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Sharon Osborne and Simon Cowell Tell Gloucester Teenagers EMA has the X Factor!
TV stars Sharon Osborne and Simon Cowell having been paying a visit to Chosen Hill School, Churchdown to tell students they could be paid up to £30 for staying in learning after 16.
The X factor presenters were being impersonated by performers from a touring theatre group in a special production designed to tell Year 10 pupils about the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) – a scheme to help 16-19 year-olds financially so they can stay in learning.
The production, by the highly-acclaimed IMPACT theatre group, is being sponsored by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) South West and will be touring schools throughout the region over the next two months.
Rose Webster, Student Development Manager at Chosen Hill School, said, “We’re delighted that this IMPACT performance was so well received.
It provided a fun way of getting some very important information across to the pupils.”
Anyone whose household income is up to £30,810 a year could be entitled to EMA. It offers bonuses and weekly payments of up to £30 for good attendance and commitment.
Year 10 student Kate Yhnell was enthusiastic about IMPACT and EMA.
She said, “The performance was really funny and I got a lot of information about EMA from it.
“I think it will encourage people to stay on if they think they might get paid.”
Gareth Evans, 16, added, “I only knew about EMA through my cousin so it was good to see the performance. It could be something I’d think about applying for so it’s nice to know the facts.”
Launched in 2004, Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) was introduced to help remove the financial barriers to staying on post-16. Historically half of those who dropped out at 16 did so for financial reasons. The last academic year (05/06) saw the highest proportion of 16 year olds in learning since 1994, with 89.1 per cent participating in some form of learning.
But as well as improving participation, new research from the LSC shows that the initiative has also brought unexpected benefits to the Further Education sector, resulting in more motivated and committed learners.
In the research more than eight in 10 (82 per cent) of teachers reported that EMA successfully motivates young people who stay on in learning post-16 [1].
And because young people have to demonstrate commitment to their learning programme before receiving weekly payments, over half (61 per cent) of teachers agree that EMA treats teenagers like adults which in turn (for 84 per cent of these teachers) has helped to prepare young people for the world of work.
