Funding cut warning for 18 year olds

The Association of Colleges has slammed plans to cut funding for 18 year olds by 17.5% as a government review finds it could disproportionally affect black and ethnic minority students.

An impact assessment published today by the Department for Education on the proposed 2014/2015 cuts also highlighted the impact it would have on London, which has the highest proportion of full-time 18 year old students nationally compared with its total 16 to 18 year old student population.

AoC chief executive Martin Doel said the findings echoed its own report in December, and he welcomed Education Secretary Michael Gove’s pledge to consider options to mitigate the impact.

“On behalf of colleges, which are now choosing which courses to run and whether they need to make changes to staff numbers for September, I’d appeal to Mr Gove to make his decisions speedily,” he said.

The funding cuts were first outlined in a letter on 10 December, and the issue was raised in Parliament last week when a number of MPs voiced their concerns over the proposals.

Natalie Thornhill