Student parents - what happens during the holidays?

[ProfessorPickles]

Hello, I am in my first year at university and I have just received my final student loans of the year, normally this amount of money would be spent over 3 months but I have 5 months til my next loan in September.
Do student parents get any additional help over the holidays?
I was told you can sign on over the holidays as a parent?

No. We don't. Child benefit has ceased. You might like to try and get a summer job. Talk to your parents because loans are only for your months at university, not when you are at home. However sometimes there are costs over the summer, such as housing rent, so you need to talk to your parents about your finances. We support our DDs in the summer financially. Are you going home for the summer?

Have I misunderstood? Are you a parent?

Thank you for your response but yes you have misunderstand I'm afraid!
I am a single parent to a one year old, I have 3 months worth of money to last me 5 months.
I was told by someone that I would have to go every week to sign on or something?
I can't find anything about it online!

Do you get tax credits? I did but it was a while ago.

Yes I do but not as much now I'm a student in comparison to when I was working

You'll need to sign on or try and find a summer job.

It's not easy, I got lucky and my work placement has agreed to employ me over the summer but alot of places were not keen to take someone on for such a short time.

Had you not thought about this before now?

No it never crossed my mind until recently, I had just assumed my loans would cover the summer.
A summer job may be a possibility if I can find somewhere with a little bit of flexibility!

I'm in the same situation, I've managed to line up a summer job but i'm having to keep the hours down so it doesn't affect tax credits -catch 22 unfortunately

I'm pretty sure that I got a payment from uni too, can't remember what it was called, but applied through student welfare (I think). Sorry I'm so vague, it was 11 years ago. I do know that I managed and without a summer job. It's not easy is it? It will all be worth it though.

It might be worth talking to someone at uni & asking if you're applicable did a hardship fund ? Sometimes they do one off payments

Have you applied for the Parents Lesrning Allowance? This gives extra money to parents and is mentioned on the Government 's website on student finance. See the Student Services office at your university who may have details.

I got income support, full housing benefit and child tax credits as a single student parent during the holidays as you're not expected to be available for work if you have a child under 5. No need to sign on. Also got a hardship fund through the university but this is discretionary. Parents learning allowance and dependents grant are paid through the student loan system so they cover the academic year not specifically the summer vacation.

Unless it has changed I thought that loans etc were calculated to include the vacation. Obviously most students work regardless, my DCs do. PP have been on mumsnet asking why their DCs loan for the final year is less than they are expecting - the reason given is that it doesn't include the summer vacation as they will have graduated by then.

No, student loans aren't considered to be income over the summer vacation, at least for the categories of students who are entitled to benefits (these are students who aren't expected to be able to work due to child caring responsibilities or disabilities).

e.g. "Housing Benefit; students who are eligible to receive HB (lone parents and students with disabilities/long term health conditions) are normally in receipt of student funding which counts as income for all periods EXCEPT “any benefit weeks that fall entirely in the quarter during which the longest vacation is taken. For the majority of students, this will be July and August. For this reason, loans will generally be taken into account from September to June” (HB/CTB Manual, Part C2, para 2.236)"

brunelstudents.com/advice/money/benefits/

Apologies for incorrect information, I didn't realise that it was different for student parents.