Guidance for completion of Education Maintenance Allowance forms, 2009-10
General
Under the EMA programme, colleges must submit two kinds of forms to the SFC:
- monthly aggregate returns (the October, January, March and July returns differ slightly from the other monthly returns); and
- biannual returns (January and July) containing individualised information on the students participating in the programme.
Each form serves two purposes, acting:
- as a data return, giving information on the operation of the programme; and
- as a claim form for payments relating to college activity under the programme.
These forms allow reconciliation checks to be carried out and will be used to monitor the EMA budget.
Data security issues
The EMA online package sits on a secure area of our website. Only those with the correct college ID and password can enter the site. You will be issued with a username and password and have the option to change this (on the top right hand corner of the welcome screen). We would urge you to change your password immediately and share it only with essential members of staff.
Individual student details will not be held on the website so you should save this return in a suitable area on your own network or to disc.
Payment process
The payment process is dependent on the successful completion and receipt of these monthly returns. Payment will not be made unless signed claim forms and electronic data returns have been received by the date stated on each form.
For additional information, see:
Circular SFC/25/2009: Education maintenance allowance 2009-10
Circular SFC/20/2009: College sector student support and fee waiver grant policies: 2009-10
Payments will only be made within the published timetable.
Queries
Queries about data returns should be made to Hazel Macdonald, Tel: 0131 313 6601, email: hmacdonald@sfc.ac.uk.
Queries about claims should be made to Jane Scott, Tel: 0131 313 6660; email: jscott@sfc.ac.uk.
Format of the forms
There are standard, aggregate forms for the August, September, November, December, February, April, May and June payment periods. The aggregate forms for the October, January, March and July payment periods differ slightly, and individual student details must accompany the January and July aggregate returns.
To view the forms you should log onto the website. Then you can either:
- click on the link on the welcome page to view the form for the current month; or
- choose to view the submission schedule (above the direct link to current month's submission or see the menu on the left hand side) and click anywhere on the relevant month.
By clicking on a month that is not open for submission, you can either view data already submitted, or look at the forms for future months. You can only submit data when the status for the month is 'open'.
Status
Shown to the right of the submission schedule is the 'status'.
For the relevant month, this will be one of:
- pending - for months where data cannot yet be submitted;
- open - this is the only time data may be submitted; or
- closed - the data have been submitted already.
For the relevant month's submission, the status will be one of:
- none - when none of the steps necessary to submit files electronically have been completed;
- partial - when one or more of the steps necessary to submit files electronically has been completed; or
- complete - when all steps necessary to submit files electronically have been completed.
Please note that even if the submission status is 'complete' this does not mean that you are unable to re-submit figures. In addition, this only refers to the electronic submission (you will still need to post a hard copy).
Data fields
To assist with the completion of the forms, some of the fields are either filled in for you (the payment period and submission deadline) or are auto calculated (total payments). The fields that you must complete are marked with an asterisk (*).
We will not accept any forms with data missing from the compulsory fields. This could in turn mean that the amended form is not received prior to the submission deadline and will result in your college not being paid on time for that month.
Submission deadline
Once you have opened the form for submission, the payment period and submission deadline are shown at the upper left hand side. Please note that you will not be permitted to submit any data after midnight on the final day of the submission deadline. If the form is not received on time, your college will not receive payment until the following month.
Data required - Standard aggregate returns
The fields in the standard forms are named below and should be completed as follows.
* Number of payments made at each level within payment period (as above)
You should enter the total number of EMA payments actually made to all students within the payment period, at each level. Each individual student will usually receive several payments within a payment period.
For example, within a payment period of four weeks, you may have:
- 20 students who are paid £10 per week;
- 15 students who are paid £20 per week; and
- 50 students who are paid £30 per week.
Assuming all candidates have met the attendance criteria for all four weeks, your table entry would be:
|
* Number of payments made at each level within payment period (as above) |
Level of EMA weekly allowance | ||
|
£10 |
£20 |
£30 | |
|
80 |
60 |
200 | |
Where there are five weeks within the payment period, adjust accordingly.
Total paid in pounds
This field is automatically generated and shows the total amount of money colleges have spent on EMA payments to students, based on the number of payments made at each level. Therefore, for the above example, the total amount paid would be:
(£10*80)+(£20*60)+(£30*200)= £8,000.
Please use the space below to provide any supplementary information
You should use this area to indicate anything that may affect your claim. For example:
- if you have a large number of students who are off ill;
- if there are retrospective payments covering periods of authorised absence;
- if students have moved to/from your college; or
- if students have moved between weekly allowance levels.
Data required - October aggregate return
In order for the Scottish Executive to estimate the likely number of bonus payments that will be required, a headcount is requested in October. Therefore, the data required in October is the same as for the standard aggregate returns plus one additional field.
* Headcount of all students in EMA programme since start of this academic year
This is the headcount of all students enrolled at your college who are on the EMA programme.
Data required - January aggregate return
The data for the January aggregate return is the same as the data requested for the standard forms plus the additional fields explained below. (An individualised return must also be submitted for January.)
Total bonus 1 payments made (in pounds)
You should enter the total cost of bonus 1 payments paid out by the college in the current academic year. This is not the cumulative bonus 1 payments since the college began on the EMA programme.
Total payments claimed for administration (in pounds)
This is the total £15 administration claim made per accepted EMA student to date within the relevant academic year. As with the bonus payments, this is not a cumulative total since your college started on the EMA programme.
Data required - March aggregate return
The Treasury uses the March aggregate return for budget monitoring purposes. Therefore this is a profile of your college's spend within the financial year. The fields are the same as in the standard aggregate return and include a 'financial year end statement'.
Total number of weekly payments made at each level from 30 March 2009 to 26 March 2010
This is an automated field based on the information you have already provided in previous aggregate returns. The field will add up the total number of £10, £20 and £30 payments made from April to March (including the data provided in the March form).
Total weekly payments made in pounds from 30 March 2009 to 26 March 2010
This is also an automatically generated field which adds up the total weekly payments provided in previous months, including the data you will have just provided for March.
* Total bonus payments in pounds from 30 March 2009 to 26 March 2010
For this field you must insert the total amount you have paid out in bonuses for the financial year (this will straddle two academic years).
Fixed administration costs and set up costs (for 2009-10)
This field is completed for you. If for any reason your college did not receive the amount shown, use the free text space to highlight this.
* Total administration costs claimed from 30 March 2009 to 26 March 2010
You must insert the total £15 administration cost claimed per student within the financial year. Again, this will straddle two academic years. Students starting after the January return has been made should not be included here (as you will not have submitted a claim for them as yet).
Please use the space below to provide any supplementary information
As there are numerous automatically generated fields in this return, there is a higher chance of anomalies occurring. Please make use of this free text area if this is the case.
Individualised returns (January and July)
In order for us and the Scottish Government to assess the profile of students receiving an EMA, you must provide details of each student on the programme at your college. We only request these data at the times of bonus payments (and only require details of students within the relevant academic year).
Students receive EMA bonus payments twice a year (in January and July). Separate individualised returns should be sent after each bonus payment month to the same timetable as the aggregate monthly returns.
The individualised returns must be accompanied by a signed, monthly aggregate return.
We have been able to minimise the fields collected here, as they will eventually be merged with the colleges' Further Education Statistics (FES) return. However, this means that it is important to take care to complete the fields as accurately as possible. This will avoid us coming back to you for clarification on individual student details.
The Excel templates
Before you can make an individualised return, you must:
- select 'Excel templates' from the menu on the left hand side of the EMA online screen;
- choose either bonus1.xls (for the January return) or bonus2.xls (for the July return);
- save the template to an appropriate area on your network; and
- copy and save your college's data onto the form before you try to submit electronically.
Data required
The data we require are as follows and for the purpose of these guidance notes, a superscript (1) indicates that the data field is required in both biannual returns.
Student matriculation number 1
The student's unique college matriculation number. Please note this is not the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) number.
Surname 1
The candidate's surname
Initial 1 1
The candidate's first initial.
Initial 2 1
Candidate's second initial (if applicable)
Gender (M/F) 1
The gender of the candidate. Please enter 'M' for males and 'F' for females, do not use numerical substitutes.
Date of Birth (dd/mm/yyyy) 1
The candidate's full date of birth (in dd/mm/yyyy format).
Home postcode 1
Postcode of student's permanent home location.
Level of final EMA payment (£30, £20, £10) 1
This is the weekly allowance the applicant is entitled to. You should enter the payment level received at the time of data return.
For example, in the event of a student's level of payment increasing from £20 to £30, you should record £30 as the level of final payment.
N.B. For the monthly returns, you should record the relevant amount paid within the payment period. So when the allowance was £20, you would record £20, and then record the student under £30 when the allowance changed. You should also make us aware of this by noting the change in the free text area of the aggregate returns.
Bonus 1 paid (1=yes, 0=no)
If the student received the first bonus payment (in January), record "1", otherwise record "0".
Details of candidates who start their course in January should be provided but these students will not have received the first bonus payment so a '0' would be in this field.
Total EMA paid, exc bonus payment (£)
The total amount of maintenance money paid to the candidate, excluding any bonus payments they may have received. The £15 administration fee paid to colleges should also be excluded from this total.
Total number of weekly payments made per student
The number of weekly payments made (not pounds paid) to the student (cumulative of the number of weekly payments received). Again, this should exclude any bonus or administration payments.
Bonus 2 paid (1=yes, 0=no)
If the student received the second bonus payment (in July), record "1", otherwise record "0".
All students who have received an EMA in the course of the academic year (1 August-31 July) should be included in the July return. Regardless of whether or not they received a bonus payment, you must provide details of candidates who were included in the January biannual return.
Student started after 22 January 2010 (1=yes, 0=no)
Those students who enrolled or became eligible for an EMA after the January return was submitted should be recorded in this return to ensure the £15 administration cost is paid to your college.
Returning the forms
The payment period is clearly stated on the form. Please note that you will not be permitted to submit any data after midnight on the submission deadline date. If you fail to submit the forms on time, your payment for that month will be delayed until the following month.
Electronically submit an aggregate form
To submit an aggregate form electronically, you should:
1. click on the 'perform step' button of '1: Submit figures'. You will then be prompted to enter the relevant data (see above for guidance).
2. Once you have filled in you data, click the 'Submit figures' button.
3. Your data has now been sent to the If you later discover you have made a mistake, repeat the above process but choose the 'Re-submit figures' button. EMA online will only save details of the most recent submission.
You may resubmit as many times as you like but you must ensure that the final figures you submit match those on the printed copy which you post to the SFC.
Electronically submit an individualised form
To submit your dataset holding information about individual students:
1. first you must submit the corresponding aggregate return.
2. Select the ''Send dataset' button.
3. Click on 'Browse' and select the Excel file containing your individual student data (see The Excel templates, page 7).
4. Select 'Upload file'.
If you later discover you have made a mistake, repeat the above process but choose the 'Re-Send dataset' button. EMA online will only save details of the most recent submission.
You may resubmit as many times as you like but please ensure your aggregate return matches the data provided on your individualised return. Remember to re print the print declaration and ensure that the final figures you submit match those on the printed copy you post to us.
By post (aggregate forms only)
Once you are satisfied that the figures submitted electronically are correct for the relevant payment period, you should select the 'Print form' button. You can only print off the aggregate forms. Do not send individual student details through the post.
Signed hard copies of the forms should be returned to Anne White, Funding, Scottish Funding Council, Donaldson House, 97 Haymarket Terrace, Edinburgh, EH12 5HD (details are also shown on screen) by the same final submission date as the electronic returns.
Although you can view past data submitted, please remember to print off a copy of the form for your own records.
Authorised signatory declaration
Each form must be printed off, signed and returned to the SFC (see above or on screen for details). The person signing the form must be one of the authorised signatories as notified to SFC.
Principal's declaration
Because the March return is a declaration of the college's spend within the financial year, it must be agreed and signed by your principal (or the person acting on his/her behalf during periods of absence).
Timing
Each monthly return and claim should relate to period shown on each form. To guarantee timeous payment to your college, you must ensure both an electronic and hard copy of the form has been returned to the SFC (as above) no later than the date shown at the foot of each form.
We will carry out data checks within 10 working days of receiving the claim form. The SFC will make EMA payments to colleges at the same time as other regular payments.
You must submit both payment returns no later than the dates shown at the foot of each form.
Failure to return timeously will result in delayed payment to your college.