fundingbeing male.16 In a sample of 71 student parents atBrunel University, 70 per cent of respondents werewomen.17 The Scottish Income and Expenditure Surveyfound that 12 per cent of women students were parentscompared with 2 per cent of male students, and 87 percent of students with dependent children were women.18

These figures reflect the fact that primary caringresponsibilities still fall disproportionately to women.19

The literature suggests that gender is significant interms of student parents' experiences of further and

Research findings

Who are student parents?

13

* This is the total number of people who claimed means-tested allowances for childcare or dependents, and therefore includescarers of adults as well as carers of children.13

** This is the total number of students under 20 who accessed this funding in 2006/07. Whilst the majority of these will bebased in FE colleges, the funding is available for anyone under 20, so this figure includes parents studying in schools.

*** The data includes parents in further education and sixth form colleges.

Source YearEstimated number of

student parents (% of student population)

Coverage

Full-time Part-time

HIGHER EDUCATION (undergraduates)

DfEE Research Report5 1998/99 5% – UK

DfES/NAW Research Report 6 2004/05 7% 37% England

DfES/NAW Research Report 7 2004/05 6% 38% Wales

Scottish Government Research Report 8 2004/05 8% Scotland

DELNI Research Report 9 2004/05 5% 35% Northern Ireland

Childcare Grants/Dependents’ allowance allocated 2003/04 18,000*

England andWales

FURTHER EDUCATION

Care 2 Learn Evaluation 10 2006/07 6,739** England

Scottish Government Research Report 11 2004/05 12% Scotland

Labour Force Survey12 *** 2007 24.4% 39.9% England

Table 1: Estimated student numbers by year, country and mode of study

higher education. Numerous studies have shown thatwomen are more likely to leave education because oftheir domestic commitments than men, that they aremore likely to feel conflict between their domestic andacademic responsibilities, more likely to receive negativereactions from their partners for being on a course andthat they receive less support from partners and families

than student fathers do.20 Our own survey suggesteddifferences too.21 Women respondents were less likelythan men to move in order to attend college oruniversity (11 per cent compared with 25 per cent), lesslikely to engage in paid employment during term time(39 per cent compared with 55 per cent), and morelikely to apply for discretionary funds (22 per cent

compared with 31 per cent). The survey results alsosuggest that men may be less likely to be affected bychildcare problems: 39 per cent have been late for alecture because of childcare difficulties, compared with51 per cent of woment respondents. They are morelikely to find tutors supportive of their circumstances (47per cent compared with 37 per cent), and find it easierthan women to get involved with university and collegelife (35 per cent compared with 20 per cent). Crucially,women are more likely to consider giving up theircourse – although the figure is still unacceptably highfor male student parents (62 per cent compared with 44per cent).

The fact that the majority of students with children arewomen is also significant from a policy perspective,since it calls into play equalities legislation whichprotects women from direct and indirect discrimination.Institutions are bound by the gender equality duty, forexample, which requires them to take steps to activelypromote equality between men and women students.The forthcoming Equality Bill, which aims to harmoniseexisting equality legislation, could bring furtherimperatives in this area.

Lone parents One quarter of all families with children is headed by alone parent, and 34 per cent of survey respondentssaid they lived alone with their children. Studentadvisors that we spoke to highlighted lone parents asthe group of parents they were most likely to see,suggesting that this is a group who present with moreproblems as a result of combining parenthood andstudy. Gingerbread has found the largest barrier tolone parents accessing education and training to be alack of available childcare, due in part to the absenceof another parent to share caring responsibilities with.This was followed by financial problems relating tochildcare costs and fees,22 lone parents havingovertaken pensioners as the poorest group in recentyears.23 Lone parents, academics and advisors that wespoke to suggested that their financial burden can befurther complicated by maintenance payments notbeing made by ex-partners. Support of (ex) partnerswas highlighted as an important feature of academicsuccess by many student parents in focus groups,and something that lone parents often do not have.

As a group, lone parents are more likely to be living

in poverty, not engaged in paid employment and morelacking in qualifications than other families.24

Consequently, they are a key target of governmentpolicy in relation to widening participation, welfare andemployment. In 1998 the Labour government set a 70per cent employment target for lone parents by 2010,as part of a wider strategy which sought to end childpoverty by 2020 through focusing on the causes ofpoverty and worklessness. This target engendered anumber of different initiatives, including the New Dealfor Lone Parents, Sure Start and the Childcare Strategy.Recently, in a bid to reach this target, pressure on loneparents through welfare reform has increasedexponentially. During the time it has taken to researchthis report, the government has enacted legislationwhich strips lone parents in further and highereducation of their entitlement to income support duringvacations. This is part a series of reforms that aim toforce lone parents with young children back into workthrough withdrawal of benefits. The impact of this isexplored further in the ‘Money matters’ chapter.

Mature studentsThe majority of student parents we spoke to were‘mature’ students, with 89 per cent of our sample beingover the age of 25, and 45 per cent having been out ofeducation for more than five years. Mature studentsalso made up the majority of our focus groups. Theinterruptions to parents' education brought about bypregnancy and raising children – often in combinationwith other caring responsibilities – perhaps make thisage profile unsurprising.25

However, the ‘young’ student parent is a significantminority – more than one in ten of our surveyrespondents were under 25 years of age. In 2007/08Care to Learn funding was provided to 6,739 youngparents in FE in England alone.

Our research found that younger parents often haddifferent experiences to older parents. Intervieweescommented on the ‘relative invisibility’ of young parents,both in terms of policy and practice – often due to theconflation of student parents with mature students. Oneinterviewee suggested that the lack of data aboutyoung parents is due to them ‘falling between twogroups’, being neither ‘traditional’ students nor ‘mature’students, and this was backed up by what we heardfrom young parents in our focus groups. Negative

14

Meet the Parents

Who are student parents?

15

Age* Number Percentage

Under 20 39 1.8

20–25 208 9.6

26–30 337 15.6

31–35 419 19.3

36–40 502 23.2

41–45 364 16.8

46–50 209 9.6

51–55 61 2.8

56–60 8 0.4

Over 60 4 0.2

Unknown 16 0.7

Total 2167 100

*as of 31/12/08

discourses about teenage parenthood prevalent insociety may also lead to them not identifying aswillingly as parents, and consequently them notnecessarily getting the support they need.

Part-time studentsAs we have noted already, the data that is available onstudent parents suggests that the majority who arestudying are doing so part-time – in both sectors. Part-time students currently account for 39 per cent ofhigher education.26 This mode of study has seenconsiderable growth over the last decade, with thenumber of part-time students growing at three timesthe rate of full-time students.27 Given the effortdedicated to widening participation during the sametimeframe, and the appeal of part-time courses to ‘non-traditional’ students such as those with families tosupport,28 it is likely that among that number will be asignificant number of student parents. We know forexample that in HE 62 per cent of part-time studentsare women, and 82 per cent are aged over 25 – twocharacteristics shared by students with children.

It is specifically in higher education that part-time

students are so significantly disadvantaged incomparison with their full-time counterparts. Not only do they receive less in the way of course and feegrants, but parents in England are not eligible for theChildcare Grant.

Our focus groups highlighted that student parents inboth sectors make decisions over whether to studypart-time or full-time based on a range of factors, someof which may change during the course of their study.Some choose to study part-time to allow them to work,others because of the guilt associated with spendingtime away from the family, and yet others makedecisions based on benefit entitlement. Others choosefull-time study to access statutory childcare funding orto minimise their time living in financial hardship.Funding models do not currently make it easy forstudents to switch between full and part-time study, andthis is particularly problematic for students withdependents, who make decisions about their mode ofstudy based not only on their preference but also theirresponsibilities as a parent.

On vocational courses Considering the centrality of caring to many of theirlives, it is perhaps unsurprising that interviewees allover the country stated that student parents tended tobe clustered in vocational courses, such as socialwork, healthcare or teaching. The perception of higherstudent support during the course, and a more securecareer at the end of it, were identified by studentparents we spoke to as further motivations to followvocational courses. In our focus groups (25 per cent)of students were studying on a vocational course and42 per cent of our survey respondents were on acourse that required them to do a placement.

SettledOut of those surveyed from the UK, 92 per cent wereattending colleges or universities near where they lived.Advisors we spoke to agreed that the student parentsthey saw were likely to be drawn from the localpopulation, rather than having moved to the town or cityto study (with international students being the notableexception).

This means that student parents are much more likelyto be living in their own home, as opposed to universityaccommodation or with parents (only 5 per cent of our

Table 2: Age profile of survey respondents

sample). It was highlighted by interviewees thatstudent parents are more likely to have mortgages orlive in suburban areas, and that this physical distancecan add to their experiential difference and can leadto many student parents feeling ‘out of touch’ withother students.

For those who do have to move – 12 per cent ofour total sample – the challenge is to find suitable,affordable family accommodation near to theirinstitution. For international students in particular, thiskind of accommodation is critical to the quality of theirstudent experience.

Potential parentsSome students become parents for the first time, orbecome parents again, during their course of study.In our sample, 61 per cent had more than one child,and inevitably there will be women who are pregnant

at some point during their education as well asexpectant fathers. There is currently no legal safeguardfor pregnant students by way of maternity or paternityrights, such as parental leave, and fundingmechanisms are not set up to deal with interruptions tostudy of this nature. We also heard about instances ofoutright discrimination against pregnant women bycolleges and universities, including institutions refusingto enrol pregnant students because of fears that theywould not complete the course.

One student advisor emphasised that those whobecome pregnant during their studies need a greatdeal of support because of the dramatic change thatthey experience in relation to being a student. This isparticularly significant in terms of their finances, whichcan go from one or two sources of student income toa myriad of benefits, grants and loans.

The case for data collection

“[Without data on student parents], you can’tcost it, you can’t evaluate it, and universitiesand colleges don’t know what they can afford.”Hilary Land (Interview 22/09/08)

“It is impossible to know what childcareneeds students with children have becausethere is no data on them.” Claire Callender(Interview 21/02/08)

Our survey data is not weighted to offer a representativesample of student parents – this is because there is nocentral source of national data on student parents ineither further or higher education to weight it against.This was an issue that student advisors and academicsraised frequently in our interviews as a significant barrierto research about this group and, as a consequence, toproviding the support services they need. They alsoemphasised the beneficial impact accurate data wouldhave in terms of helping the widening participationagenda and allocation of discretionary funds. Somestudent advisors felt this would be the change that wouldmake the biggest difference to student parents overall.

Generally, those student parents we spoke to saidthey felt comfortable about this information beingcollected:

16

Meet the Parents

31%

29%

9%

0.2%0.8%

16%

14%

Never 0.2%

0–1 years 31%

1–2 years 9%

2–5 years 14%

5–10 years 16%

More than 10 years 29%

Skipped question 0.8%

Survey question: Before your current course,how long ago was it that you were last ineducation?

17

“I don’t mind being identified, in fact, Iwould like it!” Student parent, SwanseaMetropolitan University

“I think it would be really useful if, whenyou fill out your application form, you couldindicate that you are a parent so theuniversity could send us information that isrelevant to us. I think that would be quiteuseful.” Student parent, London South BankUniversity

“My lecturer knows about me being aparent, and that helps.” Student parent,University of Leeds

The case for monitoring personal characteristics withinthe student population has already been won inrelation to, for example, ethnicity and gender, and thedata collected by HESA and the LSC are robust andof a high quality. This has allowed for targeted fundingand policy work to specifically address the needs ofunderrepresented groups. In higher education thisdata has fed into the National Student Survey (NSS),providing important insights into the experiences ofparticular groups of students. The fact that no robustdataset exists in either sector for student parentstherefore has serious implications for the ability ofeither sector to respond to the needs of this cohort ofstudents in a meaningful and consistent way. Suchdata would undoubtedly be valuable in measuring thegrowth of this constituency over time, in assessing therelative dedication of resources such as the LearnerSupport Fund (LSF) or the Access to Learning Fund(ALF), and in gauging the success of wideningparticipation initiatives. For these reasons thecollection of such data is generally advocated byacademics and practitioners in this field.29

Recommendations

“I feel universities should ask students if they have children.” Student parent,Swansea Metropolitan University

• HESA and the LSC should require institutions tocollect information on whether a student hasdependent children, as well as the number andage of children, as part of routine data capturefor incoming students.

• DIUS should use this data to inform resourceallocation for institutions.

• DIUS should commit to publishing annualstatistics on student parents and to fundinglongitudinal research documenting theexperiences of students with children in bothfurther and higher education.

• Institutions should begin to collect thisinformation at registration, regardless of arequirement from funding bodies.

• Institutions should use this data to proactivelytarget support at students with children, and tomonitor the attainment and retention ofstudents with children.

• Institutions should also use this information toensure they are providing adequate levels offamily housing for both UK and internationalstudents.

• Institutions should consider whether they arefulfilling their requirements under sexdiscrimination legislation in relation to studentswith children, the majority of whom are women.

2.Teaching and learning

Heading

Summary

‘I have just loved it here. I have met fab people and the course has been great. I havemore experience and better prospects – I haven’t got anything bad to say… it’s been the best thing I have ever done.’ Student parent,Ystrad Mynach College

It was when we spoke to student parents about theirexperiences of teaching and learning that our focusgroups became most animated. The majority ofparticipants were passionate about education, aboutimproving their own and their children’s educationalprospects and financial security, and about the positiveimpact that being a student parent had on both theiracademic achievement and on their relationships withtheir children and family life:

• three quarters of survey respondents felt that being a student parent had been a positive experience forthem and their family;

• over a third felt that being a student parent hadhelped them to be a good role model to their children;

• 58 per cent of student parents who have thoughtabout giving up their course cited the desire tocreate financial security for their families as one oftheir main motivations for staying.

There are a number of factors which affect when andwhere students with caring responsibilities study, aswell as what they study:

• student parents are less likely to move to attendcollege or university, which can result in studentshaving to travel considerable distances to attend an institution;

• student parents select their courses for a range ofdifferent reasons, including interest in the subject orjob prospects. However their course choices arealso likely to be constrained by what courses areavailable locally;

• 39 per cent of student parents felt unable to accesslearning resources at their institution as much as theyneed to, because of a lack of childcare or because ofthe high costs of travelling to their institution;

• parents often feel guilty about spending any moretime away from their home and their children than isabsolutely necessary;

19

continues overleaf …

20

Meet the Parents

• 59 per cent of student parents surveyed said that oneof the main times that they studied was after 10o’clock at night after their children had gone to bed;

• because of the difficulties of studying at home formany students with children, class time isparticularly valued by this group of students.

Difficulties with course organisation, finances and alack of support and information make student parentsa high-risk group in terms of retention: 65 per cent oflone parents and 60 per cent of parents overall in oursurvey have thought about leaving their course.However, they consistently displayed genuineenthusiasm for their courses despite numerous realand perceived barriers to their full and successfulparticipation in learning. The majority of these issuesstemmed from the mismatch between traditionalcourse organisation, including timetabling, holidays,deadlines and group work, and the needs of studentswith children:

• early provision of timetables is critical for studentswith children who need to arrange suitablechildcare. Over a third of all survey respondents

Summary (continued) received their timetable on the first day of term orafter the start of term, and just under half (43 percent) felt that this was not provided early enough forthem to make adequate childcare arrangements;

• the timing of the school day, school holidays, insetdays and child sickness can all pose problems forstudents with children, who because of thesefactors are likely to need to miss occasionallessons, arrive late or leave early

• students with children can sometimes be unfairlypenalised by strict attendance targets which do nottake into account their circumstances;

• for the same reasons students with children mayneed extra support to meet deadlines andparticipate in group work;

• supportive tutors and non-teaching staff can have asignificant impact on the attainment and retention ofstudent parents, as can negative experiences withstaff;

• students who become pregnant are often expectedto defer rather than to continue with their studies. 59per cent of respondents who have been pregnantwhile studying did not feel supported by theircollege or university.

Research findingsMotivations to studyThe student parents we surveyed and spoke to infocus groups were motivated to enter education by arange of factors. The most common of theseincluded being a good role model to their children,increasing the financial security of their family nowand in the future, developing a more fulfilling careerand interest in the subject. Others, particularly loneparents, felt that participation in education wouldhelp them to combat the negative stereotypes theyfelt they were subjected to. For others still, further orhigher education was something that they hadalways wanted to do but had not had the chance toearlier in life for a variety of reasons. These factorsacted singly or in combination for different studentparents.

Being a good role modelSetting a good example to their children was the mainmotivation in returning to education for 42 per cent ofsurvey respondents30 and more than a third (34 per cent)felt that studying had helped them to do so. A significantnumber of focus group participants discussed howimportant this motivating factor was to them:

“It is to show my daughter that I amsecuring our future, and making her realisethat no matter what age you are, you arenever too old for education.” Student parent,London South Bank University

“I think it’s good for the children. It showsthem you’re not sitting on your backside –you’re being a bit of role model and you’reprepared to do something.You want to getout there and make something of yourself –lead by example.” Student parent, YstradMynach College

Teaching and learning

21

Students discussed wanting to broaden their children’shorizons and change their educational aspirations bynormalising further and higher education in their familyenvironment. This was particularly noticeable amongststudents who were the first in their family to participatein further or higher education:

“My daughter’s four. If you said to her‘where are you going after nursery?’ shesays, ‘school’. ‘Where are you going afterschool?’ ‘I’m going to college’. ‘Where areyou going after college?’, ‘My mum says Ihave got to go to uni!’ It’s going to bestandard.” Student parent, London South BankUniversity

Financial securityParents were not only concerned about raising theirchildren’s educational aspirations, but also aboutcreating financial security and stability for themselvesand their families. This was a significant motivatingfactor for many of these students; 50 per cent ofsurvey respondents said that one of their mainmotivations for entering education was to improvetheir earning potential. For 58 per cent, creatingfinancial security for their children in the futuremotivated them to keep studying (this figure washigher for lone parents at 67 per cent). Students infocus groups spoke of wanting to improve theirchildren’s future by giving them “the best possiblestart in life”:

“The main reason I chose law is because Iwould like a well-paid job at the end to beable to provide for my son as best I can.”Student parent, University of Leeds

One parent described how poverty had motivated herto study:

“The reason I am here today at college is so that I can get a future, a career andprovide my girls with the life they want, so I can buy what I need for them withoutstruggling.” Student parent, Leicester College

A fulfilling careerMany of the student parents we spoke to in focusgroups felt that without qualifications in further orhigher education they would get stuck, “at the bottomof the rung” in low-paying, low-status jobs. A largenumber of survey respondents – 53 per cent – werealso highly motivated by the desire to build or developa career which was fulfilling. Many of those we spoketo were unhappy with their current situations and werehoping to get “decent” work at the end of theirstudies. This was often what kept them motivatedwhen times got tough:

“My son’s in school full-time now and I couldbe working full-time (and earning more). ButI’m not doing that because I want a careerand not just a job.” Student parent, 20, LeicesterCollege

Student parents’ personal ambitions also came intoplay: different students talked about “realising mypotential”, “doing well”, and “wanting to besomebody”. ESOL (English for speakers of otherlanguages) students we spoke to at HackneyCommunity College were keen to get into theemployment market, as they had worked in their owncountries and wanted to do so in the UK. Most werelearning English so that they could take part in fulfillingpaid employment.

Interest in the subject Interest in the subject was the main motivation tostudy for 46 per cent of student parents we surveyed.Many students in focus groups spoke passionatelyabout their courses and the impact of learning onthem personally:

“The course, the facilities and the tutors arefantastic and it’s really opened my eyes to awhole new world and way of thinking.”Student parent, Swansea Metropolitan University

“The level of the work and the commitmentneeded to achieve good marks wasstimulating, challenging and rewarding.”Student parent, South East Regional College

22

Meet the Parents

Students talked about the transformative nature oftheir participation in education; it was describedvariously as “rewarding”, “beneficial” and “a privilege”.One woman talked about the “exceptional quality” ofher course, and another said the best thing aboutbeing a student was “being able to learn, and havingthe freedom to learn”.

Combating stereotypes Some single mothers that we spoke to in focus groupsfelt particularly affected by negative discourses aroundlone parenthood and benefits. They were keen todemonstrate that they were working hard to “betterthemselves”, and to emphasise that the reason theywere studying was so that they wouldn’t have todepend on benefits in the future:

“We are all here to better ourselves and notjust be just another unemployment statistic.”Student parent, Heriot-Watt University

One single mother said that the reason she carried on inher course, even though it made her life very difficult, was:

“To give the example to my children that it isnot normal to spend your life on the dole, withno prospects or contribution to society – andwhen things are really hard you don't give up,you try to find support to help you succeed.”Student parent, University of Ulster

A number of participants also talked to us aboutpassing on lessons about the importance of hard workto their children:

“As a single parent I could have sat around allday and lived off benefits, but I don’t see thepoint in that. Although uni can be verystressful, I think I would have been moreunhappy if I hadn’t been doing something toimprove my prospects in addition to raisingmy kids. It sets a good example for them – I want them to see me doing something withmy life.” Student parent, University of Leeds

Last chancesFor some older parents, there was a real sense that thiswas their “last chance” in education. For 22 per cent ofsurvey respondents one of their main motivations inchoosing to study was that “they had always wanted togo” to university or college. One woman who had leftschool young without qualifications spoke of the need toprove to herself and her children that she “wasn’t stupid”.

The impact of learning on thefamilyImproving confidence and raisingaspirationsSeveral students talked to us about the impact thatparticipation in further or higher education had on theirconfidence:

0 10 20 30 40 50

To get a morefulfilling job 53%

52%

50%

43%

42%

22%

22%

15%

9%

8%

3%

2%

2%

0.1%

To gain qualifications

To improve myearning potential

Interest in the subject

To set a good exampleto my children

To improve chancesof getting a job

I have alwayswanted to go

To retrain after timeout raising children

To do something new

For the experience

To mix withdifferent people

It was expected of me

To have a goodsocial life

All my friendswere going

Survey question:What were your mainmotivations for chosing to go into further orhigher education?

Teaching and learning

23

“I couldn’t do this a couple of months ago.I couldn’t talk in front of a group of people. Iwas too shy. So it’s really helped myconfidence.” Student parent, Ystrad MynachCollege

“I think I have been busier and happier thisyear than I have been in a long time.”Student parent, Swansea Metropolitan University

Several also discussed the impact of their learning onboth younger and older children. We spoke tostudents who were studying at the same college oruniversity as their children, and even one younggrandparent whose daughter had decided to attendcollege on seeing her mother successfully complete acourse at the same time as caring for her youngerchildren. Others described studying with their children“around the kitchen table”, being “study buddies”, andbeing able to help their children with their homework:

“My daughter’s alright about it (me being atcollege), because things that I have learnthere I have been able to show her at school,so she’s doing better as well. It’s been goodfor both of us really.” Student parent, YstradMynach College

Some student parents said that going to college oruniversity had actually improved their relationship withtheir children:

“I feel a different person when I come home[from university], more creative, buoyant andinvigorated, and this influences my children’sreactions. I play and enthuse more after aday in college and I want them to learn, as Iam, that education is and can be fun.” Studentparent, Swansea Metropolitan University

Children’s pride in their parent’s achievements wasevident from many of the parents we spoke to. SeveralHE students talked about how excited their childrenwere about attending graduation ceremonies, and oneFE student – with no prior qualifications – describedhow excited her children were when she receivedcertificates for her course.

Juggling responsibilitiesWhilst participation in education can and does havepositive impacts on the life of the family, it can be moredifficult for some to adjust to the changes broughtabout by a parent becoming a student. When weasked survey respondents what they felt as a result ofcombining parenthood with studying, the most popularanswer – selected by 58 per cent of respondents31 –was ‘guilty for not spending enough time with mychildren’. 37 per cent felt guilty for not spendingenough time on their studies because of their caringresponsibilities:

“It was the juggling and guilt over what I felt I should have been doing as a parent whichwas the most stressful thing to cope with.”Student parent, South East Regional College

“I feel guilty when I focus on my studies fornot paying the children enough attention, yetwhen I concentrate on the children I amaware that I am neglecting my studies.”Student parent, University of Leeds

Some parents in focus groups said their childrenresented the time that they spent studying, and thatyounger children in particular found it difficult tounderstand why they couldn’t spend time with theirparent when they were studying. Some felt that theirrelationship with their children had changed sincebecoming a student because they had less time thanbefore to spend with them:

“I came home on Friday and this post-it notewas stuck to my computer by my seven-year-old daughter that said ‘Don’t go on thecomputer!’ That horrified me – I thought ‘Do I go on the computer that much?’’’ Studentparent, Norwich City College

Several students pointed out how difficult it was tostrike a balance between home life and studying,particularly when they needed to do most of theirstudying in the home. They highlighted the comparisonwith paid employment, where it is easier for parents todemarcate boundaries between work and home life asemployment usually takes them outside of the home.

24

Meet the Parents

What student parents studyand why As mentioned in the previous section, 46 per cent ofstudents we surveyed said they were motivated to studyby their interest in the subject. However, there are otherfactors which come into play for many student parentswhen selecting a course. These include the likelihood of the course leading to secure employment, thedifferent levels of student support attached to differentcourses, where they live and the extent to which theyare able to access information, advice and guidance.Whether a student parent studies full or part-time is also affected by a range of factors connected to theirresponsibilities as a carer.

Vocational coursesOnly one or two students in focus groups said that theirfamily responsibilities did not affect their decision toreturn to education or their choice of course. The desireto improve the financial situation of their family througheducation, as discussed above, may increase thenumber of student parents studying vocational andprofessional courses, which are perceived to be morelikely to lead to stable, paid employment. Advisors andacademics that we interviewed noted that students withchildren were often found in clusters in particularcourses such as nursing, teaching and social work.

Around a quarter of FE respondents to our survey werestudying for qualifications in health, social work or publicservices, with around a third of HE students studying inthe fields of education or subjects allied to medicine. One advisor suggested that this was because theywanted something concrete in return for the time they hadtaken out to study. It was also suggested that many ofthese kinds of courses were better suited for studentswith children, particularly in terms of the financial supportavailable. Students on PGCE and NHS courses, forexample, receive a non-repayable and non means-testedbursary paid monthly. This, as the finance sectionoutlines, is a considerably more attractive deal for thosestudents with caring responsibilities than other studentsupport packages, and more than one parent we spoketo said they would not even consider doing a course thatdidn’t provide a bursary.

Lack of mobilityStudent parents’ lack of mobility also impacts on theircourse and institution choice. Recent research hasshown that students with children tend to go touniversity or college near where they live, and willchoose from the courses that are available there.32

The following quote illustrates this choice:

“Although I think the course is good, Ibelieve that there are much better dramadegree courses further away. However, whenyou are a parent, beggars can't be choosersand I am generally satisfied.” HE student parent

Our survey found that 92 per cent of our sample had notmoved away to attend university or college, suggestingthat most student parents choose courses at institutionslocal to them. A number of student parents we spoke towere also travelling long distances to attend institutionsof their choice, rather than moving the whole family. Wealso spoke to FE students in focus groups who wereconsidering applying to go to university, and who feltunable to apply for certain courses because of thecompulsory time abroad that they involved. One HEstudent who responded to the survey had stoppedstudying languages because of this:

“I needed to go (abroad) as part of my study,however, my child tax credit and childbenefit were stopped and I was getting alower student loan. As a result I was payingmore for the travel cost (plane ticket), rent,all the material for my son's school,electricity and everything else. I wasstruggling so much that I needed to borrowmoney from a friend, and after six monthscould not cope any longer and came backearlier. I have to change my degree now.”Student parent, London Metropolitan University

Information Our research highlighted a chronic lack of information,advice and guidance at every stage of a studentparent’s experience of further and higher education. Inrelation to course choice, 51 per cent of surveyrespondents answered ‘no’ or ‘to some extent’ when weasked if they felt they had received all the information

Teaching and learning

25

they needed to make an informed choice about theircourse. This is backed up by other studies; for example,Gingerbread found that lone parents in education ortraining in East London had struggled to gain basicinformation regarding course provision. In a studycarried out by Brunel University 70 per cent ofrespondents cited ‘information targeted at students withdependent children’ as a factor that would help studentsto complete a degree at the University. 29 per cent ofCare to Learn recipients in 2004/05 reported that theywould have liked to have received more help or advicewhilst on their course.

Modes of studyFinancial considerations were often key for studentsmaking the decision between part and full-time study.For example, HE students only access childcarefunding if they study full-time, and recent changes tobenefits legislation means that part-time students canno longer access income support, meaning that theswitch to full-time may be beneficial. Another studentadvisor argued that part-time study can be a saferfinancial option for lone parents, as their housingbenefit isn't affected by student funding.

However, we found that students with children weredrawn to part and full-time courses for many differentreasons, and individual circumstances made differentoptions more attractive. For example, some studentswanted to ‘blitz it’, by doing the course full-time, so asto minimise the amount of time where they would bestruggling financially. Others switched to part-timestudy because they felt guilty about “neglecting” theirchildren. Circumstances may change, and so havingthe capability to switch between full and part-time isimportant – one student parent said that if she hadn’tbeen able to switch she would have had to leave herdegree entirely.

The need for flexibility was expressed by both groupsof students, as well as interviewees. Being able tomove in and out of education more fluidly with flexibledegrees would be beneficial for students with caringresponsibilities.

Parents as studentsStudents in many of the focus groups told us that theyfelt they were better students because of their parenting

responsibilities. The responsibility of providing a securefuture for their children motivated many students tocontinue in their studies despite extremely difficultcircumstances:

“Having a child motivates me to study as hardas I can. Before my son was around I didn’t putin half as much effort as I do now.”

Student parent, University of Leeds“Having children whilst studying is the bestincentive to do well. I want to do the best I canand provide a secure future for my family.”Student parent, Heriot-Watt University

Time managementSomething that came across very strongly when speakingwith student parents was how limited their time is. Theyemphasised the need to be experts at managing theirtime in order to be able to fulfil their various commitmentsto work, family and study. Despite their busy lives andnumerous commitments, many students whom we spoketo took considerable pride in managing their time well:

“I have four kids, a part-time job, a house torun – and in five and a half years I have nevermissed a deadline.” Student parent, Norwich CityCollege

Students spoke about their time being “precious” andabout “using every spare minute”. Many gave usexamples of how they timed their day very precisely. Onewoman, with three children at three different schools,explained how she factored in the time she spent waitingin the car for her children at each school when planningher study time. Several said that they started working ontheir assessments as soon as they received them in orderto be able to complete them and build in ‘contingencytime’ to allow for unforeseeable circumstances, such aschild sickness. It is obvious that being able to plan work inadvance is very important to student parents and so earlyprovision of assignment titles can really help them tosucceed.One PhD student we spoke to said he knew a majorpart of his success was due to the support of hispartner who didn’t work and therefore had time toprovide full-time childcare and run the house. Lone

26

Meet the Parents

parents, and those without supportive partners,unsurprisingly felt the pinch of time even more keenlythan others:

“A simple set back has a knock-on effect.Being ill for a day means you get behind onuni work, house work and spending time withthe kids, and you don’t really have spare timeto deal with the backlog. So you end up tryingto study in a messy house with grumpy,attention-starved children.” Student parent,University of Leeds

Some lone parents relied on the help of older children to manage the combination of home and studyresponsibilities:

“As I am on my own I also worry that I amputting too much pressure on my olderdaughter with her helping out with childcare.”Student parent, University of Leeds

There was also evidence of a real sense of resentmentthat their experience in this area was not alwaysacknowledged by teaching staff. Some youngerstudents with children felt patronised by older staff inthis respect, although it was not exclusively youngerstudent parents who experienced this:

“I find it incredible that they rant on for thefirst month about time management. I’ve gotfive kids; I’m good at time management!”Student parent, Kilmarnock College

When and where studentparents studyThere are a number of factors which affect when andwhere students with caring responsibilities study. Allstudents with children have to fit their studying aroundtheir responsibilities as a parent, meaning that it can beharder for them to access learning resources at theirinstitution, and that they are often more tired thanstudents without such responsibilities.

At nightFor 59 per cent of student parents surveyed, one of themain times that they studied was after 10.00pm when

their children had gone to bed. That figure reflects ourconversations with student parents in focus groups,many of whom talked about studying when the childrenwere asleep and into the early hours. Others got upearly to study before their children woke up:

“I go to sleep with the kids at 9.00pm, wakeup at 2.00am and do my work until 6.00am.Then my alarm goes off to do the baby’sbottles and get things ready for the day forthe nursery. I get their breakfast and clothesready, iron them all, then get the kids upabout 7.30am and get out of the house by8.50am.” Student parent, Leicester College

“Having to sit up to 2.00am to get workfinished, get up during the night to feed mybaby and then get up early to get my babyand myself ready to do it all over again isvery hard.” Student parent, South East RegionalCollege

The demands on student parents' time can mean thatthey have to study when they are very tired and find ithard to concentrate:

“The downside of being a student and aparent is that, when I come home fromuniversity or work in the evening, much of mytime is taken up with family stuff. There’s thecooking, discussing the day’s events, assistingwith homework, and housework, and I oftendon’t start studying until around 9.00pm, bywhich time I am frazzled!” Student parent,University of Leeds

Unsurprisingly, 52 per cent of students with children wesurveyed selected ‘tired’ when we asked how they feltas a result combining studying with parenthood.

In the libraryWhere parents study is, for many, dependent upon theextent to which they are able to access institutionallearning resources. Encouragingly, 60 per cent ofsurvey respondents said they felt able to use learningresources in their institutions as much as they neededto, meaning they were free to plan their study time thesame as any other student would.

Teaching and learning

27

39 per cent did not feel able to access resourceswhen they needed to. Of these, 42 per cent said thatthis was due in part to not having enough childcare forpersonal study time. Not being able to take theirchildren into libraries and computer rooms was aproblem for 39 per cent, with 26 per cent citinginconvenient opening hours as a problem.33

Childcare problems limiting access to the libraryresulted in fines for 16 per cent of all surveyrespondents, and students in focus groups told usabout difficulties accessing short loan texts for thesame reason. This problem is exacerbated in theholidays when many students don’t have childcarefunding, and so have extended periods where theycan’t access libraries or computer rooms.

Where parents could take children to the library withthem, they spoke positively of this facilitating theirstudy, but also the positive effect on their children:

“I think my girls benefit when they come intothe library with me. It lets them see how thecollege runs – they are very much in awe of itat the moment. It’s positive. There are toys inthe library and they give them books andcrayons.” Student parent, Norwich City College

In classMost of the students we spoke to in focus groupsfound it difficult to work at home with the distractionsof home life. For example, a young single mother in afocus group described how hard it was to work withtwo young children around and no partner to providechildcare. For this reason, students with children reallyvalued class time and found it difficult when otherstudents were disruptive:

“This is my primary learning place. I don’thave time to go home and reinforce it.”Student parent, Kilmarnock College

Sometimes this could turn to feelings of frustration andresentment. For example, several parents in one groupsaid they felt the other students didn’t realise how littletime they had to complete assignments, or howimportant successful completion of the course was tothem.

At homeFor those students who needed to use a computer fortheir studies, 85 per cent of students in our survey usedtheir own at home. The majority of those (71 per cent)did so either because of a lack of childcare or becausetheir children were not allowed in computer rooms attheir institution. This latter factor is particularly importantfor students whose children are perceived to be too oldfor formal childcare, but who parents do not feel willingto leave at home for long stretches of time on their own:

“It would help my studies if they hadsomewhere to hang around at uni whilst I usedthe library for a couple of hours every sooften. They are too old for a crèche and a bittoo young (although my 12-year-old mightargue!) to hang around the bar.”Student parent, University of Leeds

“Although my children are older and don'tneed childcare, I still have to do my duties asa mother, which means being there for themwhenever I can. So, it's more convenient to dothe bulk of my studies at home.” Student parent,London Metropolitan University

Another reason given for working almost exclusively athome was living considerable distances from theirinstitution, meaning that there is a time and costimplication in accessing institutional resources. This cameout particularly strongly among survey respondents:

“I live over a hundred miles away from uni,and my children are in childcare 100 milesaway from uni!” Student parent, PlymouthUniversity

“It takes too long to travel to university andcar parking and fuel costs are too high.”Student parent, Northumbria University

The cost of equipment was also a factor in students’decisions about where to study, for example, forstudents on courses that utilise expensive equipment,such as music technology software. Several otherstudents suggested that it would be helpful if parentscould receive help with internet costs, since mostcourses require internet access, and they are less able

28

Meet the Parents

than other groups to access institutional learningresources because of childcare availability.

Missing classThere are certain circumstances under which it ismore or less impossible for students with children notto miss class and around half of the students wesurveyed (49 per cent) had done so because ofproblems with childcare.

Students in focus groups spoke to us about thedifficulties of catching up when they had to take timeout of college or university, when they had very littlespare time as it was. In this context, it is clear thatonline resources and catch-up materials become veryimportant for students with children. However, wefound a wide variety of institutional and individualresponses to students missing class. Tactics aimed atdeterring students as a whole from skipping classesinadvertently put those who have no choice other thanto do so at a disadvantage. For example, we were toldof a lecturer who would put his lecture notes up onlineafter the lecture with key information missing from theslides to punish non-attendees.

More positive practice we were told about in focusgroups includes a student who said that his tutor tookthe time to email him the work that he missed when hischild was ill. And yet another tutor we heard aboutmade sure that all the information from his class wasonline to mitigate any problems caused by unavoidableabsences. Our survey reflected the unpredictability oftutors’ responses to these issues, with 48 per cent ofstudents saying that the level of understanding shownby staff depended on the individual.

Attendance targetsRelated to missing class, students in a number ofdifferent focus groups also raised the issue ofattendance targets. The connection between targetsand funding – especially for FE students – means thatevents such as child sickness can become incrediblystressful for students with children, especially ifsupport and teaching staff are not sympathetic to theircircumstances. It was pointed out that the majority ofchildcare providers won’t take children who are ill, andso parents often have no choice but to stay at homewith their children. The general complaint in relation toattendance targets was that they were used as a stick

to beat students with, rather than to flag up any issueswhich were making it difficult for them to attend class.For example, we spoke to several students with childrenwhose funding had been stopped without anydiscussion with either teaching or administrative staff.

“I had to fight to get my last grant because ofmy children being sick and the nurserywouldn’t let them go in. I got it because mytutor got involved, but it’s wrong really.”Student parent, Ystrad Mynach College

An FE advisor we interviewed stressed the importanceof granting such students authorised absences toensure that a lower attendance would not automaticallytrigger their funding being cut without an interview ordiscussion first.

Pregnancy Another reason that student parents may have to taketime out of college or university is that they becomepregnant during the course of study. In this case,students can be supported to continue with their studieswithout having to defer, although the expectation appearsto be that the student will do so. Positive practices weheard about include one woman who became pregnantwhose lectures were all placed online so she couldaccess them in the weeks after her baby had been bornwhen she was unable to attend college. She also said

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

been late fora lesson/lecture

49%

missed lessons 49%

had to requestan extension 20%

missed deadlines 17%

had library fines 16%

missed exams/assignments

5%

not allowed into alesson/lecture

4%

Survey question: Have any of the followingthings happened because of problems withyour childcare?

Teaching and learning

29

her lecturers authorised absences during that time soher attendance targets were not affected.

Unfortunately, we heard other examples of lesssupportive responses to students becoming pregnant,including one college where pregnant students areregularly refused entry to courses because of anassumption that they will not stay the course. We alsospoke to a woman who had failed an exam because herwaters broke, and another who was refused acomfortable chair to sit in during her exam when she wasfull-term. Others were forced off courses, or left with nosupport or information as to how they could besupported to continue their course, instead battlingagainst an expectation that they should drop out or defer.

Course organisationThe previous section explains the impact of caringresponsibilities on the way in which parents study. Inthis section we discuss how course organisation andother institutional practices can inhibit parents frombeing able to get the most out of their education, andidentify where there are innovative approaches beingemployed to address student parents’ needs.

Provision of timetabling informationThe majority of interviewees and focus group participantswe spoke to commented on the problems that studentswith children face in relation to timetabling. One of thekey issues is the (lack of) notice that student parents aregiven of their timetable for the year.

More than a third of all survey respondents receivedtheir timetable on the first day of term or after the startof term, and just under half (43 per cent) felt that theirtimetable was not provided early enough for them tomake adequate childcare arrangements. Of those, 11per cent lost their childcare place or childminder as aresult of late timetable provision, and 14 per cent hadto pay a retainer to their childcare provider. The vastmajority (87 per cent) said that the delay had causedthem stress and anxiety.

Students in focus groups described the impact of lateprovision of timetables during the first few weeks of term.For example, several had to leave classes early, or arrivelate, while they waited for their childcare arrangements tocatch up with their timetable. A survey respondentdescribed how it had limited her course choices:

“Having the timetable in the summer holidaywould be useful as childcare could be planneda lot better, rather than having to choosemodules very quickly that work around familymembers.” Student parent, Cornwall College

Around seven per cent of survey respondents said thatearly provision of timetables would make the mostsignificant improvement to their experience as a studentparent. Allowing students with caring responsibilities theflexibility to change their seminar times (where there areoptions) also helps where timetables cannot be providedearlier.34

Changes to timetablesStudents with children, particularly those who useregistered childcare providers, tend not to have childcarearrangements which they can change at the last minute.Nurseries and childminders, for example, can require amonth’s notice for any changes to schedules.Subsequently, last-minute changes to class times createsstress for student parents, as they attempt to rearrange

16%

6%

18%12%

20%

14%

14%

After the start of term 14%

More than a month before the start of term 16%

3–4 weeks before the start of term 14%

1–2 weeks before the start of term 18%

Less than a week before the start of term 12%

On the first day of term 20%

Skipped question 6%

Survey question:When did you receive yourtimetable this year?

30

Meet the Parents

their childcare, because of which they may lose moneyor miss a lecture. Several students raised last-minutechanges and lack of notice as a key problem for them.This problem was intensified for those people withseveral children in different types of childcare (e.g. after-school club and nursery). Students suggested thatcolleges and universities should have to give at leasttwo weeks notice when the timetable changes.

Timing of the day

“I have to get my son to school for 9.00am.How can I be in college and at school at thesame time? You can’t be in two places atonce!” Student parent, Kilmarnock College

Students with children can find it difficult to arrive intime for 9.00am lectures because they coincide withthe start of the school or nursery day, and can also findlate or evening lectures or classes difficult to attend forsimilar reasons. Around half of all the student parentswe surveyed had been late for a lecture because ofchildcare problems.

Institutional and individual teaching staff’s responses tothis fact had a big impact on student parents. We heardof several examples where teaching staff had beenunsympathetic and inflexible with regard to this, but alsowhere teaching staff had gone out of their way to supportstudents with children. For example, one Access lecturerwould ensure that no vital information was given in thefirst 15 minutes of classes that began at 9.00am becausehe knew there were student parents in the class whofound it difficult to arrive on time. At the other end of thescale, meanwhile, four per cent of survey respondentshad been locked out of a lecture or class because theywere late due to childcare problems, and a student in afocus group who had to leave class 10 minutes early topick up her children from school said she was markeddown absent every time she did so. As well as beingstressful for students with children, the timing of thecollege or university day can have a significant financialimpact. When we asked what would most improve herexperience as a student parent, one student said:

“Parent-friendly course hours. 9.15am startswould have saved me £240 a monthminimum.” Student parent, University of the West ofScotland

School holidays, half-terms and inset days are similarlyawkward for students with children, as they rarely matchup with college or university holidays and reading weeks,and sometimes don’t match up between schools.Students often have no choice but to stay at home andlook after their children during these times, or bring theirchildren with them to class if their tutors allow it.

The students we met who were most positive abouttheir experiences of education were those where thetimetables were designed to fit in with theirresponsibilities as parents. These included Accessstudents and those studying in institutions where therewere specific provisions for mature and parentstudents. One course we heard about, which had highnumbers of student parents, was split into two streams,one for students with children and one without. The firstgroup was prioritised to have lectures during the middleof the day and the second had more lectures in theearly and late slots. ESOL courses at HackneyCommunity College were also structured to allowstudents with children to pick up and drop off theirchildren at school. In a centre designed for adultlearners at the University of Leeds, the reading weekwas always at the same time as half-term, so thatstudent parents could look after their children in thatweek and wouldn’t have the problems that moststudents face in finding temporary childcare. This wasfollowed by a ‘catch-up’ week which acknowledged thefact that students with children would be providingchildcare during the first week and therefore would haveless time to study.

HolidaysA perfect example of the way in which the academiccalendar is organised with the traditional student in mindis the timing of assessments and deadlines in relation toholidays, during which time it is assumed that studentswill have more time than usual to study. As the studentparents we spoke to pointed out on numerous occasions,however, holidays are not generally a restful time for thembut a time when they often have to do more work lookingafter their children who are home from school.35 Christmasin particular was described by various people as “crunchtime”, “the worst time of the year” and “the most stressfultime”, with a combination of organising a familyChristmas, looking after children fulltime and deadlines for assessment or exams in January looming:

Teaching and learning

31

“I find it difficult when I hear people say ‘Ohgreat, it’s Christmas or Easter’ because that’swritten off time for me – you almost feel likeyou have lost two weeks.You have to plan itvery well and you study when the childrenhave gone to bed; I find holidays moredifficult than term time.” Student parent, NorwichCity College

The Brunel study suggested that at specific points inthe year, during holidays with deadlines afterwards,student parents were at a high risk of dropping out.36

DeadlinesAnother common problem experienced by students withchildren is meeting deadlines when unexpectedproblems come up. One in five of all survey respondentshad had to request an extension because the problemsassociated with their childcare provision. One advisor wespoke to said that they would always recommend thatstudents with children submitted mitigating circumstancerequests for assessments if they had experienced suchproblems. However, focus group participants who hadattempted to negotiate deadlines because of childsickness or other childcare issues did not always findtutors receptive to their requests, and some felt that theywere routinely disbelieved. One student described theprocedures her department used as “impersonal andunforgiving”. Another survey respondent said:

“My tutor decided that I had to hand in anassignment at 9.00am. My college is an hourand a half away from home and my kid’sbreakfast club doesn’t open until 8.00am. Hesaid that if he could get in by 9.00am theneveryone could.” Student parent, University ofLincoln

Others experienced support and understanding:

“I’d just had my daughter and had misjudgedmy timings feeding and sleeping and was aday late handing in my assignment.Thewonderful lady wrote down the day before so Iwasn’t deducted anything. I cried with reliefand at her being so lovely and understanding!”Student parent

Once again, we found that those students on coursesdesigned for mature learners often had more positiveexperiences with regard to negotiating deadlines withteaching staff. The flipside of this is when teaching staff seemed to be impervious to the particularcircumstances of students with caring responsibilities.We heard of one student who was refused an extensionfor an essay even though the reason was that she hadto travel a long distance to take her grandson, who hadcancer, to hospital.

Group workThe study into the experiences of student parents atBrunel University highlighted the difficulties of groupwork for students with caring responsibilities. Groupwork can be difficult because there is often very littlenotice given, and it may take place at a time or locationthat is difficult for a student parent to access because ofchildcare responsibilities. As noted previously in thissection, it is very difficult for many students with childrento do anything outside of a meticulously structuredtimetable. Several students in one FE College raised thisissue, one of whom said that, for these reasons, “half ofthe time (group work) is an impossibility”.

Retention Of the students we surveyed, 60 per cent said they hadthought about giving up their course; this figure rises to65 per cent for lone parents. When we asked what hadstopped student parents from giving up, the top threereasons given were personal ambition, encouragementfrom friends and family, and wanting to create financialsecurity for their children in the future. For lone parents,encouragement from friends and family was a lessimportant motivator than creating financial security fortheir children in the future. These factors highlight theaspirations of parents in education, but it is clear thatstructural barriers, such as those outlined in theprevious section, can pose a threat to their success.

There was general acknowledgement from studentadvisors, academics and other interviewees that it wasincredibly hard work being a student with children, anduncertainty of funding and poor timetabling often meantthat students felt unable to carry on. Students in ourfocus groups told us of many examples of studentparents they knew who had dropped out because ofmoney worries, family pressure to leave, guilt about

32

Meet the Parents

neglecting the family and home, children not settling inchildcare or a lack of childcare. Sometimes thefinancial strain is simply just too much to bear:

“Financially I found it very difficult andstressful relying on my 16 hours work and taxcredits, but I felt it would be worth it in theend as it was only for two years and I wasalmost certain I could hack it. But it was verystressful, and if the course had been anylonger, I am positive I couldn’t have kept itup.” Student parent, South East Regional College

Support from staffOur research found support from teaching and non-teaching staff to be critical for student parents’ success,both in terms of their achievement and ultimately theirretention. Previous research has shown that supportfrom tutors is particularly valuable to those who havebeen out of education for an extended period37 – like asignificant proportion of our survey respondents:38 Butwe found the level of support and understanding shownby tutors and other staff to vary hugely betweeninstitutions, and sometimes between courses anddepartments within those institutions. Without theunderlying processes and protections that workingparents enjoy, students with children are – as oneinterviewee put it – “at the mercy of beneficent tutors”.

Where support was good, students were keen to tellus: 39 per cent of respondents felt that staff wereunderstanding and supportive of their circumstanceswhen necessary.

“They [tutors] understand we’re not juststudents, we’re parents too.” Student parent,Norwich City College

“My tutor is very supportive if there is toomuch stuff going on at home and it is going tohave an effect on my work. I did an onlineexam two weeks ago and because I passed itmy tutor said ‘see what you can do!’ Shemotivates me, she actually pushes me toachieve.” Student parent, Hackney CommunityCollege

In our focus groups, we heard about many individualswho had gone out of their way to improve theexperiences of student parents, and we were struck withhow often we would hear the same name beingrepeated by lots of students in one institution. Usuallythis was a tutor, but on other occasions an adviceworker, student officer or funding administrator. Onefocus group participant directly linked such an individualto student parent retention in her own institution:

“Without people like her (the students’ unionpresident) we wouldn’t have any student(parents) because we’d walk straight back outthe door!”

Another student we spoke to felt that her tutorspositively valued her experience as a mature studentwith children:

“I believe that life experience is really valuedby our tutors.We are able to contribute agreat deal to our own learning.” Student parent,University of Leeds

Other student parents experienced a surprising level ofhostility and indifference towards their circumstances.Students in focus groups and responding to the surveydescribed tutors being “unsympathetic to problemsaround home life”, “unapproachable”, “notunderstanding parental responsibilities”, and “unable orunwilling to relate to my situation”.39

“When I was pregnant I did not tell any of mytutors as I felt I could not talk to them.When Ifinally needed to talk to someone nobodywould help me and my personal tutordismissed me as his tutee and told me to findsomeone to ask.” Student parent, 20, KeeleUniversity

Our survey highlighted that support from tutors couldbe significant; 12 per cent of all survey respondentssaid that encouragement and support from staff wasone of the things that had made them stay when theythought about giving up.40

33

Recommendations

“My tutors were brilliant and were veryflexible with work deadlines – especially formothers.” Student parent, South East RegionalCollege

Some institutions are making real progress in changingtheir methods to support ‘non-traditional’ students. Alltoo often however, teaching and learning in ourinstitutions is still modelled around the needs of young,school-leaver, single students, which can hinder theprogress and participation of groups including studentparents. The following recommendations identifychanges that could facilitate these students’ involvementin further and higher education, and enhance theirlearning experience.

Modes of study

• Where possible, all courses should have the optionof being undertaken on a full or part-time basis,allowing flexibility depending on change ofcircumstances; government and institutions shouldconsider the adoption of a national credit frameworkthat would recognise the need of some studentparents to ‘dip in and out’ of education.

• Institutions should implement a ‘pregnancy policy’ tominimise the impact on a student’s education shouldshe become pregnant during her course of study.

New technologies

Where possible, tutors and administrators shouldincorporate new forms of technology that enablestudents to participate even if they are unable tophysically attend class, including:

• podcasting of lectures or web-cam access tolectures that take place outside of school hours;

• online discussion forums to allow students toengage in discussion with peers;

• uploading notes and presentations from classes sothey can be accessed via the Internet.

Staff support

Because student parents may be unable to see tutorsduring office hours, teaching staff should consider:

• making efforts to be available to meet with studentparents, even if this is outside of normal office hours;

• having ‘virtual’ office hours, where they are availableonline.

Timetables

• Timetables, at least provisional ones, should beavailable one month before the start of term, allowingparents to make adequate childcare arrangements.

• Where possible, institutions should aim to ‘bunch’contact hours into the middle of the day to tally withthe school day, particularly when there are highnumbers of mature students on courses.

• Where this is not possible, student parents shouldnot be penalised if they are unable to make 9.00amstarts, or have to leave twilight classes early.

Deadlines

• Departments and tutors should avoid last-minuteschanges to timetables.

• Institutions should reimburse students for anyfinancial losses they incur with childcare providers asa result of such changes.

• Deadlines should not be based on presumptions ofwhen students will have free time – for example afterholidays, reading weeks and weekends. Whendeadlines do fall at these times, there should beflexibility to allow those with caring responsibilities tonegotiate an alternative deadline with no sanctions fordoing so.

• There should be a special dispensation for studentparents to hand in work by email if they are unable toget to university or college due to lack of childcare.

Attendance

• Where attendance targets are used, a drop belowthe target line should result in an intervention tosupport the student and not be used to stop fundingwithout warning; authorised absence policies shouldreflect the specific needs of parents.

• Student parents should not be penalised for the factthat they will have to occasionally miss a class as aresult of their caring responsibilities.

Child-friendly campus

• Libraries should have child-friendly areas so parentscan access resources.

• Student parents should be exempt from short-termloans and able to appeal fines accrued because ofchildcare problems.

• Students who are unable to use learning resourcesdue to a lack of childcare should be eligible forfinancial support from institutions to help withinternet and computer costs.

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Meet the Parents

3. Student life

35

Summary

“My life doesn’t revolve around college.”Student parent, South East Regional College

“I have got a little group… they are allyounger than me but I love them. They’dbeen trying to get me to go out so I went out with them and I had a great time! I feltlike I was alive again!” Student Parent, LondonSouth Bank University

When student parents walk out of the lab, lecture hall orclassroom, they enter a world which can contrastsharply with that of their course mates. Evenings mightbe spent cooking dinner, helping with homework andtelling bedtime stories, before settling down to studyuntil the early hours. Mornings are taken up with gettingchildren ready and off to school or nursery before goingto university or college. Rather than being a break,holidays are times when student parents’ workload isincreased as children stay home from school and essaydeadlines loom. Busy, established lives, and differingpriorities, mean that students with children are often notas involved in college or university life outside of theclassroom as other students.

• 77 per cent of those we surveyed said they did notthink it was easy to get involved with university orcollege life as a student parent.

• When we asked students with children what wouldhelp them to become more involved in student life,the most popular answer was 'child-friendly attitudes’(68 per cent of responses).

But we found other reasons that students with childrenweren't getting involved in extracurricular activities.Students cited a lack of time, childcare and informationas barriers that prevented them being able to getinvolved. There were also some concerns that students’unions or extracurricular activities were focussed (eitherexplicitly or implicitly) around alcohol. Furthermore, thecosts associated with activities, as well as the extrachildcare costs made much involvement impossible.

Despite all of this, some parents were making themost of ‘student life’. They spoke positively about being“someone else other than mum”, about developingsupportive relationships with course mates and otherstudent parents, and in some cases takingrepresentative roles within students' unions.

continues overleaf …

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Meet the Parents

Research findingsDifferent priorities, busy lives This section outlines our findings in relation to studentparents’ experiences of student life outside of theclassroom. The lifestyles of student parents canprevent those who want to from making the most of thewider student experience; the limits on their spare timecan make involvement in extracurricular activities all butimpossible. However structural and attitudinal barrierscan also prevent those who are able and willing to getinvolved from doing so; 77 per cent of those wesurveyed said they did not think it was easy to getinvolved with university or college life as a studentparent.

Something has to give Student parents have multiple constraints on their time,including paid work, caring for children and otherrelatives and studying. These priorities compete for timeand focus group participants often spoke about the needfor “something to give”. For some, this was housework,and for others it was sleep.

“I have learnt to survive on very little sleepand not to notice the cobwebs.” Student parent,South East Regional College

This can have a knock-on effect on their willingness toparticipate in student activities. For example, onestudent said that as a consequence of the lack ofsleep she felt like she had “less energy” than when shehad been a student without children. Others spokeabout being “always on the go until the children go tobed”, or feeling like they were “constantly running” untilthe late evening. Over half of all survey respondentsselected ‘tired’ when asked how they felt as a result ofcombining parenthood and study. Most frequently,though, what ‘gave’ was their personal leisure time.

“I’ve not really had a chance to have a lifelately… I have had to make a sacrifice.”Student parent, Leicester College

A student parent from London, who was completing thedegree she had started before being a parent, said thatthe lack of social life was the biggest difference betweenbeing a student before having children and afterwards.More than a third (37 per cent) of respondents said thatthey felt they simply did not have time to socialise at all.For some students, who had envisaged being part of astudent community, this was a real disappointment.

Established livesAs has been noted, the majority of students with childrendo not move to attend university or college. Their livescan be considered to be more settled than manystudents’, with family, friends and support networksalready in place – 52 per cent of survey respondents saidthey socialised with people outside of college oruniversity most of the time.41 Unlike those who move toattend college or university, many students with childrendon’t consider meeting new people, building new sociallives, or extracurricular activities to be priorities:

“I’m involved enough with my spouse andother friends and activities.” Student parent,University of Strathclyde

Only three per cent of survey respondents said that oneof their main motivations in entering education was ‘tomix with different people’ and only two per cent said 'tohave a good social life'. Students also spoke aboutprioritising their children's social lives above their own:

“My children want to do other things and astheir parent I feel that I should be supportingthem in their extra-curricular activities. Thisnaturally limits my time for other things.”Student parent, University of Plymouth

Summary (continued)• 11 per cent of respondents had been involved in a

club or society; 17 per cent had been a courserepresentative.

• One in five respondents had voted in a students’union election.

• When we asked survey respondents whether theywould like to be supported to meet up with otherstudent parents, over half said yes; this rises to 64per cent for lone parents and 71 per cent forinternational students.

Student life

Children are the prioritySome students (58 per cent) said they felt guilty for notspending enough time with their children as a result oftheir time spent studying. For this reason, many parentswanted to ensure that any spare time they had theyspent with their children:

“To be honest I feel so guilty leaving thechildren that I never spend any longer out ofthe home than I have to – socialising is aluxury I can ill afford.” Student parent, Universityof Ulster

“As a parent your priorities are different. It ismore important to be at home for yourchildren to create some stability and to helpthem achieve rather than going out withothers.” Student parent, University of Birmingham

Caring responsibilitiesWe met numerous student parents in focus groups whowere caring for people other than their young children,such as adult disabled children, disabled partners andelderly parents. Their caring responsibilities were wideand varied, backing up Hilary Land’s assertion that “careis woven in and out of their [student parents’] lives”.42

Student advisors agreed, with one commenting that thestudent parents they saw were often “students in theirforties, with teenage children and elderly parents to carefor”.43

Additional caring responsibilities present another keypressure on student parents’ time which can mean thatthey are not able to get involved in student activities. Thismeans that caring is not something that only affects theirlife for a finite amount of time, and the constraints on theirtime won’t necessarily be solved by more childcare.

Child-unfriendly campusesWhen we asked students with children what would helpthem to become more involved in student life, the mostpopular answer was 'child-friendly attitudes’ (68 percent). This was more important to student parents wesurveyed than the cost or availability of childcare. Manyparents expressed the view that they would be able toget more involved in activities if their children were ableto come with them and this came across particularlystrongly in survey responses.

Several parents we spoke to were unsure as to

whether children were allowed in their college oruniversity social spaces, and others were unwilling totake their children into those environments because itwas felt they were too adult. Previous research hasfound that student parents at one London HEI werealienated by the 'machoness’ of the students’ union.44

There was a feeling that too often the union seemed tofocus around alcohol consumption, and nearly a fifth ofsurvey respondents said that non-alcoholic spaceswould help them to become more involved.

Student parents were not necessarily suggesting thereshould be no evening or alcohol-based activities; in factseveral said they would like to attend such events onoccasion. But many felt that there was a scarcity of eventsthat offered an alternative and suggested that child-friendly events would really help them to get involved.Furthermore, they noted that it was important that theseevents were suitable for children of different ages:

“It’s important not to always assume thatparents have young children, but to rememberschool-age children also need looking after.”Student parent, University of the West of England

Some students also thought that being able to bring

77%

22%

1%

Yes 22%

No 77%

Skipped question 1%

Survey question: Do you feel it is easy to getinvolved in university or college life as astudent parent?

37

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Meet the Parents

their children along to events would really help theirchildren to feel more positive about their parent’sinvolvement in education. One thought that it mightmake her children “feel good about the University”. A more child-friendly approach can really have animpact, as the following quote illustrates:

“I'm taking my children to the students’ unionChristmas party for the first time this year –I've never been offered the opportunitybefore. I may become more involved when itis possible for my children to be involved aswell.” Student parent, Liverpool Hope University

Time and childcareWhilst a lack of time presented some students with aninsurmountable obstacle to participation in studentactivities, for others it was only really a problembecause of a lack of access to childcare. For 26 percent of survey respondents, a baby-sitting networkwould help them to get more involved in student life,with 39 per cent selecting childcare expenses as anincentive. As one interviewee noted, a lack of time andchildcare were “inextricably linked”:45

“I would like to be involved, but I would needa nanny and a PA!” Student parent, StaffordshireUniversity

Many students spoke about having to rush off straightaway after classes because they only had funding tocover childcare class time, meaning they weren't able toparticipate in activities or spend time with course mates.Not being part of networks with peers made it harder forstudents to find out about any social events that werehappening:

“I don’t have time to hang around, and if it’snot on a poster near an entrance or an exitthen I won’t know about it.” Student parent,Southampton Solent University

Where courses were designed for mature students withadditional responsibilities, the experience was often thatno one in the group had time to attend or organisesocial activities.

InformationStudent parents in our survey and focus groups alsospoke about simply not knowing what was available interms of student activities. Some expressed frustrationthat notification of events sometimes didn’t allowparents to organise childcare in time to attend:

“The union emailed about this event on theday – I need at least two weeks to organise ababysitter.” Student parent, London South BankUniversity

Students with children may not hear about events andactivities through the same channels as other studentsand can benefit from specific targeting. For example, wespoke to a student who had heard about the students'union when representatives from the union came to herclass to talk to students about it. She subsequentlybecame a student officer at the same union – but wouldnever have heard about the opportunity unless officershad taken the time to go into classes.

A quarter of survey respondents had accessed supportand advice through student advice and welfare centresand one student advisor observed that student adviceservices may be the only contact a student parent haswith any services outside of the classroom. For thisreason it is vital that such services are able to signpostparents to activities and events that might interest them.

Too old or too youngSadly, many of the student parents we spoke to hadn’tgot involved with extra curricular or union events as theysimply felt that they didn’t ‘fit in’. Some felt that studentswith children weren't seen as the kind of students whowould be interested in extracurricular activities:

“You see all these people handing out flyers,and you walk past them with your buggy andthey don’t hand you one, as if to say ‘youcouldn’t possibly attend.” Student parent,University of Leeds

Many other student parents identified this attitude as age-related. They spoke about feeling 'too old’ for thestudents' union and felt that events were targetedspecifically at young students because they were more

Student life

39

likely to attend because they have more spare time.However, it wasn't only older students who felt that theydidn't fit in. Other students identified the tension betweenbeing both a parent and a young student in terms ofengaging with extracurricular activities:

“I feel too young for mature students' events,but too responsible for the others.”Student parent, University of Leeds

A student at the University of Hertfordshire also raisedthe issue of the perceived attitudes of her peers whodidn't have children, saying that at 24 years old she felt“embarrassed to be a parent”.

Clubs and societiesPrevious research suggests that there are lowparticipation rates among student parents in clubs andsocieties.46 Of our survey respondents, 11 per cent hadbeen members of clubs or societies. Of those whohadn't, more than half gave the reason as not havingenough time. Others (14 per cent) didn't think theywould “fit in”, felt the union “wasn’t for them”, or “felttoo old or too young”. Some (11 per cent) had nointerest in doing so and 9 per cent didn’t participatebecause they didn't have childcare.

Among those we spoke to in focus groups, some hadbeen put off joining because they felt they couldn’t meetthe level of commitment required by clubs and societies,either in terms of money or time, or both. Some said theycouldn’t afford to attend weekly meetings because of thecost of childcare involved. For others, having to findmoney for joining or weekly fees could be difficult whenthey had so many other pressures on their finances.

Student parents getting involvedDespite the difficulties described in the first part of thischapter, we came across many examples of studentparents who were involved in student life, as membersof clubs and societies, course representatives, orsimply through friendships with course mates. For thesestudents, participation in further or higher educationwasn't simply about gaining qualifications:

“It's nice to be someone else other than'Mum'.” Student parent, Ystrad Mynach College

Friendships and networks with course mates and otherstudent parents were key to student parents' sense of‘belonging’.47

Course matesStudent parents' experiences of friendship with coursemates varied according to a number of different factors,but on the whole, where there were a number ofstudents with children on a course, their experienceseemed to be better. This can have an impact onstudents' learning; for example, one advisorcommented that some student parents on courses withfew or no other parents didn’t even feel they knew theircourse mates well enough to ask them for notes tocatch up on lectures they had missed. Some (10 percent) said they felt isolated; however a considerableproportion of those we spoke to in focus groupsdescribed positive relationships with other students.

The students who had been invited out socially bytheir course mates really valued the invitation. Asdiscussed at the beginning of this section, manystudent parents already have pre-existing friendshipgroups, but some recognised that this didn't excludeother friendships. One student parent said:

“I mainly socialise with friends outside [ofuniversity], but it’s nice to feel welcome [atsocial events with course mates].”

Others did not socialise with their course mates inperson because of issues to do with childcare ormoney, but were in contact via social networking sites,such as Facebook, and by email.

Networks with student parents When we asked survey respondents whether theywould like to be supported to meet up with otherstudent parents, more than half said yes; this rises to64 per cent for lone parents and 71 per cent forinternational students. Those we spoke to who werealready involved in networks of parents said howhelpful it was to talk to people “who knew what (they)were talking about”, and described how much easier itwas to cope knowing “that you're not alone”.

Students identified a number of different potentialfunctions of such groups. These included practicalelements, such as establishing babysitting networks

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Meet the Parents

and picking up each other’s children from school, tosocialising and having someone to talk to. They alsosuggested that the group could allow them to shareinformation, and it should be noted that students in allof our focus groups used the occasion to shareinformation about finances and educational facilities,among other things. The following are typical ofcomments participants made after the group ended:

“It would be really nice if there was a grouplike this, like today, it's been good … you allknow exactly what I'm talking about.”Student parent, London South Bank University

“It's been interesting – and I don't feel quiteso alone now.” Student parent, SwanseaMetropolitan University

There were concerns that parents wouldn’t have thetime to meet in person so they suggested that internetforums could be used, with occasional meetings.Students were explicit about needing support to setsuch things up because of their lack of spare time.

Representation Equality Challenge Unit carried out a piece of researchinto diversity in HE students’ unions in 2007.Significantly, students with dependents were identifiedthroughout the report as a group who were likely toencounter difficulties accessing services, participatingin democratic and representative structures, andinvolvement in student activities. Some (27 per cent) ofthe union staff responding to the survey disagreed thatelection processes were open and accessible tostudents who are parents and carers, and 71 per centdisagreed that student parents and carers wereproportionately represented amongst elected officers.Staff cited canvassing and excessive demands of asabbatical position as reasons for this, in addition toissues with childcare.48

As well as the practical difficulties faced by studentswith children in participating in democratic andrepresentative structures, it is clear that some studentparents feel disengaged from such activities. A LeedsUniversity Union study identified that students who feelthe union ‘is not for them’ are unlikely to get involved,and that if they are not able to feed into thedemocratic process and highlight what needs to

change, then nothing changes and they continue tofeel excluded.49 This feeling was echoed by onestudent advisor who commented that all too oftenstudent parents can be isolated from therepresentational elements of the union, as they see theunion as somewhere for ‘traditional’ students, headedby sabbatical teams who represent that cohort.50 Afocus group participant also commented that it felt toher that “nobody (in the union) really has responsibilityfor student parents”.

But student parents would appear not to be asdisengaged as this commentary would suggest.Remarkably, considering the limitations on their timealready outlined, in focus groups we spoke to studentparents in a range of representational roles. Theseincluded a former vice-president, members of variousunion councils, a chair of a union council, a blackstudents’ officer and several course reps. Significantly,the Black Students’ Officer did highlight that she foundit possible to be an officer because she was able tobring her children along to meetings when necessary.

In our survey, 17 per cent of all respondents had beena class or course rep and we met several students inour focus groups who were involved in this way. Thiscompares with a total of only 77 people who have stoodfor a position in a students' union election (a further 96respondents said they intended to in the future). Being acourse rep can be a way for students with caringresponsibilities to get involved in representation withouthaving to commit huge amounts of time or energy. Forsome, being a course rep can be the gateway forengagement in other activities:

“I was class rep, and someone said ‘do youthink you could be Chair of student council?’So I thought, ‘I could do that!” Student parent,Norwich City College

Around 20 per cent of survey respondents had voted ina students' union election; this is higher than the studentbody in general and probably reflects a bias in thesurvey sample. But whilst current structures and workingpractices in many students' unions make it very difficultfor students with children to get involved, our surveyshows that significant numbers of student parents wouldlike to be or are already involved in representation.

Recommendations

“It would be lovely to be able to talk topeople experiencing the same things as you.”Student parent, University of Leeds

Students’ unions should endeavour to become ‘child-friendly’, both in terms of both their building and theirpractices. It is vital that student parents feel able tobecome involved in their union and that their familiesfeel welcome on campus and within the union itself. To achieve this, students’ unions should consider thefollowing:

Facilitating student parents’ involvement

• Making funds available to help students withchildcare requirements to be able to take part instudent activities, recognising the positive effect thatinvolvement in extracurricular student life can have,as well as how engagement in student activities canovercome the isolation that those with caringresponsibilities can feel.

• Directing promotion of roles such as courserepresentatives to student parents, as our researchsuggests that students with children are most likelyto become course representatives.

• Ensuring that relevant information is provided to allstaff, officers and volunteers who could have contactwith student parents, including student advisors andpresidents of clubs and societies.

Child-friendly spaces

“I don’t have a life outside the classroom.”Student parent, Kilmarnock College

• Ensuring that there are areas on campus and in thestudents’ union where students and their childrenare welcome.

• Making baby-changing facilities available for allparents to use; these facilities should be available toboth male and female parents.

• Allocating specific areas where students canbreastfeed.

• Producing accessible route maps for those withprams and buggies.

Child-friendly events

• Developing a programme of activities that studentscan bring their children to, such as sporting events,day trips, picnics and film screenings. There shouldbe a range of activities appropriate for children ofdifferent ages.

• Developing a specific series of family-oriented‘welcome’ events during the opening weeks of term.These should begin when international students enroland continue through the opening weeks of term.

• Running events for families out of term-time, given thatmany student parents will live permanently in the area.

Peer-to-peer support

“I am the only student parent in my class,and as a result I feel incredibly isolated andlonely.” Student parent, Glasgow MetropolitanCollege

• Supporting the development of online or in-personnetworks of student parents, recognising the lack oftime they have to establish these on their own.

• Establishing mentoring networks for student parentswithin the institution and in collaboration with otherinstitutions.

Making democratic processes accessible

• Evaluating the ways in which student parents’ needscan be represented through their democraticsystems, given the constraints on their time.

• Making some financial support available to help withchildcare for candidates and elected officers whohave children.

• Examine the profiles of sabbatical officers and jobdescriptions of staff members to identify roles thatinclude student parents within their remit.

• Consulting with student parents, as well as othergroups within their membership, about decisionsthat will impact on their experience.

• Reviewing working practices of sabbatical officers toensure that they are flexible enough toaccommodate students’ caring responsibilities.

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Meet the Parents

4.Moneymatters

Money matters

Summary

“I am due to go bankrupt because of mymoney situation. I am trying to provide abetter life for me, but also so that my wee girl is proud of me for having an educationand for trying to better my life and her life.But the money situation that I went throughthis year is unbearable.” Student parent,Kilmarnock College

Concerns relating to student finance and benefitsentitlements for students with children in both sectorswere reported by the majority of participants in thisresearch. Problems identified fell into four broad areas:

Inequality of funding across sectors, agesand modes of study

• Students receive significantly different amounts offunding for childcare and associated course costsdepending on mode of study, sector, age and theUK country in which they study (see Appendix A).

• Adult learners in FE are particularly disadvantaged incomparison with their counterparts under the age of20, as are Welsh FE learners under 20, part-time HEstudents in England who receive no funding at all forchildcare, and Northern Irish nursing students whoreceive a smaller bursary than other nursing studentsin the UK and cannot access discretionary funds;postgraduates who (asside from PGCE students) donot receive any statutory support for childcare; andthe majority of Scottish students who have noentitlement to childcare funding at all (those who doreceive a tiny proportion compared to theircounterparts in the rest of the UK).

The insufficiency of funding available

• Students with children face considerable financialpressures due to a combination of insufficientchildcare funding, lack of funding for associatedcourse costs, and reduced benefits. This has anegative impact on their families and studies.

• When asked what one thing would most improvetheir experience as a student parent, half of thesurvey responses related to funding.

• Many felt that they had been better off on benefits thanas a student parent, and were being disadvantagedfor wanting to improve their position in life.

continues overleaf …

43

44

• Others felt considerable guilt about the hardshipthey were exposing their family to as a result ofbecoming a student.

• Around three quarters (77 per cent) of those whowork said they do so to cover their basic livingcosts. Exactly half (50 per cent) do so to avoidgetting into debt.

• Over half of our survey respondents (54 per cent)had taken on debts, other than student loans,because their living costs exceeded their income;this rises to 61 per cent for lone parents.

“Commuting costs me £130 per month,which is money my family don’t see.” Studentparent, University of Manchester

The complexity of, and interactionbetween, student support and benefits

• Student parents need to be ‘experts’ about thecomplex interaction between students support andbenefits, in order to ensure they are claiming allthey are entitled to.

• Students may have to switch between benefits andstudent support several times a year. One in 10survey respondents had received an over orunderpayment of their benefits as a result of thetime taken to process new claims. These can leavestudents with huge debts or in serious hardship.

• Nearly one in five UK students say they find it hardto keep track of what they are entitled to throughoutthe year.

• Currently student loans in HE are paid in threeunequal instalments throughout the year. Of therespondents who currently receive student support56 per cent said they would prefer for it to be paidmonthly, with a further 18 per cent selecting ‘weekly’.

Summary (continued)The quality of information, advice andguidance available to students with children

• Nearly half (44 per cent) of survey respondents feltthey had not been given sufficient information abouttheir financial entitlements to make an informeddecision about becoming a student parent; 34 percent felt they had been ‘to some extent’ – only 18 per cent answered ‘yes’.

• Students with children often feel that informationabout entitlements is untimely, inaccurate andconflicting.

• Students with children feel that benefits offices,student services and awarding bodies do notcommunicate effectively with each other leading topoor quality of information and mistakes inpayments.

• Students with children often cannot access adviceservices in the same way as ‘traditional’ students.

• Student parents want information to be accurate, kept in one place, and to be provided before theystart their course. 51 per cent of respondents wanttheir university or college to provide this information to them via their websites.

Money matters

45

Research findingsInequality of fundingFrom a national policy perspective what is most strikingabout student parent funding51 is the inequality in termsof entitlement across sectors, ages, national boundariesand modes of study. This section outlines some of thekey funding discrepancies.

FEThe Care to Learn programme provides 100 per centchildcare costs to all English and Northern Irishstudents with children in further education under theage of 20 (up to a weekly limit – see Appendix A);learners are also provided with funding for associatedcosts, such as holiday retainers, travel and deposits.Students over the age of 20 in further education inEngland, Scotland and Northern Ireland have no suchentitlement and must apply for a limited amount ofmoney which individual colleges have control over interms of determining the criteria by which it isallocated. Scottish and Welsh learners under the age of20 are not entitled to funding under the Care to Learnprogramme. In practice, this can mean that twolearners born a few weeks apart can attend the samecollege, study the same course in the same class andhave the same number of children, but be entitled tocompletely different levels of funding for childcare andassociated costs.52

Not only is this system unfair to those learners notentitled to statutory funding, but our research echoesthe findings of previous studies which show that thelevel of discretionary funding available to learners in FEis insufficient.53 At every college we visited it wasreported that the money allocated for childcare foradult learners ran out early on in the year, leaving manystudents with children with no funding at all. In onecollege we visited, discretionary funds were gone in amatter of days.

National borders/NHSFurther inequalities can be found across nationalborders. Student nurses in Northern Ireland not onlyreceive a lower bursary than nurses in the rest of theUK, but crucially they are not allowed to apply for thediscretionary Support Fund, unlike student nurses in

England and Wales who can apply for the Access toLearning Fund (and who make up – along with otherNHS students – a large proportion of applicants; seechapter five). One student advisor described studentnurses in Northern Ireland as ‘literally dependent oncharity’ in the face of harsh funding restrictions.54

HEFull-time undergraduate students in England, Wales andNorthern Ireland can access means-tested funding viathe Childcare Grant. This has recently been extended topart-time students in Wales, but not England.Postgraduate students55 and Scottish undergraduates(other than lone parents, nursing and midwiferystudents) are not entitled to statutory support at all.

Multiple childrenOf those students who can access any childcarefunding at all, the maximum number of children thatmost funding will cover is usually two (the exceptionbeing Care to Learn and the Sixth Form ChildcareGrant). Around a quarter (24 per cent) of our surveyrespondents had three or more children, and thosepeople have no choice but to fund additional placesthemselves.

ResentmentThe complexities of government policy which lead tothe kinds of discrepancies described in this sectionare generally lost to the individuals directly affected bysuch policies. Instead, the inequality can lead toresentment between students, who feel that thesystem is unfair. For example, one 20 year-old studentwe spoke to had decided to wait until her child was atschool to return to college, unaware that herentitlement to funding would be dramatically alteredbecause she had turned 20. A Scottish student wemet said that she felt that decisions on bursariesawarded to students with children were “arbitrary”.

Hardship among studentparentsIn 2008 the typical cost of a full-time nursery place fora child under two was £159 a week in England, £141in Scotland and £142 in Wales. In England, that's over£8,000 a year; a rise of nearly 5 per cent on last year.56

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Meet the Parents

Childcare is expensive, and the vast majority ofstudents with children will have to make a contributiontowards their childcare costs during their studies,regardless of the sector they are studying in, the UKcountry, mode of study and age. As Appendix Ashows, the contribution from students ranges from 15per cent of total childcare costs (full-time HEundergraduates) to 100 per cent (postgraduatestudents and some FE students).

Many students we spoke to felt that the amount offunding they received was simply not enough to live onand did not encourage student parents to take part infurther or higher education – 29 per cent of homestudents felt that higher benefits or student supportwould most significantly improve their experience as astudent. They felt that they were being unfairlypunished for wanting to gain qualifications andimprove their earning potential:

“I dread the day that I will have to startpaying back the loan with all the interest too,as well as the money that I will have had tohave borrowed for living.Would I have beenbetter off back as one of the unemployedstatistics?” Student parent, Heriot-Watt University

Paid workA significant number of students with children areengaged in paid employment in addition to their caringand academic responsibilities, although the proportionof student parents working is, understandably, smallerthan the general student population.57

Three quarters of those who work (77 per cent) saidthat they work ‘to cover their basic living costs’, and half(50 per cent) ‘to avoid getting into debt’. Students infocus groups talked about the need to work more than16 hours to ensure that they received childcare taxcredits for the hours they worked, as did 16 per cent ofsurvey respondents who work.58 These figures werealmost identical for both part-time and full-time students.

We also spoke to some students in focus groupswho were studying full-time in both FE and HE andwho were also working full-time; eight per cent (75)worked more than 25 hours a week during the term aswell as studying full-time.

We know that students with children are already time-poor in relation to many other students because of

their caring responsibilities. The level of participation inpaid work evidenced in this survey and our focusgroups, and its impact on student parents’ academicachievement, is therefore clearly a cause for concern.

Travel costsIn addition to childcare costs, focus group participantstalked about a number of expenses they incurred as aresult of being students with dependent children; thecost of travel was raised most regularly. Travel can oftenbe incurred by childcare as a result of the lack ofavailability of registered childcare near to students’homes or places of study. Only in the Care to Learnprogramme is guaranteed funding for such expensescovered (although some FE adult learners will receivesome contribution towards this via the Learner SupportFund and HE learners via discretionary funds). TheESOL student parents we spoke to who receivedfunding for travel were extremely grateful for thesupport, without which they would not have been ableto take part in the course.

Travel costs can particularly affect students withchildren because of their lack of mobility in relation toinstitution choice; 92 per cent of the home students wesurveyed had not moved house in order to attendcollege or university, and we didn’t come across anyhome students in the focus groups who had. Advisorswe spoke to felt that it was less likely that student parentswould be willing or able to move in order to study, whichsometimes resulted in students living a considerabledistance away from their institution. We came acrossseveral students in focus groups commuting distances of50 miles or more a day, particularly in areas with feweruniversities and large rural communities:

“The university I attend is approximately twohours travel from home. I travel daily and sofunding for travel would make a bigdifference.” Student parent, University of Ulster

Funding for travel would be the one thing that wouldmost significantly improve their experience as a studentparent, according to 5 per cent of survey respondents.

Hardship fundsThe proportion of focus group participants and surveyrespondents that had applied for and received hardship

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47

funds indicates the extent to which students withchildren find it difficult to manage financially. Of thosesurveyed, 30 per cent of all student parents, and 42per cent of lone parents, had applied to adiscretionary hardship fund. Discretionary hardshipfunds are a lifeline to student parents struggling withmultiple outgoings and insufficient income frombenefits and student support. The majority of studentadvisors, academics and other interviewees we spoketo stressed the importance of discretionary funding insupporting students with children, whose needs werecomplex, varying and unpredictable.59 Hardship funds,which draw on private funds, are particularly importantfor international students who have no recourse topublic funds, though they are by no means universaland are only available at the discretion of theinstitution. Several international students in our focusgroups spoke of their relief at being able to apply forsuch funding.

Access to Learning Fund (ALF)Several advisors said that student parents use theAccess to Learning Fund to fill the shortfall in HEchildcare funding (the maximum available is 85 per centof childcare costs), whilst one advisor noted thatapplications to the Access to Learning Fund hadlowered significantly since the bursary system began inhis institution, as people were using their grants to payfor the shortfall in funding. However, discretionary funds,such as ALF, are still a vital source of income for certainstudent parent groups. NHS student parents, forexample, are usually one of the biggest single groupswho apply to ALF because of their need to coverinformal childcare costs brought about by irregular shiftpatterns, night shifts and placements. As the childcarechapter explains, this source of income is especiallyimportant because there is no statutory funding thatparents can apply for to cover informal childcare. 9 percent of survey respondents who had applied to thediscretionary fund said that being awarded the fundswas a deciding factor in whether to stay on their course.Despite this reliance, there have been progressive cutsto ALF allocations in recent years – 36 per cent overallbetween 2005/06 and 2008/09.

Applying for hardship fundsSeveral focus group participants drew our attention to

the positive way in which their applications werehandled by “brilliant” welfare staff and administratorswho are crucial in providing support to student parents.And when we asked students how they felt about theapplication process, 46 per cent of those who hadapplied said they felt “grateful”. Unfortunately, studentparents’ experiences of applying to these funds are notalways positive; 42 per cent said they felt“embarrassed” and 24 per cent said they felt“confused”. This chimes with the findings from thefocus groups where several students gave examples oflengthy, intrusive application processes for hardshipfunds, which left them feeling frustrated and upset. Asignificant number of people were unaware of theexistence of hardship funds, in particular, the Access toLearning Fund administered by HE institutions. Evenmore surprising, given the levels of hardshipexperienced by this group of students, severalstudents in focus groups said the process was soupsetting or difficult that they would not do it again.Students highlighted the level of information they wereexpected to provide, which they felt was excessive.

DebtDebt was a considerable concern for many studentparents we spoke to in focus groups, both in terms ofthe student loan for HE students, commercial debt andborrowing from friends and family. More than half (53per cent) of the students we surveyed had taken ondebt, other than the student loan, because their livingexpenses exceeded their income (this rose to 61 percent for lone parents). Examples of debt taken on bystudent parents includes, credit cards, overdrafts,catalogues, extended mortgages and bank loans. HEstudents especially highlighted the amount of studentdebt they would be in by the time they graduated as anongoing worry, and several cited the figures that were‘looming’ over them. Student parents discussed thecyclical pattern of borrowing they got stuck in:

“My credit card almost exceeds its limit andso does my overdraft, so I end up payinginterest on it every month. I can only afford topay the minimum payment for my credit cardand I’m still using my overdraft up to the limit(£4,050) by mid-month of every month.”Student Parent, University of East Anglia

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Meet the Parents

Levels of debt are a particular concern for studentparents from low-income backgrounds, whomprevious research has found to be markedly debtaverse.60 Of the survey respondents who worked, 47per cent said they did so to avoid getting into debt.The following quote illustrates this attitude:

“I’d never had debt in my life, I don’t believein it. Now I am in loads of debt – not for a caror a house – just to get an education.”Student parent, Kilmarnock College

The majority of student advisors, academics andcampaigners we spoke to also highlighted issuesaround debt for student parents. Several discussedthe fact that student parents from low-incomebackgrounds were more likely to have pre-existingdebt which they then had trouble paying back duringtheir studies. Furthermore, this debt can only be usedfor the ALF assessment using the minimum repaymentamount, assuming that the student is not continuing touse that source of credit.

Some students were genuinely concerned that theywere getting themselves into thousands of poundsworth of debt without a guarantee of a good job.Student advisors also shared their concerns aboutwhat happens to students after they leave college oruniversity, as advice and welfare services can help tokeep creditors at bay during studies, but can’t doanything afterwards. However, the majority of studentswith children that we spoke to rationalised getting intodebt by focusing on the prospect of future prosperity,on the understanding that participation in educationwould improve their financial prospects. Typicalcomments include one student calling the studentloan “worthwhile debt” and another saying that futuredebt was not as bad as “being broke”.

Guilt, budgeting and “going without”Students in several of the focus groups discussed theguilt they felt in relation to their children because oftheir financial situation. Students from both FE and HEtalked about not having enough money for toys, treatsor any extracurricular activities, which were describedas “expensive luxuries” by one. More than half (58 percent) of all survey respondents who worked did so topay for such ‘extras’ for their children. Some were

worried about the impact of hardship on their children’sattitude to education:

“I just hope our poverty doesn’t put our kidsoff studying.” Student parent, Heriot-Watt University

Students went to great lengths and made personalsacrifices to ensure that, as much as possible, theirchildren did not “go without”. Many talked of developingdetailed budgets which they stuck to rigidly, and alsogave examples of ways that they reduced costs, suchas buying reduced food from the supermarket andcycling instead of using public transport. Others usedfreecycle to replace household items. As we discussedin chapter three, however, the first thing to give for themajority of student parents was their own social life:

“I don’t tend to complain too much aboutmoney but it would be nice to be able toafford some fun now and again’.”Student parent, Heriot-Watt University

11%

12%

76%

1%

Yes, it covers all my childcare costs 11%

Yes, but it only covers lecture or class time 12%

No 76%

Skipped question 1%

Survey question: Do you receive any fundingfor your childcare?

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49

“We have strict budgets and no social life buthave started growing our own veg andmaking our own wine!” Student parent, Universityof Leeds

Research carried out for the Nuffield Foundation hasfound similar feelings of guilt amongst student mothers inrelation to children going without.61

Lone parentsSeveral students spoke of the support that theyreceived financially from their partners as crucial to theirability to take part in further or higher education:

“I received no funding for childcare, so all ofmy PhD funding each month was spent onchildcare. I therefore had to rely on mypartner to pay all other bills.” Student parent,University of Ulster

It is unsurprising, therefore, that lone parents, althougheligible for more benefits, appear to experience higherlevels of financial hardship than students with partners.According to our survey, they are more likely to be indebt (61 per cent compared with 53 per cent), less likelyto be able to supplement their income through paidwork, more likely to apply for hardship funding (42 percent compared with 30 per cent), more likely to havesought money advice and more likely to run out ofmoney at certain times of the year (32 per centcompared with 19 per cent). Lone parents can also facefinancial problems if maintenance is not paid by ex-partners. We spoke to several individuals who werepaying off debts run up by previous partners.

Interaction between studentsupport and benefitsWhen asked about the most serious funding issues forstudents with children, student advisors, academics andother interviewees were most likely to mention the impactof the complex interaction between student support andbenefits. Students with children are some of the onlystudents eligible for benefits, and only 22 per cent of UKrespondents to our survey said they did not claim anybenefits at all (this drops to six per cent for loneparents).62 However, we found that benefits agencies are

often ill-equipped to deal with the claims made bystudent parents, are unaware of the interaction betweenthe benefits they receive and are entitled to and anystudent support they receive. To compound theseproblems, students with children are forced to enter andexit different funding streams throughout the year inorder to access their entitlements.

Over and underpaymentsStudents have to sign on and off with the benefitsagencies at various intervals throughout the year, but wefound that this transition is rarely a smooth one. On thecontrary, students and advisors reported seriousproblems associated with over and underpaymentscaused by the time taken to administrate these changes,which according to one student advisor, can be as muchas three months. 12 per cent of home students reportedreceiving over or underpayments of their benefits. An FEstudent in Norwich said that the time taken to processapplications means that “you can go through the wholesummer without any money”. Another said:

“During the summer, when the children wereon holiday, I had no money. It took nearly amonth to go back on benefits and so I got intosevere debt on my credit card and overdraftwhile waiting for benefits to come through. Itcompletely ruined our summer holiday and Ilost heart and confidence in my study as aresult of all this.” Student parent, University of theArts London

Overpayments in particular can cause real distress forstudent parents if they are left with debt as aconsequence. We spoke to more than one studentwho reported a debt of £3,000 or over due to anoverpayment which then had to be paid back over thecourse of their studies, in one case at a rate of £100per month.

Overpayments can also occur when studentscontinue to claim benefits whilst waiting for theirstudent support (e.g. bursary or loan) to arrive,unaware that this is against the rules – or desperatebecause they have no other income to support theirfamily. They can also be a result of the annualcalculation of tax credits. Those students who docompulsory paid placements during the holidays may

50

Meet the Parents

have their tax credits calculated during this time whichwould increase their payment, but which would not bean accurate reflection of their ongoing incomethroughout the year.

Several advisors and parents spoke about localauthorities cutting their benefits altogether whilst theyinvestigated their entitlements. One parent explainedthe financial dire straits this left her in:

“I needed a few crisis loans for food beforeusing a debt advisor because of stoppages inmy benefit. This made me miss a few classesbecause I was stressed out about qualifyingfor the fund and not having money for lunchat college.” Student parent, Tychoch College

Managing the processIn order to ensure that the system works for them,students with children report having to be veryorganised and officious in ensuring that the benefitsoffices know their start and end of term dates, thatpayments are not made when they shouldn’t be, thatany overpayments are immediately paid back and thatbenefits offices communicate with each other. Therewas a general agreement amongst students, advisorsand other participants that the onus was very much onthe student to steer this process, and that the benefitsagencies could not be “trusted” to get it right. Astudent from London South Bank University told usthat she communicated this information via email,telephone and in person at the beginning and end ofevery vacation, as it was the only way she feltconfident that she wouldn’t receive high levels ofoverpayments. This system is time-consuming andinefficient for students with children and can createunnecessary anxiety.

Benefit regulationsOne advisor said that the most common mistake shecame across was benefits agencies telling all studentsthat they are not eligible for benefits, and 14 per centof home students we surveyed said that they hadreceived incorrect information about benefitsentitlement, as did several participants in our focusgroups. One said:

“The Housing Benefit office admitted theyknew hardly anything regarding HE studentparent rules and made numerous mistakes.”Student parent, Peterborough Regional College

Virtually every student advisor we spoke to agreed thatbenefits agencies were likely to get the entitlementwrong and regularly had to intervene on students’ behalfto ensure that they were provided with the correctinformation. Three advisors we spoke to, working indifferent parts of the UK, said that they regularly sentstudent parents to the benefits offices with photocopiedpages of the CPAG/NUS Student Support and BenefitsHandbook as proof of their entitlements.63 There was anacknowledgement, however, that the rules andregulations relating to benefits and student finance areso complex that it is almost impossible for benefits officestaff to keep abreast of all the changes and interactionsbetween the two:

“Benefits legislation must be one of the mostcomplicated sets of legislation in thiscountry… it’s extremely difficult for people tonavigate unless they are an expert.”64

At the other end of the equation, it was suggested that“the system is fractured at the top”, with a lack ofjoined up thinking between policy makers at the DWPand DIUS. Several interviewees felt that students werenot taken into account or considered when benefitregulations are changed and it is left to studentservices or students’ union advice centres to do thework of sorting out the implications of such changes.

Job Seeker’s Allowance versus IncomeSupportIn the time that we have been carrying out thisresearch, new regulations have been brought in as partof welfare reforms aimed at reducing the number ofpeople on benefits and increasing the number ofpeople in paid employment, which place conditions onthose students with children who hitherto had claimedincome support during the vacation. Lone parents withchildren under the age of 12 can no longer claimincome support (IS) but must claim Job Seeker'sAllowance (JSA) instead. By 2010 this will furtherreduce so that lone parents must claim JSA when theiryoungest child reaches seven.

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51

For many lone parent students IS is an essentialsupplement, particularly for adult learners on full-time FEcourses or for full-time undergraduate students duringsummer vacations. It is also important for postgraduateswho do not have access to other forms of support. Full-time students cannot claim JSA because they are not,by definition, available for work, so the net effect of thepolicy is to penalise those lone parents going intoeducation by reducing their benefit entitlement – makingthem either poorer during the course or unable to takeup the course at all. Part-time students can only claimJSA if they are willing to give up the course should itconflict with the requirements of any paid employment.65

The negative effects of this can be seen in Scotland:

“The most difficult period of the year for us isthe summer. Claiming Job Seeker’s Allowancefor that short period of time is a nightmare, asyou have to apply for jobs and tell theemployer you’re only available for a fewweeks.You also have to wait weeks to get anymoney. It’s really not worth the hassle!”Student parent, Heriot-Watt University

Timing of paymentsSome (19 per cent) of UK respondents said they found itdifficult to keep track of what benefits and studentsupport they were entitled to throughout the year – anddifferences between how student support and benefitsare paid can make it difficult to budget. For example,other than in Scotland, the student loan payment is madethree times a year in unequal payments, a reflection –some interviewees suggested – of the image of a‘traditional’ student living in halls of residence andreturning home during vacations. On the other hand, themajority of benefits payments are made weekly orfortnightly. One group of student parents, studying for HE qualifications in a further education college, said thatmonthly payment of the student loan would make thebiggest change to their ability to cope financially. Of therespondents who currently receive student support 56per cent said they would prefer for it to be paid monthly,with a further 18 per cent selecting ‘weekly’. Advisors wespoke to pointed out that Scottish, NHS and teachingfunding is already paid monthly and suggested thatmonthly payments would help students with children tobudget.

The classification of student loan as incomeFocus group participants and advisors often raised theissue of the classification of student loans as income forcertain purposes, for example, in relation to housingbenefit. The students who spoke about this felt verystrongly that a debt should not be considered as income,and the deduction in housing benefit associated with thiswas felt very deeply. Student advisors also raised thisissue. It was noted that the amount of student loan whichis disregarded for benefits purposes hasn’t changedsince 1991 and remains static at £10 per week, despitestudent loans in that time having increased from around£400 a year to over £4,000.66

Several HE students in England and Scotland talkedabout the impact of losing housing benefit or having itreduced as a result of becoming a student. Those whoraised this felt it was unfair that they had previouslyreceived both housing benefit and income support, andon becoming a student had transferred to a systemwhere they were required to take on student debt inorder to access any benefits:

“I was forced to take a student loan whichdecreased my housing benefit and hasresulted in me being in debt. Non-students onincome support are not required to take outloans in order to receive housing benefit!”Student parent, Southampton University

Students felt particularly aggrieved that the amount ofmoney they received via the student loan was nodifferent to that received by students withoutdependents, despite the fact that their outgoings wouldinevitably be higher, particularly for larger families.67

The increased costs of owning your own home werealso raised by student parents in focus groups.

Information and guidanceThe complexities of funding and benefit entitlement forstudents with children has a direct impact on the qualityof the information provided to potential and currentstudent parents. In every focus group we conductedthere was considerable discussion about who wasentitled to what, from whom, and sharing of informationabout what support was available. In some groups theconfusion about the support that students were entitledto was acute.

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Meet the Parents

Students in both sectors overwhelmingly indicatedthat they felt the information they had received abouttheir financial entitlement was inadequate, untimelyand confusing. Nearly half (44 per cent) of surveyrespondents felt they had not been given sufficientinformation about their financial entitlements to makean informed decision about becoming a studentparent; 34 per cent felt they had been ‘to some extent’– only 18 per cent answered ‘yes’.68 These figureswere stable for international students and loneparents, as well as across HE and FE. Studentadvisors, academics and other intervieweescorroborated this finding, and several suggested thatin order to access all of the money that they wereentitled to, students with children needed to beexperts in both student finance and benefits.

It was felt by some student advisors that, particularlyin higher education where the majority of coursesincur debts, student parents were not given accurateand honest information about what life would be likefinancially as a student with children. Other research inthis area has found that student parents feel that theyhave to ‘chase’ information69 and wanted informationthat was tailored to the institution. This is especiallyimportant given that the majority of discretionary fundsavailable to student parents are administered by thecollege or university, such as the Learner SupportFund and the Access to Learning Fund.

Students in both sectors emphasise the patchinessof information available for students with children, andwe were told of numerous instances of students beingprovided with the wrong information by both localauthorities and benefits offices:

“One major problem I have found throughoutmy studies is the lack of comprehensiveinformation and advice on finance forstudent parents; the benefits office andstudent finance operate completelyseparately… and the different sources oftengive conflicting and incomplete advice. Atthe moment it’s really difficult to find outwhat your financial options are and howdifferent courses of action affect yourfunding.” Student parent, University of Leeds

“The student finance available is a minefield.No-one seems to be clued up about it and Iseem to get a different story every time Ispeak to someone.” Student parent, SwanseaMetropolitan University

The lack of information leads to significant under-claiming in all areas. We came across too manyexamples to mention of students not claiming benefitsthat they were entitled to, not claiming the full amount ofChildcare Grant, being unaware of childcare funding,funding themselves when they were entitled to studentsupport, not applying for discretionary funds becausethey were unaware they existed and not applying forbursaries they may have been entitled to:

18%

44%

34%

4%

Yes 18%

To some extent 34%

No 44%

Skipped question 4%

Survey question: Looking back, do you feel youwere given all the information you neededabout your financial entitlements to make aninformed decision about becoming a studentparent?

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53

“I sometimes think I might be entitled tomore money but it is such a lot of time andhassle finding out.With working I'd probablyonly be entitled to a small amount if any. It'snot worth the bother.” Student parent,Staffordshire University

The lack of information about financial entitlementswas discussed at length in every focus group weconducted. Individual students talked about having to“do a lot of investigating”, and that it was a “matter ofme having to find out for myself”; one student fromthe University of Leeds talked about a “sea ofconflicting information”. Students in both FE and HEwere not confident that they were receiving everythingthey were entitled to and felt that there were probablypots of money they could be applying to that they didnot know about. Students spoke specifically abouttheir need for tailored, detailed information which wasnot relevant to the majority of students.

Advisors noted that they were only able to speak topeople who could visit them in office hours, whichoften excluded those students on placements, as wellas all of the student parents whose time on campusor in college is strictly limited because of childcarerestrictions. A small number – 5 per cent – of survey

respondents said they could not get to their studentservices or advice centre when it was open.

Student parents were clear about the kind ofinformation they needed. They wanted one resourcewhich was accurate and which covered both FE andHE (as many students we spoke to were making thetransition between the two). They wanted theinformation to clearly state how their benefits wouldbe affected by student funding, which would givethem accurate information about exactly how muchmoney they would have as students and they wantedit before their course started. They wanted theiruniversities and colleges to use that information andcombine it with tailored information regardinginstitutional funds to provide them with a completeresource. When we asked students where they wouldprefer to access information about their entitlements,the most popular response was ‘university or collegewebsite’ (51 per cent of all respondents). Severalstudents said that they would like to be able to callsomeone up who was an expert on student financeso that they could have confidence about theinformation they were receiving and could talkthrough their particular situation. Others wanted theirinstitutions to proactively distribute this information tostudent parents.

Recommendations

“My family regularly have to bail me out tillthe end of the month. I pay this back onpayday, knowing that I'll need to borrow itback the week!” Student parent, CornwallCollege

Student parents’ financial circumstances can varygreatly depending on where they live, whether they arepart or full-time, and the level at which they study.Furthermore, local and national agencies often fail towork with each other effectively, leaving students tocope with the complicated relationship betweenstudent support and benefits and poor qualityinformation, advice and guidance. The followingrecommendations focus on the improvement offunding mechanisms and processes to minimisehardship amongst students with children.

Equality of funding

• All students should have an entitlement to somelevel of childcare funding, regardless of age, modeof study, nationality or the sector in which they study.

• The HE Childcare Grant should be increased to 100per cent of childcare costs, extended to part-timestudents and to adult learners in FE in England,Wales and Northern Ireland. The ScottishGovernment should consider introducing anequivalent means-tested entitlement in Scotland.

• Nursing students in Northern Ireland should beallowed to apply for help via the Support Fund.

• Additional funds should be put into the ParentalLearning Allowance, LSF, ALF and Support Fund tocover the additional childcare costs that studentparents inevitably accrue, other than formal orregistered childcare. These should include travelcosts for those who cannot move close to universityfor caring reasons.

Better interaction between benefits andstudent support

• Where an over or underpayment has occurred, and ifa student has given sufficient notice of change ofstatus, then there should be duty on agencies tonegotiate a reasonable repayment rate with thestudent (and financial advisor). There should also bean appeals system in place to revoke over orunderpayments where these miscalculations havenot been the fault of the student parent.

• Benefits agencies, student services and/or students’advice centres should meet at regular intervals todiscuss changes to student support and benefitentitlements for students.

• DWP should reduce the amount of student loanregarded as income for benefit calculations inrecognition of the face that student parents’outgoings are greater than students withoutdependents.

• DWP should restore lone parents’ entitlement toaccess benefits whilst studying, without therequirement to be ‘available for work’.

• The Student Loans Company (SLC) should make itpossible for student funding to be paid monthly, ashas been implemented in Scotland.

Information

• To achieve better joined up thinking, signpostingand interaction between government departmentsresponsible for student parents, there should be‘check-off systems’ between, DIUS, DWP andDCSF. All three departments should consider theimpacts on student parents in policy developments,and work together to mitigate negative impacts ofthese.

• DIUS, SLC, and the LSC should work together toproduce accurate, reliable information for studentswith children covering both FE and HE. This shouldinclude dedicated staff, a centralised website andpaper-based materials. Institutions should add tothis to provide tailored information for prospectiveand current students with children that is availablewell ahead of enrolment, including realisticinformation on income and expenditure.

• DCSF and DIUS should fund a student helpline,potentially as part of ‘Parent Know How’, theexisting hub of information for everyone in aparenting role.

• Every JobCentre should have at least one advisorwho has been trained in the interactions betweenstudent support and benefits to reduce the numbersmiscalculations of benefits entitlements.

• DIUS should review the financial support availablefor parents with more than two children, in order toassist their return to education.

• Debt management advice should be available for alladult learners in FE and HE.

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Rush hourThe next forty minutes is spent making sure the kids are all washed and dressed. At 7:50am I doElla’s hair – she hates having her hair brushed soit’s a daily battle. If I have managed that, at 7:55amI make sure the kids have everything they need forschool so at 8am I can drop them off at breakfastclub. Luckily I live right by the school. I then comehome, get myself ready for college, and make lunch if I have got time. At 8:30am, I leave forcollege, as I have to be there for 9am.

I’m then in college all day. I’m a course rep andso during the day I have my weekly meeting withthe class to discuss any issues or concerns theyhave with the course or college.

Dinners, baths and bedtime I generally get home about 5:40pm. I drop my bagsoff, have a cup of tea and start dinner. At 6:55pm, I leave to pick up the kids. My kids do gymnastics,cricket and cooking at breakfast and after schoolclubs, so I don’t need to rush home to take themother places, which is very good. At 6:05pm, I getthe kids home and out of their uniforms and put ona load of washing. Then I sit down with the kids and get their homework out of the way. Sometimesit can take ages to do homework with my son as he has learning difficulties. At 7pm, we sit down todinner. It can be hard getting Ella to eat as shedoesn’t eat a lot and can take ages to finish herfood. Around 7:50pm is time for a quick bath before their 8pm bedtime when I read a couple ofbooks to them if I’m not too tired.

The end of the day At 8:30pm I have a cup of tea and then clear up. I usually start my homework about 9:30pm and studyfor a couple of hours. At 11:30pm, I get my bag anduniform ready for college tomorrow. Then at 11:50pm,if everything has gone well, it’s finally bedtime.

In case that sounded easy…It doesn’t always run as smoothly as this! If the kidsare sick on a day I have college, I have to basicallyring round the family and see who can take them. If no one can then I have to take the day off college.

Early riserMy alarm goes off at 6:40am and I get up and have atea to wake me up. At 7am I get the kids up, if theyare not up already. Although I set an alarm the kids willget up before it, sometimes as early as 5am. If thathappens, I try to get them to get in bed with me for acuddle so I can have a bit of extra rest. Ella doesn’tsleep well and can get up two or three times a night.

A day in the life of a student parent

Katie’s story

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Meet the Parents

5.Childcare

Heading

Summary

“I received my timetable on the first day ofterm.We have no childcare as it was far toolate to secure places for so many children,so my husband and I take turns at missingcollege days to be there for them.” Studentparent, Glasgow Metropolitan College

Students with children face a number of difficultiesaccessing childcare which is suitable for their needs.The national shortage of childcare places, high costs, a shortfall in childcare funding for students across theboard, and the flexibility required by most studentparents combine to ensure that student parents aredisadvantaged from the offset.

Our research uncovered the following key issues:

• student parents struggle to find affordable childcare.This is exacerbated by the shortfall in childcare funding;76 per cent of all respondents to our survey receive nochildcare funding at all, and only 11 per cent say theyreceive enough funding to cover their expenses;

• student parents also reported a number of hiddencosts associated with childcare including travel,retainers, registration fees, number of children;

• half of those who expressed a preference said theywould prefer their childcare to be based near theirhome, with only 17 per cent preferring it to be basednear their institution; students in rural areas reporteddifficulties accessing quality affordable childcare;

• students are not considered to be ‘good customers’for childcare providers; they often need irregularhours, at awkward times and are subject to last-minute changes and late provision of timetables;providers may also have to wait for payment fromstrategy funding bodies;

• students who have to do compulsory placementshave particular difficulties accessing registeredchildcare; placements can change from term to termand may require overnight stays, when registeredcare is unavailable;

• there is a shortage of suitable childcare for older anddisabled children.

For all of these reasons, and others, informal childcare isan essential component of the childcare needed bystudents with children. At its best, it can be designed and

continues overleaf …

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Meet the Parents

Research findingsThe cost of registered childcareIt is well documented that quality registered childcarecan be costly, with a full-time nursery place for a childunder two in 2008 standing at £159 per week inEngland (£8,000 a year).70 A place for a child in asummer play scheme is likely to cost £91.56 a week inEngland, £87.86 in Wales and £82.88 a week inScotland.71 It came as no great surprise, therefore,when participants in focus groups all over the UK, aswell as student advisors and academics, identified thelack of affordable childcare as a significant barrier toparticipation in further and higher education:

“The cost is unbelievably high, and you don’tget the quality of care you’d expect for theprice.” Student parent, Heriot-Watt University

The high costs of registered childcare are exacerbatedby the shortfall in childcare funding for student parents;76 per cent of all respondents to our survey receive nochildcare funding at all, and only 11 per cent say theyreceive enough funding to cover their expenses.

The Childcare GrantStudents, advisors and academics alike questionedthe fact that the Childcare Grant (CCG) currently onlycovers 85 per cent of childcare costs.72 It was pointedout that for full-time HE students the shortfall of 15 percent can be a considerable financial burden:

“I only get 85 per cent (£148) back a week,but childcare is £171. Money is really tight inour family. I am finding it hard to find money

for childcare, travel and uni essentials, aswell as paying bills and managing everydaylife.” Student parent, Middlesex University

“My childcare is £5,600 (part-time for twochildren) and I get £2,450 childcare grant. It’sfinancially crippling me.” Student parent,University of Salford

Means-testing for the CCG also means that studentscan end up having to pay all of their childcare coststhemselves, even if their income is relatively low butover the threshold for support:

“Childcare is incredibly expensive and takesup the majority of my student loan. Childcarefunding should be easier to apply for, notmeans-tested and available to everyone with(any age) children.” Full-time student parent,University Campus Suffolk

Whilst it is clear that there are shortfalls in CCGfunding, it should be noted that several advisors wespoke to specifically commented on the fact thatbefore its introduction there was no specified fundingin HE in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Thishas freed up other government and charity funding tosupport specific needs currently not met by CCG. Oneguidance worker described the CCG as “a godsend”.

Discretionary fundingPart-time and postgraduate HE students are even lesswell off with regards to childcare support, with noentitlement to funding, and only small amounts ofdiscretionary funding available from the Access toLearning Fund. Some students with children felt there

moulded around the needs of the parent and child, itcan be cheaper (although is not necessarily so), and itcan ‘fill the gaps’ left by registered childcare.

• 79 per cent of student parents we surveyed always,frequently or sometimes used family or friends forchildcare in order to attend university or college; ofthose over a third (37 per cent) use it exclusively.One in five of all respondents pay for it, despite nostatutory funding being available for such care.

Summary (continued)• International students and lone parents are less likely

to be able to access informal care when they need it,because of a lack of partner support and access tosupport networks.

• Eight per cent of student parents identified being ableto access funding for informal childcare as the singlechange that would most improve their experience ofeducation.

Childcare

59

were merits to studying part-time (and, as we explainedin Chapter One, the evidence suggests that most do),but in terms of childcare it can be problematic:

“My nursery fees are too expensive – £38 aday is too much on top of my rent, bills andliving costs. The childcare grant73 I receiveper term doesn’t even cover a month of myson’s nursery fees.”Part-time student parent, University of Greenwich

“Childcare eats up our small budget. I havemy children in the minimum amount of time Ican but the course is spread out over fourdays (with three hours approx each day) andit will still have cost more than £3,000 by theend of my one-year course.’Postgraduate student parent, University of Bradford

In FE, where adult learners have no entitlement tochildcare funding at all and what is available isdistributed at the discretion of the college, high costscan be even more of an obstacle for student parents.The difficulties for adult learners in this context havebeen explored in detail in recent research carried outby the Daycare Trust.74 The limited amount of LSFfunding means that low-income parents may receiveno help at all with childcare costs, leaving them to findthousands of pounds each year from other sources. InScotland, the discretionary nature of childcare fundingfor all students can create anxiety for students there:

“Every year I am unsure if I will get fundingfor childcare until I have actually started mycourse and paid the first month myself,which I have to factor in when I work over thesummer. Guaranteed childcare fundingwould make it a little less stressful to be astudent.” Full-time student parent, University ofStrathclyde

LocationStudents make choices about where their childcareprovider is located based upon a number of differentfactors, including the age of their children, whetherand where they work, cost and what is available. Halfof those who expressed a preference said they wouldprefer their childcare to be based near their home,

with only 15 per cent preferring it to be based neartheir institution.

There was a general consensus that campus-basedchildcare was good for young children, but as childrenreached school age it made more sense for theirchildcare to be nearer to their home or school. Thekey factor in many decisions seems to be thedistances involved. One student summed it up whenshe said of her own childcare choices: “it all boilsdown to travel times really”.

Regardless of age, campus childcare may not bethe most time or cost-effective choice if a student ison a placement that isn’t near their institution.Students on vocational and professional courseswhose timetables and activities change on a regularbasis may need their childcare to be based at differentplaces at different times. Around one third of surveyrespondents who expressed a preference said thattheir childcare needed to be based at different placesdepending on circumstances.

Several parents living in rural areas, particularly inScotland, specifically mentioned the importance ofremote access to learning resources in order to helplimit childcare costs because of the lack of reasonablypriced childcare available in remote areas. Somestudent advisors suggested prices were especiallyinflated in city centres, thus meaning that childcarecosts for those in universities and colleges inmetropolitan centres had even higher bills to coverwith the same amount of money.75

Hidden costs Student parents spoke about “additional hiddencharges” they incurred as a result of using childcare,which for the most part are not recognised by funding.Childcare providers may expect deposits to reserveplaces, which may need to be paid upfront bystudents before they have received any payments ofchildcare or student support. One student parent wasrequired to provide a cash deposit, another had to paya deposit of £500 per child upfront. Given theproblems with funding and hardship alreadymentioned, it is unsurprising therefore that this level ofoutlay can be an insurmountable obstacle for somestudents with children.76

Many of our participants voiced concerns aboutcovering the costs of holiday retainers to keep theirchild’s place in between terms. There was also some

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Meet the Parents

confusion among some HE student parents as towhether the CCG could be used to pay for theseretainers. We heard of one specific example wherealternate week timetabling meant that student parentshad to pay retainers for the days they hadn’t used thatweek, but would need the next.

Other costs mentioned in our focus groups includedthe operation of a system whereby penalties werecharged to parents who were late picking up theirchildren. This was felt by students to be unavoidable onoccasion, and fees were considered to be unnecessarilyharsh. The cost of transport to and from childcareproviders (either public transport or petrol) was alsobrought up numerous times:

“Debts have built up because I need a car toget my child to a minder and to get myself tocollege. Because of car costs (tax, insurance,petrol etc) my outgoings are more than myincomings.” Student parent, South East RegionalCollege

These issues were even more pronounced for thosewho needed to travel to more than one childcareprovider or for those parents who lived in rural areas.

The hidden costs outlined in this section, includingdeposits, registration fees, holiday retainers and travel toand from childcare providers are recognised by the Careto Learn programme, which reimburses them to learnersunder the age of 20 in England and Northern Ireland.The majority of other students, with some limitedexceptions, have no access to any such costs.77

The costs of informal childcareOur survey, interviews and focus groups highlight thatinformal childcare is widely and regularly used bystudent parents. Of our survey respondents, 79 per centuse informal childcare in order to attend university orcollege; of those more than a third (37 per cent) use itexclusively. One in five of all respondents pay for it:

“I am lucky enough to have my sister lookafter my boy for me so I can study and work.The downside to this is that I get no money topay for her as she is family, so I have to payher out my wages.” Student parent, South EastRegional College

A few student advisors and parents alluded to theimportance of informal childcare to many parentsbecause it costs less than formal childcare. However,it is important to note that many informal childcarearrangements can cost just as much as formalarrangements – where grandparents have given upwork or retired early to look after their grandchild, forexample.78 Costs for students using informal childcaremay involve more than simple remuneration; forexample, it may involve paying for a relative's travel.Some parents we spoke to tried to compensate theirinformal childcare providers with shopping, gifts oroccasional payments when they could afford it. Othersalso spoke of wanting to be able to pay but not havingthe means to, or feeling guilty about not being able topay. Funding for unregistered childcare would mostimprove the experience of being a student parent for 8per cent of our respondents.

29%21%

19.5%30%

0.5%

Always 29%

Frequently 19.5%

Sometimes 30%

Never 21%

Skipped question 0.5%

Survey question: Do your parents, partner orfriends ever provide childcare so that you canattend college or university?

Childcare

61

Flexibility“Registered childminders find students anunnecessary hassle, when they have a big listof working parents desperate for childcarethat can pay the childminder directly, thecorrect amount, when required, without anybother.” Student parent, Heriot-Watt University

Timetables and last-minute changesStudent parents often find themselves in a positionwhere they need to make last-minute changes orbookings with childcare providers because of alterationsto their timetables. But providers are rarely able to be asflexible as student parents need them to be. Many wespoke to found the late provision of timetables ahindrance to their making childcare arrangements.Parents in our focus groups suggested that, ideally, amonth was needed to arrange appropriate childcare, butonly 16 per cent of survey respondents received atimetable more than a month in advance.

This uncertainty over being able to finalise childcarearrangements results in some student parents bookingas much childcare as they can to guarantee they havechildcare when they need it. This leads to them makinglarge claims for childcare funding to ensure theirexpenses will be covered. Over-estimations ofchildcare can limit the funding available for otherstudent parents who are reliant on limited discretionaryfunds, such as the Hardship Fund in Scotland or theLSF in England. For the individual, having to estimatelevels of childcare needed and costs can havefrustrating consequences:

“I had to ensure cover Monday to Friday,9.00am–6.00pm. Now I’m paying for care Idon't need.” Student parent, University of Ulster

“I knew I'd be in uni on one of two days, butsince I didn't know which one I had to bookthe kids into after school club for two daysinstead of one, therefore costing me moremoney.” Student parent, University of Leeds

One FE student had her timetable rearranged at thelast minute and was suddenly left with no childcare forthe day she needed, and childcare she had paid forthat she didn’t need, which the college refused to

reimburse. In this case, the student had to rely on familyfor help as there were no other options.

Students on vocational courses in particular needaccess to flexible childcare as their study periods,placements and holiday periods are likely to changefrom one semester to the next.

Irregular timesStudent parents sometimes need to be able to access‘one-off’ or occasional childcare. In the majority of ourfocus groups, inset days (teacher training days) andhalf-terms were flagged up as a problem. These can beparticularly difficult for parents with children at differentschools if the days don't coincide.

On a more day-to-day basis, many students may onlyneed a few hours of childcare here and there to coverlecture times, as well as irregular additional hours. Thismay be for the occasional extra lecture, to access thelibrary, hand in assignments, take part in extracurricularactivities or for extra personal study time (in the lead upto an assessment deadline). However, studentsreported that this kind of childcare was not reallyavailable. On student parent said:

“I want one or two hours a day for my threechildren. That’s not what childminders want.They want full days.” Student parent, Heriot-WattUniversity

Several student parents spoke about a childcare facilitythat allowed drop-ins for an hour or two whilst they usedthe library or did some personal study; others suggestedthat this would be particularly helpful in half-termholidays. This was a service that some student parentswould be willing to pay for by the hour. One studentdescribed this idea as “parental heaven” and suggestedthis type of service would encourage far more parents toreturn to education. Some students mentioned theywould like this service to be located on campus so thatthey could use the library. One FE student in NorthernIreland had previously studied at an FE College wheresuch a service was available and commented on howmuch easier this made her arrangements.

Unsociable hoursA number of students also mentioned the particulardifficulties of trying to find childcare during ‘unsociable

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Meet the Parents

hours’, such as evenings or during the night time.There were very little, and often no, options for formalchildcare outside of normal working hours. This was aparticular issue for those on placement (see below), butalso affected students with late lectures:

“I had booked my daughter into a nurserywhich the uni had recommended. However, Ilater found it didn't cover the hours that Icould be in (it finished too early) and so aftershe'd been there one week I had to move her,causing her disruption. This also left me witha month’s cancellation fees (over £500), whichI couldn't claim help with because I neededthe grants to pay for the new nursery.” Studentparent, University of Cambridge

Several student parents in both HE and FE commentedthat they missed events and required parts of theircourses, ranging from exhibitions and field trips totheatre visits, due to the fact that no childcare existedto match this need. One student parent describedfeeling under pressure because she was missing outon vital parts of the course:

“They (other students) get to go to all of theseexhibitions.They have participated, so they areseen as proactive. And we are not seen asproactive because we are not participating inthese class activities that they are organising –which we cannot attend because we don’t havechildcare.” Student parent, Kilmarnock College

After-school and breakfast clubsStudent parents in focus groups often spoke verypositively about 'wrap-around childcare' provided byschools. The short after-school period when manystudents need help was not seen as an attractive optionfor childminders, so finding any formal arrangementscan be difficult. As a solution to this, many studentparents found breakfast and after-school clubs veryuseful. It was suggested that after-school clubs areoften more flexible with timings and less likely topenalise parents for schedule changes or unavoidablelateness. It was apparent from a number of focusgroups that after-school clubs were particularlyimportant to those who don't have any networks to rely

on – for example, those parents who had no-one theycould ask to pick up their child from school.

If government plans to roll out after-school provisionin all English schools by 2010 are realised, studentswith children will benefit enormously, as currently after-school clubs are not services that are available toeveryone. One student parent said that there were noafter-school clubs in her area because it had beendecided that there was no demand due to high levels ofunemployment. Where they weren’t available, studentparents were left with limited options for pre-and after-school care. They were often left with no other choicethan to leave lectures early or arrive late.

Whilst these services are also more likely to be relativelycheap, they aren’t usually free, and a couple of studentparents we spoke to were unsure as to whether the CCGcould be used to pay for sessions or not. The typical costfor an after-school club is £43 for 15 hours a week inEngland, £38 in Scotland and £36 in Wales.

AvailabilityThe national shortage of registered childcare places is akey issue with, on average, only one registered childcareplace for every three children under eight.79 Theavailability of information about childcare provision isanother significant problem; only 14 per cent of thosewe surveyed felt they were given sufficient informationabout childcare options before they began their studies.

On-campus childcare The availability of university or college-based childcarewas raised by numerous students and advisors as anissue. Half of survey respondents said that they didn’tneed their institution to provide childcare, but of theremaining half only 8 per cent felt that their college oruniversity fully met their childcare needs. Students andadvisors we spoke to generally felt that, when it did exist,college or university-based provision was oversubscribedand there were often very long waiting lists. Severalstudents we spoke to had responded to this by droppingout for a year to wait for their children to get to the top ofthe waiting list before enrolling again:

“When I rang the crèche I was told that I haveto apply a year in advance to have any chanceof gaining a place. As my child was unplannedI did not know to apply a year in advance, so

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63

my mother has to stay at home every day tolook after my son to allow me to attend mycourse.” Student parent, Northern Ireland

One reason for the high demand for places is that thefacility is usually used by both students and staff andsome students felt that having guaranteed placesavailable would really help with childcare difficulties they face.

Childcare based in college or university can beespecially helpful for some students – particularly thosewith pre-school aged children. Other benefits of thiskind of childcare can be that staff are more used toworking with students, they are better placed to fitaround institutional timetables, they can cut travel timefor students and it can be an easier to arrangepayments between an institution and its own providerthan with an external provider. Where campuses arebased in city centres, college or university-runnurseries can also provide affordable alternatives toprivately-run facilities.

Despite the benefits, it is likely that campus childcare

facilities are used by a small minority of student parents. Itwas pointed out to us by interviewees that there areresource (money, human, space) implications involved inon-campus childcare provision, and that it can be verydifficult for institutions to expand numbers of places. Forthis reason, it is important that there is clarity as to theextent of childcare provision available and the number ofplaces available for staff and students.

Placements

“The nursing course work placements areanything but child and family friendly. Asingle parent would struggle to stay on course – it's hard enough for those of us withpartners.” Student parent, Napier University

Compulsory placements and time abroad are coursefeatures which can create particular childcare issues forstudents with caring responsibilities. The former arestandard parts of most health, teaching and social carecourses, which, as we have already discussed, are likelyto attract higher numbers of student parents than mostcourses (42 per cent of the students we surveyed had todo a work placement or spend time abroad as part oftheir course).

Students we spoke to in focus groups that had to doplacements as part of nursing courses stumbled acrossthe problem of not being able to access registeredchildcare (and therefore any funding) during theunsociable hours that they were expected to work:

“In September my daughter starts atuniversity and childcare [for my younger twochildren] will become a bigger problem, aschildminders don’t cover shifts, and both meand my older daughter will be doingplacement hours. I haven’t come up with asolution yet.” Nursing student, University of Leeds

Previous research has shown that this impacts onnursing students’ retention.80 Teaching staff’s responsesto these problems was not always ideal. The studentwho gave the above quote was told by her lecturer to“ask her family for help”. This may seem like a flippantcomment – but there does seem to be an expectationthat NHS students will need to use unregisteredchildcare in order to take part in their course.81 The

87%

12%

1%

Yes 12%

No 87%

Skipped question 1%

Survey question: Did anyone at your universityor college talk with you about childcareoptions before you started?

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Meet the Parents

prominence of NHS students in terms of applicationsto the Access to Learning Fund, and also to charitablefunds such as ENEF, is further evidence of the financialstrain placed on these students by the lack of fundingfor informal childcare.82

Suitability Older childrenAs one interviewee pointed out, childcare is not simplyabout babies. The majority of student parents we spoketo in focus groups that had school-age children stillconsidered childcare arrangements to be a key concern.In fact, as children neared what one parent called “afunny barrier age”, problems with childcare could actuallyincrease, due to the lack of suitable childcare availablefor children over the age of 10 or 11, echoing the findingsof previous research in this area.83 Parents had differentideas about when children no longer needed lookingafter, and most agreed it depended on the individualchild. One parent with a child of 13 felt he was “not quiteold enough to be given a key to the house”. Most agreedthat there was “nothing for children over the age of 10”,and that while most after-school clubs had an age limit of11, “you wouldn’t want to leave an 11-year-old at homeon their own”.

Parents we spoke to suggested that it would be helpfulif their children were allowed in college or university withthem – we heard of several instances where childrenwere banned from institutional buildings. This inhibitsparents from popping in to return books to the library orhand in coursework without having to find childcare.Other parents suggested that it would be helpful if theirolder children could use facilities at the college oruniversity when they were using libraries or other learningresources. Others discussed the possibility of after-school type clubs for older children based at collegesand universities:

“It would help my studies if they hadsomewhere to hang around at uni whilst Iused the library for a couple of hours everyso often.” Student parent, University of Leeds

“On-campus childcare for older children,such as activity or sports clubs during out of-school-hours, would be useful to allow extra

study time where you can be confident thatyour child is occupied.” Student parent, Universityof Plymouth

Disability One in ten student parents we surveyed said they had achild with additional support needs or who wasdisabled. Families with a disabled child have been foundto pay on average five times more towards childcarecosts than those with no disabled children.84

Furthermore, it can be harder to find appropriatechildcare which meets the needs of a disabled child.When we asked what would most improve respondents’experience of being a student parent, one said:

“Having childcare services that are accessibleto my children with special needs would help.At the moment I am restricted to shortcourses, as there is no childcare I could buyin, even if I was able to take upgrants/funding.” Student parent, Open University

On top of this, students are unable to claim CarersAllowance if they are full-time, which several studentswith disabled children felt was unfair (since they didn’tstop caring for their disabled children just because theybecame students).

Informal childcareThe shortage of childcare places is a particular problemfor students with children because of the limitations onfunding upon which they depend, the majority of whichis restricted to registered childcare. This has beenidentified as an obstacle for student parents in previousresearch, since for a number of different reasonsinformal childcare is often the only realistic option forstudents with children:85

“I had to use informal childcare at thebeginning because there were no otheroptions.” Student parent, Hackney CommunityCollege

Lucky When students spoke to us about their informalchildcare arrangements, over and again they spoke

Childcare

65

about feeling “lucky” that they had supportive partnersand ex-partners, parents, siblings, neighbours, olderchildren and other adults who could help them:

“Luckily my eldest is a great help with thelittle ones and with my husband’s shiftpatterns and my parents’ help there are noreal childcare worries.” Student parent, SouthEast Regional College

Other adults help student parents by dropping off andpicking up their children from school, looking afterthem in the evening to allow students to study, andeven having them stay overnight. For example, wespoke to students who had set up rotas with friends toshare school-runs. These are all services that aresimply non-existent through formal childcare.

GuiltySome parents felt guilty about the demands theyplaced on others, and their inability to compensatefriends and family:

“I don’t have childcare costs, as my parentsare there, but I do feel bad as I expect a lotfrom them and can give them very little inreturn.” Student parent, Heriot-Watt University

“I feel guilty… I think that parents andgrandparents should be able to get somekind of allowance, because at the end of theday, as much as they’re not registered, theybrought us up. I don’t think my mum shouldhave to register her qualifications, becauseher qualification is bringing me up.”Student parent, London South Bank University

A positive choiceWhilst the limitations we have described can leavestudents with no choice other than to use informalchildcare, it is important to recognise that opting for thiskind of care can often be a positive choice and not oneonly made out of desperation. A few parents we spoketo felt uncomfortable about registered childcare for veryyoung children, who would be unable to tell them ‘ifsomething was wrong’. We were also told about astudent whose child has become mute as a result of

trauma, and who was looked after by a friend withwhom the child felt comfortable. This parent wasunwilling to change providers, and risk her child’shealth, to access statutory funding, and so had to fundall of her childcare expenses herself.

Access to informal careWhilst our research showed that informal care iscentral to successful childcare arrangements forstudents with children, it was also clear that informalchildcare is not a luxury that all students enjoy. Aroundone in five survey respondents never asked family,friends or partners to provide childcare for them, andseveral individuals in focus groups elaborated on avariety of reasons for this. A couple of students werecare-leavers who didn’t have the support networks thatother students were able to access. Others hadcomplex legal relationships with ex-partners and theirfamilies which limited access, and a significant numberfelt too guilty to ask parents, older children or friends totake on considerable amounts of childcare. Forstudents who had moved to a new area to study, thisproblem was exacerbated by having left behind thefriends and family upon which they previously relied.86

International students were another group that severalstudent advisors identified as not being able to dependon informal networks. Their situation is furthercomplicated by having no recourse to public funds,which limits their ability to access formal childcare.Hence, for a significant number of student parents,there is no backup when registered childcare fails orwhen funding is unavailable. We found out from onecollege focus group that this led to a number ofstudents unwillingly leaving their children at homealone on some days as there was simply no othersolution to their childcare problems.

66

RecommendationsIn order to ensure that student parents can access thechildcare they need to participate in further and highereducation, changes are required in thinking andpractice at a governmental, institutional and students’unions level.

Government and funding bodies

• DIUS and DCSF, and their equivalents in Scotland,Wales and Northern Ireland, should review childcarefunding for students with a view to ensuring that allstudents are entitled to some level of statutorychildcare funding (see recommendations on page55 for more detail).

• DIUS and the Department of Health (DoH) shouldrecognise the centrality of informal childcare as apositive and integral element which enables parentsto study, and make a commitment to financiallysupporting students who need to pay for such careto participate in education.

• DIUS and DoH should produce a statementexplaining how they are going to ensure studentswith children can participate in courses requiringovernight placements.

Institutions, local authorities and otherstakeholders

“I had to book childcare for each day in caseI needed it, and I had to pay for it for sixweeks between school and universitystarting.” Student parent, Strathclyde University

• Institutions should reimburse students for any finesor costs related to late timetable provision or last-minute changes to timetable schedules.

• Institutions should work with Family InformationServices, local authorities and schools to explore howthese agencies could work together effectively toimprove childcare provision.

• Institutions could explore involvement in the ExtendedSchools programme, including the possibility ofhosting wrap-around care which would benefitstudents, staff and the wider community.

• Local authorities and institutions should work togetherto ensure that the Government’s vision for childcarewithin the Ten-Year Childcare Strategy is realised. Aspart of their commitment to this, local authoritiesshould use the findings of this report to ensure that

the needs of student parents are met in relation toaffordability, availability, quality, flexibility and choice.This may include exploring ways of providing differentforms of childcare including drop-in, short-termplaces, half-term ‘playschemes’, overnight and out-of-hours care to students with children.

• Students with children should automatically beprioritised in terms of placement location to limit theimpact of undertaking placements on their childcarearrangements, and that these are organised first togive student parents as much notice as possible.

• Institutions should ensure that there is someemergency funding available for internationalstudent families, given that given that it is inevitablethat some international students will have to bringtheir families with them to be able to study in theUK, or some will become pregnant while they are inthe country.

• Those institutions who do have on-campuschildcare facilities for both students and staff shouldmake it clear in their publicity about the length ofwaiting lists for these services, and approximateratios of student to staff places available.

Institutions and students’ unions

• Institutions and students’ unions should worktogether to provide detailed and accurateinformation about childcare provision in the localcommunity for students with children. Particularefforts should be made to ensure that internationalstudents understand the considerable costimplications of bringing their children with them tothe UK.

• Institutions and students’ unions should worktogether to research the specific childcare needs of their students, given that these will changedepending on catchment area, subject profile, ageprofile and number of international students.

• Institutions and students’ unions should considerhow they could facilitate communication betweenstudent parents, to allow them to establishalternative childcare arrangements when needed,such as baby-sitting networks, school runs andlecture cover. These would particularly benefit loneparents, international students and those who havemoved away to study as they are less likely to haveaccess to informal childcare.

67

kitchen to find me. He's very clingy at the moment.At 5:15pm I take the children upstairs and let them

play in Lydia's room together (making sure the stairgate is shut!). I jump into the shower just next door. By5.30pm, the children are getting sleepy. I take Lydiaupstairs for her nap, and come downstairs andbreastfeed Alex to help him settle off to sleep. Havingdone all that, I get stuck into a bit of studying foruniversity. At 6:30pm I watch a bit of television. Afterit's finished, I do some more studying for uni untilLydia wakes at around 7.30pm. She's hungry but isbeing indecisive about what she wants. After thechildren have eaten, we play together a little. I'mteaching Lydia letter recognition at the moment, and Iread a couple of stories to them both.

Books, Bath and Bed8.30pm is bath-time; Lydia loves her baths, but Alexhates them and screams the place down. I getsoaking wet and smacked repeatedly! Once that’sdone it’s time to pick up Phil from work. We get homearound 10.30pm and Phil gets Lydia ready for bedwhilst I cook dinner. Phil and I sit down for dinner at11pm. Alex is still awake so he ends up eating a fairamount of it! After dinner I load the dishwasher, hangout the washing, put a fresh load on and get Alex intohis pyjamas. Then Phil and I settle down to watchtelevision. This is the only part of the day when wespend any time together, though we’re not technicallyalone as I'm breastfeeding Alex.

At 12.30pm I put Alex down as he has been asleepon my knee for a while, and then get about an hour'sworth of uni study. I get ready for bed, and take Alexupstairs. I put him down in his cot and then get tosleep at around 1.45am until Alex wakes me at about5am and joins me in bed.

Getting Up, Getting OutAt 9am my alarm wakes me up. I sleep with my sonwho is 13 months old and still breastfeeding. He's keptme up much of the night as usual so I'm shattered,but before I get out of bed I have to breastfeed him for10 minutes so he drops back off to sleep. Then I grabmy makeup and tiptoe downstairs to get ready.

Not five minutes after I've gone downstairs, Alexwakes up crying for me. This wakes up my daughterLydia (3 years). Another 10 minutes pass where Alexloses his dummy and Lydia stubs her toe. I finallyleave the house at 9.40am, grabbing a croissant onmy way out of the door. I drive to uni and today I'mlucky and find a parking spot – often it takes muchlonger to find one. I rush to my first lecture and justmake it just before 10am.

Housework and Homework My lectures finish at 12pm when I rush back to the carand get home about 12.20pm. My husband’s shiftstarts at 2pm so I drop him off and then we head tothe supermarket. We shop mostly at Netto these days,as it's cheaper. I pile the children into a trolley and goaround the shop as quickly as possible. We eventuallymake it home at around 3pm. After taking Lydia to thetoilet, changing Alex's nappy, and putting theshopping away, it's time for a late lunch of cheese andham sandwiches. After lunch, I pop the children downin front of the television (a bad habit I know) andunload the dishwasher. Then I hang out some wetclothes, and put a new load on. This all takes agesbecause Lydia needed the toilet again (three times)and Alex kept shuffling (he can't walk yet) into the

A day in the life of a student parent

Natalie’s story

1 HEFCE (2008) Strategic Plan 2006–11 [online]. Available from:www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/hefce/2008/08_15/ [accessed 13/01/08]

2 Higher Education Policy Institute (2008) Financial support inEnglish universities: the case for a national bursary scheme[online]. Available from:www.hepi.ac.uk/pubdetail.asp?ID=252&DOC=reports [accessed13/01/08]

3 One Parent Families (2005) Accessing Training and Education inEast London: the Case of Lone Parents. London: One ParentFamilies: 8

4 Analysis of Labour Force Survey data provided by the Learningand Skills Analysis Division of DIUS. The data includes parents infurther education and sixth form colleges.

5 Callender and Kemp (2000) Changing Student Finances: Income,Expenditure and the Take-Up of Student Loans Among Full andPart-Time Higher Education Students in 1998/99. DfEE ResearchReport RR213. Norwich: DfEE

6 National Centre for Social Research and Institute for EmploymentStudies (2006) The National Student Income and ExpenditureSurvey 2004–5. DfES Research Report.

7 Ibid.

8 Callender et al. (2005) Higher and further education students'income, expenditure, and debt in Scotland 2004–2005 [online].Glasgow: Scottish Executive. Available from:http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/10/26105054/50552[Accessed 23/01/08]

9 National Centre for Social Research and Institute for EmploymentStudies (2006) Northern Ireland Student Income and ExpenditureReport 2004–05, DELNI Research Report [online]. Available from:http://www.delni.gov.uk/index/publications/pubs-stats/research-reports-2/northern-ireland-student-income-expenditure-report-04-05.htm [accessed 23/01/08].

10 Dench, S (2006) Impact of Care To Learn: Tracking theDestinations of Young Parents Funded in 2004/5 [online].Brighton, Institute of Employment Studies. Available from:http://www.employment-studies.co.uk/pdflibrary/436.pdf[accessed 20/01/08]

11 Callender et al. (2005)

12 Analysis of Labour Force Survey data provided by the Learningand Skills Analysis Division of DIUS.

13 Cappleman-Morgan, J. (2005) Obstacle courses?: Maturestudents' experiences of combining higher education with caringresponsibilities [online]. Available from: http://www.c-sap.bham.ac.uk/resources/project_reports/findings/ShowFinding.htm?id=PG/04/16 [accessed 08/02/07].

14 Interview with Nicola Summers (29/05/08)

15 Information provided by the Learning and Skills Analysis Division,DIUS (12/10/07)

16 Ibid.

17 Wainwright and Marandet (2006): An Analysis of the LearningNeeds and Experiences of Students with Dependent Children atBrunel University [online]. Available from:http://www.brunel.ac.uk/about/acad/sse/chg/people/emma_wainwright [accessed 08/02/08].

18 Callender and Wilkinson (2005): 66–67

19 The 2000 Time Use Survey found that in the general populationwomen spend more than twice the amount of time on childcarethat men do. Available from:http://www.statistics.gov.uk/timeuse/default.asp [accessed23/01/08]

20 McGivney, V. (1996) Staying or leaving the course. Leicester:NIACE; McGivney, V (2003) Student Retention in Open andDistance Learning: Understanding ‘persistence’ in adult learning[online]. Available from:http://kn.open.ac.uk/public/workspace.cfm?wpid=1887[accessed 23/01/08]; Cullen, M. A. (1994) Weighing It Up: a CaseStudy of Discontinuing Access Students. Occasional PapersSeries, 2. The University of Edinburgh Centre for ContinuingEducation.

21 Women were more likely than men to select the following answerswhen asked what their main motivations to study were: “to set agood example to their children” (44% of women studentscompared with 25% of men students); ‘to retrain after taking timeout to raise children’ (16% compared with 3%).

22 One Parent Families (2005): 7

23 One Parent Families (2005): 2

24 One Parent Families (2003) Education, Training and Lone Parents:the role of education and training in the government’s welfare towork policy: 4

25 Research conducted for the Nuffield Foundation on recipients ofElizabeth Nuffield Educational Fund grants explores differentcauses of interruptions to student parents’ education.

26 HESA [online]. Available from:www.hesa.ac.uk/index.php/component/option,com_datatables/Itemid,121/task,show_datatables/ [accessed 12/01/09].

27 Universities UK (2006) Part-time students in higher education –supporting higher-level skills and lifelong learning [online].Available from:http://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/Publications/Documents/policybriefing0.pdf [accessed 12/01/09].

28 Knox, H (Spring 2006) ‘Can Part-time study contribute to wideningparticipation?’ Academy Exchange [online]. Available from:http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/resources/publications/exchange[accessed 08/01/08].

29 See for example One Parent Families (2003; 2005); Wainwrightand Marandet (2006); Cappleman-Morgan (2005).

30 This figure dropped to 25% (65) amongst male survey respondents.

Endnotes

68

Meet the Parents

Endnotes

69

31 This figure drops to 43% for male respondents.

32 Tamsin Hinton-Smith and Claire Callender both noted this duringtheir interviews. Recent research by NUS shows that 67% ofstudents with dependents choose their University because it isclose to home, compared with 28% of students withoutdependents. NUS/HSBC/GFK (2008) Student Experience Report2008 [online]. Available from:http://www.nus.org.uk/PageFiles/4017/NUS%20Student%20Experience%20Report.doc [accessed 12/01/09].

33 See also Wainwright and Marandet (2006). The Brunel studyhighlighted that some student parents felt alienated from thelibrary because their children were not allowed in there.

34 It was also pointed out by some student advisors that this wouldbenefit the rising number of students engaged in paidemployment.

35 Tamsin Hinton-Smith also found that lone parents sheinterviewed in her research found deadlines after holidaysparticularly difficult.

36 Wainwright and Marandet (2006): 27–30

37 Quimby and Brien agree; their concept of ‘verbal persuasion’positions face-to-face contact as central to student retentionamongst non-traditional students, who are likely to suffer fromlow self-esteem and question their academic ability. Quimby andBrien (2006) ‘Predictors of Well-Being among Non-TraditionalFemale Students with Children’, Journal of Counselling andDevelopment.

38 Just under a third (29%) of the student parents we surveyed havebeen out of education for 10 or more years; 16% had not been informal education for between five and 10 years; 14% betweentwo and five years and the remainder between zero and twoyears.

39 The Brunel study also found that one in six respondents cited a‘lack of understanding and support from staff’ as a problem.Wainwright and Marandet (2006).

40 Interview with Tamsin Hinton-Smith (06/03/08)

41 This figure goes down to 35% for international students who arethe obvious exception to the general pattern that student parentshave established lives.

42 Research conducted for the Nuffield Foundation on recipients ofElizabeth Nuffield Educational Fund grants.

43 Interview with Alison Urquhart (29/05/08)

44 Wainwright and Marandet (2006)

45 Interview with Tamsin Hinton-Smith (06/03/08)

46 Equality Challenge Unit (2008) Inclusive Students' Unions;Wainwright and Marandet (2006); Leeds University UnionDiversity Report (2007)

47 Utley A. (2002) ‘Lonely students quit as hard-up hang on’ TimesHigher, 13 September. See also Metcalf (1993) and Cullen(1994); both studies reinforce the importance of a sense of‘belonging’ to student success.

48 Equality Challenge Unit (2008): 14 –17

49 Leeds University Union (2007)

50 Interview with John Muir (05/02/08)

51 ‘Student parent funding' refers to all statutory sources of fundingwhich support students with children. This includes funding thatis available for childcare, travel, course-related costs andhousing.

52 There is funding available for adult parents in Sixth FormColleges in England, but these account for a tiny minority ofadult learners.

53 Recent research by the Daycare Trust highlighted the gravity ofthe situation for adult learners, and found that their experience offunding was insecure, incomplete and inaccessible. DaycareTrust (2007) Childcare for Adult Learners in Further Education.London: Daycare Trust. The Daycare Trust has called thesituation in FE ‘an affordability crisis’ which is excluding ‘furthereducation students and parents of under threes who want towant to train’.

54 Interview with Connie Craig (13/10/08)

55 Other than PGCE students who can claim as for full-timeundergraduates.

56 Daycare Trust (2008) Childcare Costs Survey 2008 [online].Available from:http://www.daycaretrust.org.uk/mod/fileman/files/Cost_survey2008.pdf [accessed 12/01/08)

57 A recent survey of HE students found that only 20% of allstudents did not work either in term time or holidays; this figurerose to 54% students with dependents. NUS/HSBC/GFK (2008):69 –70.

58 Queen’s University Belfast tried to impose a 15-hour limit for paidwork for students but were prevented from doing so after thestudents’ union used ‘Section 72’ (not discriminating againstpeople with children) to highlight the fact that the limitation wouldprevent student parents from being able to access working taxcredits for childcare.

59 We heard about several instances where students had receivedhardship funding for things such as rewiring a house, paying toget the car or washing machine fixed, or in one case to pay for abuggy so that the student didn’t have to carry her toddler tocollege.

60 Callender and Jackson (2005) ‘Does the fear of debt deterstudents from higher education?’ in Journal of Social Policy (34:4)Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

61 Research conducted for the Nuffield Foundation on recipients ofElizabeth Nuffield Educational Fund grants.

62 Home students with children are eligible to access benefits;international students do not have any recourse to public funds.3% of lone parents did not access any benefits and do thatBenefits that can be accessed include income support, child taxcredits, child benefit (available for all parents), Jobseeker’sallowance (JSA) and working tax credits. We did not ask

70

Meet the Parents

students whether they claimed Child Benefit since this is auniversally-available benefit to anyone with children.

63 Child Poverty Action Group/National Union of Students (2008)Student Support and Benefits Handbook: England, Wales andNorthern Ireland. London: Child Poverty Action Group

64 Interview with Paul Norman (29/02/08)

65 The DWP has recognised to some extent this issue by extendingtransitional protection to students claiming IS when the ruleschange until the end of their courses, but for those that followthere is no such protection.

66 Interview with Connie Craig (13/10/08)

67 Tamsin Hinton-Smith reported that lone parents she had spokento for her research resented the threshold for loan repaymentsbeing the same for all regardless of outgoings.

68 4% did not answer the question

69 Wainwright and Marandet (2006)

70 See the ‘Money Matters’ chapter for details of prices across theUK.

71 Daycare Trust (2008) Childcare Costs Survey 2008 [online].Available from:http://www.daycaretrust.org.uk/mod/fileman/files/Cost_survey2008.pdf [accessed 12/01/09]. The report also noted that more thantwo thirds of Children’s Information Services in Englandresponded that parents have reported a lack of affordablechildcare in their area.

72 The Childcare Grant is currently only available in England, Walesand Northern Ireland.

73 Part-time HE students may be able to access childcare fundingof between £250 and £750 per family per year from the Accessto Learning Fund. This amount is decided and administered byindividual institutions.

74 Daycare Trust (2007)

75 In some parts of the country, particularly London and the SouthEast, the cost of a nursery place is much higher – typically £200a week in London or £179 a week in the South East.

76 A survey of parents in 2005 shows that a third of parents thinkthat childcare is not affordable, with cost reported as a barrier tochildcare use (and work) particularly among low income familiesand lone parents.http://www.daycaretrust.org.uk/mod/fileman/files/Childcare_Today_Nov_2006.pdf

77 Some HE undergraduate students will also be able to access the

parents' learning allowance, a one-off payment of approximatelyup to £1,470. This is intended to help cover course-related costs,which can include the hidden costs of childcare provision.

78 Thanks to Hilary Land sharing this observation with us.

79 Daycare Trust (2006) Childcare Today [online]. Available from:http://www.daycaretrust.org.uk/article.php?sid=291 [accessed12/01/09].

80 19% of respondents to an RCN survey about nursing studentscited childcare as a reason they had considered leaving theircourse. RCN (2008) Nursing our future: An RCN study into thechallenges facing today’s nursing students in the UK. London:RCN.

81 Tamsin Hinton-Smith, in her research looking at the experiencesof lone parents in HE, came across similar issues. Students shespoke to said they weren’t prioritised for local placements, so itwas difficult for them to get to placements on time and staff werenot always understanding of their predicament.

82 Unison recently surveyed students in receipt of NHS bursariesand found that 76% of those who expressed a preference believethat the childcare allowance should be available for payment ofnon-registered childminders. Approximately 26% of students whostated a position indicated that they are currently unable toaccess the allowance due to inability to find a registeredchildminder.

83 Buck, K. and 4 Children (2007) Still Home Alone? [online].Available from:http://www.4children.org.uk/information/show/ref/1090 [accessed12/01/09].

84 Daycare Trust (2007) Listening to Parents of Disabled Childrenabout Childcare. London: Daycare Trust.

85 Land et al. (2000) ENEF: 45 Years of Plugging the Gaps inWomen’s Education. SPS/Nuffield Foundation.

86 Tamsin Hinton-Smith’s research also found that lone parents whomove away to study lose their support network, and then getcaught in a vicious circle where having no one to rely on putsextreme constraints on their time and their ability to develop newnetworks.

Appendix A

71

Ap

pen

dix

AF

un

din

g i

nd

ex

Eng

land

Stu

dent

Loa

nU

p to

£6,

475p

a. L

ow in

tere

stra

tes;

repa

id in

crem

enta

lly b

ased

on s

alar

y af

ter g

radu

atio

n.

Mai

nten

ance

Gra

nt/S

peci

alS

uppo

rt G

rant

Up

to £

2,83

5 ba

sed

on h

ouse

hold

inco

me.

Chi

ldca

re G

rant

For f

ull-t

ime

stud

ents

with

depe

nden

t chi

ldre

n ag

ed u

p to

16, r

egis

tere

d ch

ildca

re.

85%

of c

osts

up

to £

175p

w (1

child

) or £

300p

w (2

+ c

hild

ren)

For t

erm

tim

e an

d ho

liday

s.Th

is d

oes

not a

ffect

ben

efits

.

Pare

nts

Lear

ning

Allo

wan

ceU

p to

£14

65pa

.

Acc

ess

to L

earn

ing

Fund

Addi

tiona

l dis

cret

iona

ry s

uppo

rtfo

r stu

dent

s on

low

inco

mes

,in

clud

ing

part-

time

and

post

grad

uate

stu

dent

s, c

an b

eus

ed fo

r inf

orm

al c

hild

care

.

Edu

catio

n M

aint

enan

ceA

llow

ance

sU

p to

£30

pw b

ased

on

fam

ilyin

com

e.

Car

e to

Lea

rnU

p to

£16

0 of

act

ual c

osts

per

child

pw

(£1

75 p

er c

hild

pw

inLo

ndon

).

Lear

ner

Sup

port

Fun

dD

iscr

etio

nary

fund

adm

inis

tere

dby

indi

vidu

al le

arni

ng p

rovi

ders

–ca

nnot

be

used

to s

uppo

rtin

form

al c

hild

care

.

New

Dea

l for

Lon

e P

aren

tsC

ost o

f cou

rse

plus

£10

0 pe

rw

eek

for o

ne c

hild

or £

150

per

wee

k fo

r tw

o ch

ildre

n or

mor

e.

Car

eer

Dev

elop

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t Loa

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s –

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rest

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rged

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cial

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ough

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dby

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an m

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paid

onc

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ed.

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lt Le

arni

ng G

rant

Up

to £

30 p

er w

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– av

aila

ble

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tude

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over

the

age

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a lo

w in

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e.

Six

th F

orm

Chi

ldca

re G

rant

As

Car

e to

Lea

rn b

ut m

eans

-te

sted

and

onl

y av

aila

ble

in s

ixth

form

col

lege

s.

Lear

ner

Sup

port

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d D

iscr

etio

nary

fund

adm

inis

tere

dby

indi

vidu

al le

arni

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–ca

nnot

be

used

to s

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al c

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NH

S C

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wan

ce85

% o

f cos

ts u

p to

£14

5pw

(1

child

) or

£21

5pw

(2+

chi

ldre

n).

This

is a

vaila

ble

for 5

2 w

eeks

(i.e

.th

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ents

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llow

ance

£1,0

76pa

– d

iplo

ma

leve

l stu

dyU

p to

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a –

degr

ee le

vel

stud

y.

Dep

ende

nts'

Allo

wan

ceD

iplo

ma

leve

l:fir

st c

hild

– £

2,18

1pa

othe

r chi

ldre

n –

£525

pa e

ach.

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ree

leve

l:fir

st c

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– £

2,57

3pa

othe

r chi

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n –

£525

pa e

ach.

Acc

ess

to L

earn

ing

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Add

ition

al d

iscr

etio

nary

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port

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tude

nts

on lo

w in

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anbe

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d fo

r inf

orm

al c

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tim

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nd

erg

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uate

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de

nts

un

de

r 20

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tud

en

ts o

ver

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HS/

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alth

care

stu

de

nts

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tland

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dent

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p to

£6,

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a. L

ow in

tere

stra

tes;

repa

id in

crem

enta

lly b

ased

on s

alar

y af

ter g

radu

atio

nYo

ung

Stud

ents

Bur

sary

Up

to £

2,57

5 (u

nder

25s

onl

y).

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catio

n M

aint

enan

ceA

llow

ance

sU

p to

£30

pw b

ased

on

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ilyin

com

e.

Dep

ende

nts'

Allo

wan

ce£4

9.48

pw.

FE B

ursa

ryU

p to

£86

.81p

w.

Dep

ende

nts'

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wan

ce£4

9.48

pw.

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sing

/Mid

wife

ry B

ursa

ry£6

,411

pa.

Chi

ldca

re A

llow

ance

Up

to £

1,18

5pa.

72

Meet the Parents

Fu

nd

ing

in

dex

(co

nti

nu

ed)

Sco

tland

(cot

inue

d)Lo

ne P

aren

t Gra

nt£1

270p

a.

Lone

Par

ent C

hild

care

Gra

nt£1

185p

a.

Har

dshi

p Fu

ndD

iscr

etio

nary

fund

s av

aila

ble

thro

ugh

HEI

; spe

cific

allo

catio

n fo

r chi

ldca

re fu

ndin

g.

Trav

el E

xpen

ses

Chi

ldca

re F

und

Dis

cret

iona

ry fu

nds

avai

labl

e th

roug

h le

arni

ngpr

ovid

er.

Wor

king

for

Fam

ilies

Chi

ldca

re F

und

Dis

cret

iona

ry fu

nds

Ava

ilabl

e th

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king

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gle

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ent A

llow

ance

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.

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r chi

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pa e

ach.

Oth

er h

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fess

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e el

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r sep

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e, re

duce

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e u

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rad

uate

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de

nts

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de

r 20

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tud

en

ts o

ver

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esA

s E

ngla

nd, e

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t the

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ilabl

e pr

o-ra

ta to

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est

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ng a

t lea

st 5

0% o

f a fu

ll-tim

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catio

n M

aint

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ceA

llow

ance

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ased

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e.

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dshi

p Fu

nd

Dis

cret

iona

ry fu

nd a

dmin

iste

red

by in

divi

dual

lear

ning

pro

vide

rs.

New

Dea

l for

Lon

e P

aren

ts

Cos

t of c

ours

e pl

us £

100

per

wee

k fo

r one

chi

ld o

r £15

0 pe

rw

eek

for t

wo

child

ren

or m

ore.

Car

eer

Dev

elop

men

t Loa

n 18

plu

s –

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rest

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rged

at

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mer

cial

rate

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dby

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ent d

urin

g co

urse

.Lo

an m

ust b

e re

paid

onc

eco

urse

is fi

nish

ed.

Ass

embl

y Le

arni

ng G

rant

A

vaila

ble

for p

art-t

ime

and

full-

time

lear

ners

from

low

-inco

me

back

grou

nds.

A p

aym

ent o

f up

to£1

500.

Har

dshi

p Fu

nd

Dis

cret

iona

ry fu

nd a

dmin

iste

red

by in

divi

dual

lear

ning

pro

vide

rs.

Gen

esis

Wal

esN

ew D

eal f

or L

one

Par

ents

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t of c

ours

e pl

us £

100

per

wee

k fo

r one

chi

ld o

r £15

0 pe

rw

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for t

wo

child

ren

or m

ore.

Car

eer

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elop

men

t Loa

n In

tere

st c

harg

ed a

t com

mer

cial

rate

s, th

ough

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d by

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ernm

ent d

urin

g co

urse

. Loa

nm

ust b

e re

paid

onc

e co

urse

isfin

ishe

d.

As

Eng

land

Nor

ther

nIre

land

As

Eng

land

, exc

ept

mai

nten

ance

/spe

cial

sup

port

gran

t is

up to

£3,

335.

Edu

catio

n M

aint

enan

ceA

llow

ance

sU

p to

£30

pw b

ased

on

fam

ilyin

com

e.

FE A

war

dsA

war

ded

on a

firs

t com

e fir

stse

rve

basi

s; b

ursa

ry o

f £20

00pa

.

Nur

sing

/Mid

wife

ry B

ursa

ry£5

,910

pa.

Appendix A

73

Full

tim

e u

nd

erg

rad

uate

sFE

stu

de

nts

un

de

r 20

FE s

tud

en

ts o

ver

20N

HS/

He

alth

care

stu

de

nts

Nor

ther

nIre

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(cot

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Car

e to

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rn N

IU

p to

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5 of

act

ual c

osts

per

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.

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ldca

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uppo

rtC

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ay fo

r up

to 8

5% o

fch

ildca

re c

osts

, up

to a

max

imum

of £

185

a w

eek

for o

ne c

hild

and

£300

for t

wo

or m

ore

child

ren,

and

can

also

be

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ay fo

rho

liday

reta

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d rig

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dshi

p fu

ndM

eans

-test

ed h

ards

hip

fund

can

be u

sed

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over

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re c

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or d

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the

perio

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the

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war

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or to

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e 15

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ot m

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ance

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Es,

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ren,

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Wal

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whe

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Gra

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east

50

per

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nt c

ours

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cred

it(s

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tude

nt in

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and

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cred

it ch

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subj

ect t

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l as

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efit

and

poss

ibly

oth

er S

Sbe

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nd w

ill h

ave

acce

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har

dshi

p fu

nds

atth

e un

iver

sity

or

colle

ge.

* In

form

atio

n co

rrec

t at t

ime

of g

oing

to p

ress

. Rat

es a

re fo

r new

stu

dent

s in

the

2008

/09

acad

emic

yea

r.

74

Meet the Parents

Appendix BThe SurveyBetween October and December 2008, NUS askedstudents with children in both further and highereducation to complete an online survey about theirexperiences. The survey received 2167 completedresponses.

When discussing individual questions, ‘respondents’refers to the total sample of 2167 students, unlessotherwise specified. Respondents were not required toanswer all questions. Response count as well aspercentage is given to ensure clarity when necessary.

Background information aboutparticipants87% of respondents (1894) were women, and 12%(259) were men, with 0.4% (9) preferring not to selectan answer. The vast majority of respondents – 93%(2007) – were home students, whilst 7% (160) wereinternational. 76% (1639) are currently studying inEngland, 9% in Scotland, 8% in Northern Ireland, and7% in Wales. Minority ethnic groups areoverrepresented in the survey with only 69% (1487) ofrespondents describing themselves as white British,which compares with 87.5% of the general population.Some of this – although not all – can be accounted forby the high proportion (89%) of international studentsidentifying as a minority ethnicity (6% of allrespondents; 140).

Whilst the vast majority (75%) were aged between 26and 45 years old, more than one in ten – 11% ofrespondents were aged under 25.

Just over half of survey participants describethemselves as Christians (53%; 1151), with around athird saying they have no religion; 5% are Muslim, and 39respondents identified themselves as either Hindu, Sikh,Jewish or Buddhist. 5% opted not to select a religion.59% of respondents live with a partner and theirchildren, while around a third (34%; 730) were loneparents living on their own with their children. A further5% live with their parents and their children. Roughlyequal numbers of respondents had either one or two

children (39% and 38% respectively). 15% have threechildren, with the remaining 8% having between fourand eight children. The overwhelming majority live withtheir children all of the time, with only 5% sharingcustody or not living with their children. Just under athird (29%) have been pregnant at the same time asbeing a student.

15% consider themselves to have a long-term healthcondition that affects their day-to-day life, whilst 9%describe themselves as disabled. 11% say they havea child with additional support needs or a disability.4% (95) claim disability living allowance.

Teaching and Learning72% of student respondents are studying full-time, and27% part-time. The majority (71%;1529) are workingtowards Level 4 qualifications, with 20% studying atpostgraduate level, and 6% at Level 3. 2% werestudying for Level 1 or 2 qualifications.

88% of respondents (1909) are studying in highereducation institutions at 138 different institutions; ofthese only one in five were studying at a Russell or1994 group institution (14% (275) and 8% (156)).

12% (258) of respondents were studying in furthereducation colleges, with respondents studying at 132different colleges. Of these, 41% (107) were studyingfor HE qualifications.

Of those studying FE courses in FE colleges, 22%(33) students selected ‘Health/Social Care/PublicServices’ as their area of study, with 16% selecting‘Business/Administration/Management’.

For student parents studying for HE courses atuniversity, the most popular categories were‘Medicine’, ‘Dentistry’ or ‘subjects allied to Medicine’(19%; 359), ‘Social Studies, including Economics andPolitics’ (15%; 285), ‘Education’ (14%; 261) and‘Biological Sciences including Psychology’ (10%; 195).

Of the 107 students who were studying for an HEqualification in an FE college, around one in five (22)selected ‘Business and Administrative Studies’, 16%

Appendix B

75

(17) ‘Social Studies including Economics and Politics’,10 respondents (9%) selected ‘Medicine’, ‘Dentistry’ or‘subjects allied to Medicine’ and 8 (7%) selected‘Education’

42% of all respondents also confirmed that they haveto spend time abroad or do a compulsory workplacement as part of their course.

Motivations to learnRespondents were asked to select their top threereasons for entering further or higher education. Half ofrespondents were motivated to study in order to gainqualifications (52%), to get a more fulfilling job (53%)and/or to improve their earning potential (50%). 46%were motivated by an interest in the subject and 42%wanted to set a good example for their children. 15%wanted to retrain after time out of the job market raisingchildren

60% (1297) of respondents answered ‘yes’ to thequestion ‘have you ever thought about giving up yourcourse? When we asked what had made them stay, themajority selected ‘personal ambition’ (1036). Otherscited encouragement and support from friends andfamily (755), creating financial security for their childrenin the future (753), and needing to complete the courseto get a better job (746).

When and where students withchildren studyWe asked students when they did most of theirpersonal study; respondents were able to select asmany options as necessary. Students with children tendto study in the evening (67% between 7 pm and 10 pm)or during the night (59% after 10 pm). 39% (846) do notfeel able to use learning resources as much as theywould like; of these, 42% cite the lack of childcare forpersonal study time as one of the factors that limitstheir use of such resources, 38% say children are notallowed in the resources and around a quarter (218)cite inconvenient opening hours.

The majority (85%; 1833) of student parent respondentsmainly use a computer in their own home to study, withonly 9% using a university or college computer for most oftheir work. Of those who use their own computer, aroundtwo thirds do so because they do not have sufficientchildcare to work at university or college.

Benefits22% of survey respondents do not claim any benefitsat all; the benefit that most respondents claim arechild tax credits (1430). Around one in five also claimworking tax credit (449) and housing benefit (434).Only 6% of lone parents in our sample did not claimany benefits at all.

Work and debt38% of all respondents said that they do not work, anddo not intend to work during the holidays. 26% workduring term time only (566) and 4% work during theholidays only (90). 15% (334) work during both termtime and holidays.

44% of all respondents who work say they do so tocover their basic living costs (953); the second mostpopular reason for working is to pay for ‘extras’ forchildren such as toys, parties and school trips (734).28% say one of the reasons that they work is to avoidgetting into debt. Despite this, 53% (1157) of allrespondents said that they had taken on debt, otherthan the student loan, because their living expensesexceeds their income. 8% (178) do so in order toreach the minimum number of hours needed toacquire tax credits to help with childcare costs.

Just under a third of respondents (30%; 644) hadapplied to a discretionary fund such as the Access toLearning Fund, the Learner Support Fund or theHardship Fund, of whom just under a half are loneparents (48%; 309). Of all applicants, roughly equalnumbers said they felt grateful and/or embarrassed bythe application process (297 and 268). 156respondents said they found the process confusing,and a similar number described it as frustrating (189).

Childcare 76% (1647) of respondents do not receive any fundingfor childcare costs at all, and 12% receive fundingwhich covers lecture or class time only. 11% receivefunding which covers all of their costs; of these, overhalf are lone parents (130). Virtually all of those withfull funding are home students (97%). 89% (213) arehigher education students; only 17% of those studyinglevel one to three courses in FE colleges receive fullfunding (25 out of 151). 90% of those who receive fullfunding (215) are full-time students (compared with

76

Meet the Parents

72% of all respondents), and 81% study in England(5% more than the sample average).

92% of respondents studying part-time receive nochildcare funding at all (543 out of 593), and neither do74% of respondents studying in Scotland. 77% (1559)of all higher education students (including thosestudying in colleges) and 67% of FE respondents (101out of 151) receive no funding for childcare at all.

Informal Childcare Four out of five respondents rely on informal childcareto allow them to attend college or universitysometimes, frequently or always. Of those, 26% (445)pay family or friends to provide such care.

Only one in five never uses this kind of childcare inorder to go in to college or university.

Only 89 respondents (4%) said that their universityor college provides suitable childcare facilities for theirneeds, though only 15% of respondents said that theywould prefer their childcare to be based near theircollege or university. 44% (962) would prefer for theirchildcare to be located near their home, with over aquarter (27%) stating that this changes depending oncircumstances.

Student Life

Socialising and peer networksJust over half of all respondents mainly socialise withpeople outside of university and college (52%; 1135).Only one in 10 (212) say that they socialise mainly withfriends from university or college. Over a third of allrespondents say they do not feel they have the time tosocialise. 54% say they would like to be supported tomeet up with other student parents.

Over three quarters (77%; 1660) feel that it is difficultfor a student parent to become involved with universityor college life. This rises to 81% for lone parents.

0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200

Non-commercial spacesat university or college

Non-alcoholic spacesat university or college

A babysitting network

Childcare expensescovered

Child-friendlyattitudes

1078

850

557

301

178

Survey question:What would make it easier tobecome involved in university or college life?

0

500

1000

1500

2000

Vo

ted

in a

stu

de

nts

’un

ion

ele

ctio

n

Stan

d fo

r a

po

siti

on

inyo

ur s

tud

en

ts’ u

nio

n

Be

en

a c

our

sere

pre

sen

titi

ve

Be

en

a m

em

be

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f any

clu

bs

or

soci

eti

es

in y

our

stu

de

nts

’ un

ion

Be

en

on

a d

ep

artm

en

tal

or

clas

s tr

ip

Take

n p

art i

n a

ny o

the

rex

tra-

curr

icul

ar a

ctiv

ity

540

106

418311

588 561

1577

1944

16881778

1509 1541

Yes/I intend to

No

Survey question: Have you ever done any of thefollowing?

Appendix B

77

0 300 600 900 1200

Guilty - not spending enoughtime with my children

Guilty - not spendingenough time on studies

Tired

1260

1122

972

836

803

744

301

258

222

166

128

113

Stressed

Proud

A role model tomy children

Anxious

Successful

Isolated

Intelligent

Creative

Depressed

Survey question: How do you regularly feel as aresult of combining parenthood with studying?

Pregnancy and breastfeeding639 survey respondents (29%) said they had beenpregnant during their studies. When we asked them ifthey felt their university or college had been supportiveof them during this period, 41% said yes and 59% saidno. We asked all survey respondents whether therewere dedicated breastfeeding areas in their institutions;the vast majority (80%) did not know, 17% said therewere not, and less than 1% said there were (19respondents).

Overall Experience

The results displayed in the chart above wereconsistent across all categories within the sample. Theonly notable difference was that male parents wereless likely to feel guilty for not spending time with theirchildren as a result of being a student parent. Overall58% of respondents selected this answer, comparedwith 42% of male respondents. The most popularresponse to this question from male parents was'tired’, selected by 50% (129).

Answeroptions Yes To some

extent No Responsecount

Choice ofcollege/

university911 645 536 2092

Coursechoice

974 568 536 2078

Financialentitlements

399 744 943 2086

Childcare 304 673 1052 2029

Answered question 2119

Skipped question 48

Survey question: Looking back, do you feelyou were given all the information you neededto make an informed decision about becominga student parent in relation to:

Respondents from minority ethnic backgrounds were lesslikely to say that they felt they were given sufficientinformation to make an informed choice in relation tocourse and institution choice (35% and 37% respectively).

Three quarters of all student parent respondents feltthat on balance, participation in further or highereducation had been a positive experience for their family(75%; 1634). There was no significant variation in thisresult for BME or lone parent respondents.

We asked students what the one thing would be thatwould most improve their experience as a student parent.The majority of the answers focused on finances: 13%said higher benefits or student support; 11% cheaperchildcare or increased childcare funding; 8% funding forunregistered childcare; 7% guaranteed childcare funding;5% funding for travel; 4% an easy-to-use central source offunding information; and 4% better financial advice.Others focused on financial processes, with 7% pickingmonthly instalments of student loan, and 4% not having to change in an out of benefit and student supportsystems throughout the year. In terms of academicissues, 9% selected increased flexibility with assessmentdeadlines and 7% selected early provision of timetables.

78

Heading

List of project interviews(2007– 08)22 November Kate Goddard, Policy and Research Officer, Daycare Trust

18 January Kate Bell, Head of Policy and Research,Gingerbread

5 February Christian Marriott, Student FinancialSupport, Sheffield College

5 February John Muir, Advice Centre Manager,Hallam Union

6 February Deborah Laycock, Student Adviser, LeedsCollege of Technology

6 February Ann Sargent, Guidance Worker, LeedsUniversity Union

21 February Claire Callender, Professor of HigherEducation, Birkbeck University

29 February Paul Norman, Advice Centre Manager,Manchester Metropolitan Students’ Union

29 February Faye Sherington, Student SupportCoordinator, University of Salford

5 March Emma Wainwright, Lecturer in HumanGeography, and Elodie Marandet, Research Officer,Brunel University

5 March Rebecca Main, Student Advice CentreManager, Brunel Students’ Union (left)

6 March Tamsin Hinton-Smith, Research Fellow andAssociate Tutor, University of Sussex

29 May Alison Urquhart and Nicola Summers,Student Advisers, University of Strathclyde Students’Association

22 September Hilary Land, Emeritus Professor andSenior Research Fellow, School for Policy Studies,University of Bristol

13 October Connie Craig, Student Advice CentreManager (Financial Adviser), Queen’s UniversityBelfast Students’ Union

Focus groups (2008)7 May Norwich City College (In person)

28 May Leicester College (In person)

30 May Kilmarnock College (In person)

3 June – July South East Regional College (Online)

8 June –7 July University of Leeds (Online)

13 June Hackney Community College (In person)

20 June The College, Ystrad Mynach (In person)

4 July–15 August Heriot-Watt University (Online)

10 August –19 September Swansea MetropolitanUniversity (Online)

15 October London Southank University (In person)

Appendix C Appendix D

List of attendees at researchroundtable (8 December 2008)Jayne Aldridge, AMOSSHE and Thames ValleyUniversity

Robert Baughan, Unison

Kate Bell, Gingerbread

Suzanne Berry, The Nuffield Foundation

Sara Bosley, NIACE

Connie Craig, Queens University Belfast Students’ Union

Sarah Guise, Equality Challenge Unit

Paul Norman, Manchester Metropolitan Students’ Union

Chris Weavers, NASUWT

Additional critical readers:

Maxine Hill, Daycare Trust

Appendix E

80

Meet the Parents

National Union of Students

2nd Floor, Centro 319 Mandela StreetLondon NW1 0DUt. 0871 221 8221f. 0871 221 8222w. www.nus.org.uk

Produced by NUS 2009