Written evidence from the Association
of Colleges (BUS 62)
— The
Association of Colleges (AoC) represents and promotes the interests
of Further Education and Sixth Form Colleges and their students.
Colleges provide a rich mix of academic and vocational education.
As publicly funded, autonomous institutions established under
the Further and Higher Education Act 1992, they have the freedom
to innovate and respond flexibly to the needs of individuals,
business and communities.
— The
following key facts illustrate Colleges' contribution to education
and training in England:
— Every
year Colleges educate and train three million people.
— 831,000
of these students are aged 16 to 18 which compares to 423,000
in schools.
— 74,000
14 to 15 year olds are enrolled at a College.
— One-third
of A-level students study at a College.
— 44%
of those achieving a level 3 qualification by age 19 do so at
a College.
— 69%
of those receiving an Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) study
in a College.
— Colleges
are centres of excellence and quality. The average A-level or
equivalent point score for Sixth Form Colleges is 800.1, compared
with 761.6 for school sixth forms. 96% of Colleges inspected in
2008-09 were judged satisfactory or better by Ofsted for the quality
of their provision.
16-19 TRANSPORT
In December 2010 the Association of Colleges commissioned
a survey of its members detailing the accessibility of transport
for people aged 16-19 attending Colleges.
The survey found that:
— 94%
of Colleges believe that the abolition of the Education Maintenance
Allowance (EMA) will affect students' ability to travel to and
from College.
— Local
Authority support for 16-19 transport is extremely varied with
29% providing transport, 20% providing financial support, 18%
providing both and 27% providing neither.
— The
majority of Colleges provide some form of financial assistance
(78%) for transport with an average spend of £140,662, either
financial or provision of services.
This figure rises significantly for land-based[49]
Colleges with an average spend of £339,143.
— 72%
of students travel to College by bus:
"Local authorities have a statutory duty to
ensure that no young person in their area is prevented from attending
education post-16 because of a lack of transport, or support for
it."
Minister for Schools, Nick Gibb MP, Hansard 21 December
2010: Column 1367
The Education Act 1996 originally set out Local Authorities'
duty to provide transport for young people attending further education
institutions and has subsequently been added to and amended by
further legislation requiring Local Authorities to produce annual
transport policies, ensure that young people are consulted when
these policies are drawn up and also have the right to complain
if the Local Authority is not performing its duty.
Colleges in the survey were very concerned that where
some Local Authorities provided subsidised schemes, the subsidies
may be at risk or were still out of reach for some of the poorest
students. A College told us:
"Nottinghamshire County Council offer students
the option to purchase a Half Fare pass at a cost of £99
for the year which then entitles students to travel at half the
adult daily fare on the route between home and College—including
different bus companies. For some students there is a benefit
to be had from purchasing one of these passes as they can save
over the year on their daily fares, but for most students it's
raising the initial £99 that causes problems."
The level of subsidy varies across local authorities,
with some charging over £500 per annum for a student travel
pass.
The survey found that the average distance travelled
to College was nine miles, with some Colleges reporting that students
travel over 50 miles each way to College. In rural areas if young
people want to stay in education or training they usually have
to travel further.
We believe that students should have the choice of
which institution to attend based on the course that they wish
to take and the quality of the institution they wish to attend.
For some particularly specialised courses, a student may only
have a choice of a few institutions.
The travel to learn problems faced by young people
in rural areas was a key issue raised in our survey. For example,
a College told us:
"Cumbria County Council provide assistance for
under 19's providing they are attending their nearest provider.
Most students are issued with a bus pass to use on scheduled bus
services, however a few receive financial re-imbursement as there
is no bus service available."
Another told us:
"We are a rural college and transport is a major
factor. The population of the Forest of Dean is approximately
80,000 but it is widespread. Transport within the Forest is poor,
with some areas only having one service per day. There is a cost
to our College through non-participation due to transport."
The "formula grant" from Whitehall to Local
Authorities is set to be reduced by 9.9% in 2011-12 and by 7.3%
in 2012-13.
Local Authorities are expected to make use of their
core funding to meet their duties and it is clear in a context
of limited resources that difficult decisions are being made.
Students at City College Norwich say that the local
council will no longer provide a transport subsidy at all in light
of the strain on its budget and they are worried that this, combined
with abolishing the EMA will result in young people being unable
to afford to attend College at all.
Colleges are concerned that even where Local Authorities
are providing assistance, it will simply not be enough with the
abolition of EMA. This needs to be understood in the context not
just of constrained budgets in local authorities, but also of
fuel cost increases and the VAT rises that will inevitably push
up the cost of transport.
In particular the problem of transport in rural areas
needs to be addressed, not just in terms of cost, but availability.
There are problems with the inconsistency of assistance
across local authority boundaries, with some authorities not funding
students travelling out of boundary.
Restrictions within some Transport Policies do not
reflect the realities of a College day, with some stating that
only one journey may be made per day, some stating that journeys
must be completed by 9am.
As one College concluded:
"The Government needs to recognise that travel
costs are a key, and in some cases such as land based specialised
colleges the prime, barrier to access to a quality specialised
vocational education especially in rural counties. Learner Support
Funds need to be able to be used for 16-18 years olds for transport
costs and the guidance changed. This definitely needs to be done
if EMAS are being withdrawn or else the number of NEETs a key
government priority will just increase as learners will not be
able to access financial support for transport costs."
February 2011
49 Colleges which specialise in agriculture and horticulture
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