Dear all

It's also been heartening to receive off-list e-mails from 
colleagues who feel similarly on this issue.

We were told clearly (at the NASMA conference, amongst 
other places) that HEIs would be expected to remain within 
budget on the HLs this year.  In order to achieve this, we 
decided that a student had to have a shortfall of over 
£1,000 to qualify for an HL - this is our "defined policy". 
We only chose this figure to try and manage what we were 
led to believe would be finite pot of money, otherwise we 
would have given to any student with any shortfall.  This 
was responsible management as we over-spent by 60% in 00/01.

Now, on the ground, we have students in hardship who we 
have not given an HL.  However, were these students 
studying in an institution which has set a more liberal 
definition of hardship (and/or ignored the initial DfES 
guidance), they would have gotten it.  This is plainly 
ludicrous and divisive and runs counter to any concept of 
equality of opportunity. It has also caused more than a 
small degree of distress for students who had been given 
HLs for 2 years and now haven't and also stress for my team 
in trying to explain why this is.

Now maybe the new guidance in SSU Jan 02 is coded DfES 
language for "we know this is silly too, but Margaret and 
Estelle seem committed to it, so do as you will and we 
won't stop you."  If it is this, then I would like to know. 
If it is not, I would encourage NASMA and AMOSSHE to 
campaign vigorously for a straight and professional line 
that we can all adhere to without a mid-year change and 
certain HEIs declaring independence while others struggle 
to balance the books as originally requested.

I am now struggling to consider whether we should review 
our "defined policy" and reassess all the students we have 
rejected up to now.  Is anyone else going to do this?


Neil...



On Thu, 7 Feb 2002 10:09:38 +0000 Jayne Aldridge 
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> I dont think the DFFEs have said HEi's can
>  'give Hardship loans away as they please'
> as Neil benieves. The pronblem lies in the fact that
> there is a discretionary pot of money sat within the
> student support regs , which menas that once a person
> fulfills that particular HEi's criteria IN ADDITION to
> the criteria laid out in the student support regs then
> a HSL cannot be refused .
> Jayne
> 
> On Wed, 6 Feb 2002 17:44:49 +0000 Neil Harrison
> <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> 
> > Dear all
> >
> > Very interested to read all these comments about the
> > administration of hardship funds in different 
> institutions. > What is clear is that many places have 
> either (a) not read > the DfES guidance (including HEFCE 
> 01/15), or (b) have > chosen to ignore it as it is 
> unworkable and contradictory. > We fall into the latter 
> category, especially when the rules > are changed mid year.
> > > I was absolutely appalled to read the latest information
> > from DfES about Hardship Loans (HLs).  At the start of the
> > year, we installed a means-testing process which occupied 
> a > large amount of staff time and caused some degree of
> > internal pain.  The reason for this was that we were 
> told > that we could not exceed our budget as we had in 
> previous > years (160% in 00/01).  What then are we to 
> think when the > DfES decides, without consultation, in 
> January 2002, to say > that actually we can give them away 
> as we please.  Where > now the joined-up government?
> > > I will be feeding this formally back to DfES and I have
> > taken heart from colleagues' liberal attitude to the > 
> guidance with which we are provided! >
> > > Neil...
> > > ----------------------------------------
> > Neil Harrison > Head of Student Advice & Welfare Services
> > University of the West of England > Frenchay Campus, 
> Coldharbour Lane > Bristol, BS16 1QY
> > E-mail: [log in to unmask] > Tel : (0117) 344 2822
> > Fax : (0117) 344 2895
> 
> Jayne Aldridge
> Team Leader, Student Advice
> Student Services
> Thames Valley University
> North East Building
> St Mary's road
> Ealing, London  W5 5RF
> U.K.
> 
> Tel:    + 44 (0)20 8231 2508
> Fax:    + 44 (0)20 8231 2587
> Email:  [log in to unmask]

----------------------------------------
Neil Harrison
Head of Student Advice & Welfare Services
University of the West of England
Frenchay Campus, Coldharbour Lane
Bristol, BS16 1QY
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
Tel : (0117) 344 2822
Fax : (0117) 344 2895