£20m pay day for school pupils

UP to 200,000 sixth-formers will be handed £100 this week as a reward for turning up to lessons after the Christmas holidays. They will qualify for the payments under a controversial Government scheme aimed at encouraging youngsters to stay on at school.

Critics said the bonuses - costing £20m - were excessive and a misuse of taxpayers' cash, with Ministers accused of 'bribing' children.

Youngsters will get the money paid directly into their bank accounts to spend on anything they like. They will be able to claim four further £100 bonus payments at intervals throughout their two-year courses for turning up to class.

Since September, 16-year-olds have qualified for weekly Education Maintenance Allowance payments based on their household's income if they agree to continue in education.

Those whose family income is £30,000 a year or less qualify for at least £10 a week. This rises to £20 when the income is below £24,030. Where income is £19,630 or less, children are eligible for £30 a week.

In return, they must sign agreements with their school or college setting out minimum attendance and homework requirements. Those failing to stick to the deal will have their payments stopped.

The £100 bonuses are extra sums payable for 'high attendance and commitment' at five stages throughout their courses, with the first due this month. Overall, adding together weekly payments and bonuses, youngsters can qualify for up to £2,800 over two years.

Some 40% of England's 666,000 first-year sixth-formers - the only school year eligible so far - currently claim Emas, a total of 270,000. Officials at the Department for Education and Skills estimate that 75% - about 200,000 - will have demonstrated enough 'commitment' to receive their first bonus.

Ministers are convinced the scheme will aid pupils from poor families who are tempted to drop out of school to find jobs because their parents cannot support them.

Skills minister Ivan Lewis said the January bonus would have a 'big impact' in keeping students on their courses after Christmas. He added: 'We have one of the worst post-16 drop-out rates in the world and are determined to reverse this.'

But the payment scheme has been dogged by controversy since its introduction with critics dismissing it as a costly gimmick that amounts to little more than bribery.

The annual cost to the taxpayer is expected to top £500m. The vast majority of youngsters would have stayed on in education or training without the extra payments, it is estimated. Even supporters of the weekly payments said the Christmas bonuses were unjustifiable.

Phil Willis, Liberal Democrat education spokesman, said: 'There are significantly more important things to do with £20m than give young people a Christmas bonus.

'The Ema is a good idea to support students staying on in the sixth-form or at college. But to give these bonuses for literally turning up seems to be taking the idea to an unacceptable extreme.'

Nick Seaton, chairman of the think-tank the Campaign for Real Education, said: 'This money would be better allocated directly to schools to spend as they see fit rather than giving it direct to youngsters who can spend it on anything including computer games and CDs.

'This is tackling the problem from the wrong end. The Government should be improving provision at primary and secondary level so children want to stay on, not bribing them to accept it.'

One head teacher in Scotland, where a similar scheme is up and running, has warned that pupils are spending the Ema money on nights out with friends - while continuing with part-time work.