Education maintenance allowance: the first year: a quantitative evaluation

Abstract

One of the main aims of the Government's Connexions Strategy is to provide financial support for young people who might otherwise be unable to remain in fulltime education post-16; that is, after the end of compulsory schooling. EMA is a means-tested allowance available to 16 to 19 year olds. It aims to encourage participation, retention and achievement among young people, particularly those from low-income families.
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\nThis evaluation focuses on the four models of EMA that were introduced into the original 15 pilot LEAs in September 1999. The pilots have subsequently been extended to a further 41 LEA areas.
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\nAs well as evaluating the impact of EMA on participation, retention and achievement, the evaluation must also make recommendations on the level at which EMA should be set; the effectiveness of bonuses for retention and achievement; and to whom EMA should be paid (parent or young person). The evaluation will also address a range of subsidiary issues relating to the effect of EMA on young people's lives.
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\nThe evaluation has four main elements, which combine both qualitative and quantitative research methods. This report focuses on the impact of EMA on those most directly affected, young people and their parents. It describes quantitative findings from the first wave of interviews with the first cohort of young people potentially eligible for EMA; those who completed compulsory education in summer 1999.