Depending on your household income, you may be eligible for financial support such as EMA, FCF and Free School Meals.
Educational Maintenance Allowance (EMA)
What is EMA?
Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) is a weekly payment of £40 to help 16-18 year olds with the costs of further education. Payments are made every 2 weeks as long as you meet your school or college’s attendance, performance and behaviour requirements.
To find out more about EMA, Click here for The Little Book of EMA
Application Form
To apply for EMA you will need to complete this application form.
Click here for the application form
Application Guidance
Please use this guidance document when completing your application.
Click here for the guidance notes
EMA Payment Dates
FCF - Financial Contingency Fund
FCF is a Welsh Government Fund to be used to financially support students during their time at St Davids Catholic College.
It is means tested on household income of up to £29,999
If you are in receipt of EMA you are automatically eligible, although you still need to apply
The fund is a discretionary award that enables the College to assist you with a contribution towards:
- Travel
- Disability costs
- Essential course equipment
- Essential educational visits
- Subsidised meals from college catering outlets
- Examination fees
- Childcare costs
- Accommodation or living costs for students living independently
If you are having financial problems and your circumstances change which could affect your attendance at college, FCF can offer further support.
Please contact a member of the team for further advice studentservices@stdavidscollege.ac.uk
Before applying, please read the guidance notes below:
Free School Meals
Students will get free school meals if their family receives:
- Income Support
- Income Related Employment Support Allowance
- Income-Based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Guarantee Element of State Pension Credit
- Child Tax Credit with an income less than £16,190
- Universal Credit if the net household earnings are less than £7400
All documentation relating to the application for a grant, bursaries or financial assistance to individual applicants, is published in Welsh and English. Applicants can be submitted in Welsh and are treated no less favourably than applications submitted in English.
If it is necessary to interview individual applicants for grants or financial assistance, interviews are available in Welsh or applicants who applied in Welsh, using simultaneous interpretation if required. If an application for a grant or financial assistance is submitted in Welsh, we inform the applicant of the outcome of our decision in Welsh.
When making a decision in relation to the award of a grant or financial assistance e consider the effects such an award or assistance would have on the opportunities for the applicants and others to use the Welsh language and ensure that our decision would neither reduce opportunities for persons to use the language nor cause adverse effects. The decision may be taken or implemented (for example, by imposing conditions) so that it would have positive effects, or increased positive effects, on opportunities for applicants to use the Welsh language.