Maintenance grant delays could force low-income students to drop out

The schools secretary has said he is frustrated by delays to the payout of education maintenance allowances - or EMAs - to students.

Just weeks after the chaos over Sats marking, the new EMA online applications system and the telephone helpline have broken down.

As a result, one in three students eligible for an education maintenance allowance are being told they might have to wait a month before they get any money.

The money - up to £30 a week, available to those from low-income backgrounds - is used to encourage teenagers to stay in school after the age of 16.

Now there are concerns that if the money doesn't come through soon, pupils will be forced to drop out.

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