LSF Access and Childcare Fund Application Form

About the Learner Support Fund

The Learner Support Fund is a limited funding budget available to learners who may have difficulty completing their course because they cannot afford all the costs involved.

It is offered to learners who have a household income of less than £30,000 per year.

Funding will be allocated on a first come first served basis and is dependent on funds being available.

The fund can help with the cost of:

• CALAT course tuition fees
• exam fees
• childcare while you attend a CALAT course

The amount of funding offered and the eligibility criteria may vary during the academic year or term in which your course is running and you may not receive all the funding you ask for.

Who can apply?

You can apply for Learner Support Funding if:

• you have a confirmed place on a CALAT course
• your household income is less than £30,000 per year
• you are aged 20 or over on the day your course starts, if you are applying for help with childcare costs

You are not eligible to apply for funding if you are paying the V Overseas fee for your CALAT course.

If you still have queries about your eligibility then please speak to a member of the CALAT Centre Office staff by phoning 020 8726 7777 or email: calatfinance@croydon.gov.uk.

What you will need to apply

We can only assess your application if all details and documentation have been submitted.
You will need to submit the following (if applicable) for yourself and your partner:

• P60’s/wage slips for the last 3 months
• benefit letters
• bank statements
• pension letters
• tax self-assessment forms if self-employed
• a contract letter if you are an au pair
• childcare provider details, and fee paying policy if you are applying for help with childcare costs (childcare provider must have an OFSTED registration certificate. This will be checked by CALAT finance)
• details of your CALAT course

Please enter your weekly course and childcare hours below

• CALAT will only fund childcare while you are attending your CALAT course

• We will not pay for school holidays, half term holidays, Bank holidays or childcare providers holidays

• Childcare funds will not be granted if your children qualifies for government childcare funding (2 year old and 3-4 year old funding)

• If you are applying for top up funding because your Early Years funding does not cover the CALAT course hours, this must be clearly stated and evidenced

Terms and Conditions

YOU MUST SUBMIT A NEW APPLICATION FOR FUNDING EVERY TERM IF YOUR COURSE REFERENCE CHANGES. If you are awarded funding for one CALAT course, you are not automatically entitled to support for additional courses – you must submit a new application for funding whenever you enrol on a new course and your course reference changes.

• Each application is dependent on funds being available, therefore you may not receive all the funding you have asked for.

• Applications will be assessed on a first come, first serve basis.

• If you receive State Means tested Benefits – you must inform the Department of Work & Pensions (DWP) that you are receiving Learner Support funds to support your learning.

• If you are an Au Pair you must provide an invitation letter or contract from your host family detailing your pay as evidence of low income. Please note: Full contact details of the host family will be required and should be stated on the letter or contract.

• If your application is successful, the LSF will currently fund 90% of your course tuition fees – you will need to pay 10% of the fees when you enrol.

• The LSF may support other course related fees, e.g. course materials and essential books.

• Childcare Funding must be applied for at the beginning of each term, before your course starts.

• Childcare funding can only be paid for the actual hours that you attend your CALAT course. Fees cannot be paid outside these times. CALAT will not pay childcare fees for Bank Holidays, school holidays, half term or childminders’ holidays.

• Childcare funding will not be granted if the children/learner qualifies for government childcare funding (2 year old and 3-4 year old funding) that cover the hours of your course.

• Childcare funding will not be granted if the learner can receive funding from alternative sources.

• Child care payments can only paid directly to a child care provider that is registered with Ofsted

• Childcare fee payments cannot be paid to parents or relatives of your child/children.

• Childcare funding will not pay for external nursery deposit/registration charges and/or uniforms or any other additional costs.

• The fund will pay an average of £8.00 per hour for childcare in relation to the course hours attended.

• Learners who have already received approval for Learner Support Funding for a course that runs for more than a year, and started in a previous academic year, will automatically be approved for DLS Funding in the new academic year until their course ends. You will not need to reapply unless you enrol on a new course. However, you need to inform calatfinance@croydon.gov.uk of any changes in financial circumstances during your period of study.

• If you experience difficulty in studying and are thinking of leaving your course, please speak to your CALAT tutor or curriculum team manager as soon as possible as they will try to help you.

• If you are awarded funding from the Learner Support Fund and leave before you finish your course or you fail to attend regularly, you may be asked repay all of the funding you received to support your learning. Repayments may be waived if you provide evidence that you left your course for medical reasons.

• If childcare funding is approved and you later leave your course, childcare payments will stop from the date you leave course and any childcare payments due to a childcare provider after that date will be your responsibility.

• I understand that my application does not mean that I will automatically get help from the Fund, even if I am eligible.

• I understand that following an assessment of my application, it may be rejected if I do not meet the criteria or if there is insufficient funds for support or lack of income evidence or documents provided.

• If my application is rejected I will be required to pay the full cost of my CALAT course and childcare.

• I have read and understood the Terms and Conditions on the CALAT website for the Learner Support Fund.

• If I receive State Means tested Benefits, I will inform the Department of Work & Pensions (DWP) that I am receiving Learner Support funds.

• The details I have provided on this form are true and I will inform the CALAT Finance team if my financial circumstances change or if I stop attending my course for any reason.

•The Learner Support fund is part of the allocation CALAT receive from the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) and the Greater London Authority (GLA) Adult Education Budget to support learners on accredited courses.

• Your application form and financial documents will be stored electronically to substantiate our claim to the ESFA and the GLA and will be retained for 7 years in accordance with Croydon Council’s financial retention policy.

• All information provided is confidential and all paper copies of forms and evidence will be destroyed once processed.

• The ESFA and CALAT Privacy Notices can be found on the CALAT website here.