Education Maintenance Allowances 2010-11

Summary of Key Findings

• 34,780 school pupils and college students received EMA payments in Scotland in the academic year 2010-11. 61% of these were school pupils and 39% were college students. 48% of these were male and 52% were female (table 1).
• 32% (21,120) of all school pupils aged 16-19 years old in Scotland received an EMA payment in 2010-11 (table 3).
• The number of young people in receipt of EMA decreased by 7% (2,450) from 37,230 in 2009-10 to 34,780 in 2010-11 (table 1). This decrease is a lasting effect of the closure of the £10 and £20 a week payments to new entrants in 2009-10 (table 4).
• 25% (8,580) of EMA recipients whose deprivation classification was known in 2010-11 lived in one of Scotland's 15 per cent most deprived areas (table 3).
• The total spend on EMAs in 2010-11 was £27.2 million. This has decreased from £33.2 million the previous year, although this is due to the ending of bonus payments prior to the beginning of this year's scheme. £6.4 million was paid out in bonuses in 2009-10. The weekly payment figure for 2010-11 was £27.2 million compared with £26.8 million in 2009-10 (table 4).
• £17.8 million (66%) was paid out under the EMA scheme to school pupils in 2010-11. The remaining £9.4 million (34%) was paid out to young people attending college (table 5).