The Parent Trap

Welcome and thanks for visiting the campaign website

Since August 2008, a number of student parents have been turned away from college courses in Scotland because of a lack of funding to cover their childcare costs. In Scotland, childcare funding for student parents comes from discretionary funds. In the rest of the UK, this funding is a legal entitlement and is available as a matter of right.

The Scottish Funding Council has recently made some additional funds available for students on FE courses, but this still falls well below the level of demand. Furthermore, no additional funds have been made available for student parents on HE courses.

NUS Scotland believes that Scotland’s discretionary funding of childcare support creates unequal access to education for people with children. We are calling on the Scottish government to meet the demand on childcare funding for this year as a matter of urgency. We also ask them to ensure that student parents studying in Scotland are not put at an unfair disadvantage in the future by making funding for childcare a right, not a privilege.

If you'd like to know more about the issue, we've put together an information page about the campaign.

1. Sign the Petition

I believe that parents have the right to equal access to education and that Scotland’s discretionary funding of childcare support creates unequal access to education for people with children.

I call on the Scottish Government to:

Provide additional funding for the Further Education and Higher Education Childcare Fund to meet current demand
Match the rest of the UK and make childcare support a right and not a privilege

Students are being refused the right of education because of insufficient childcare funding and they are therefore being disadvantaged simply for having children. I believe that parents have an equal right to education as any other in Scotland and any policy that prevents equal access does not reflect Scotland’s proud history of lifelong learning.

I support the campaign.

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Your email will not be published, and is collected only to confirm your address and to keep you informed about this campaign.

2. Email your MSPs

3. Email the Minister

4. Tell Your Friends