As the GW4 Alliance of Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter universities, we have written to government minsters calling on them to extend the current undergraduate Childcare Grant to include postgraduate students, to help ensure that those with children are not disincentivised from studying for higher qualifications.
For many, completing postgraduate studies is an important step in progressing in their careers, reskilling or accessing the roles that require these qualifications.
However, there is currently a gap in childcare funding for postgraduate students. Those studying for Master’s and PhD degrees are ineligible for Childcare Grants, which are in place for full-time undergraduates. Many are also unable to claim the childcare benefits available for workers, including the 30 free hours, unless they are in substantial paid employment as well as their studies.
For many parents, combining postgraduate study, substantial outside work and childcare responsibilities is unrealistic. Most PhD programmes expect postgraduate students to study full-time, and some even prohibit students from undertaking any regular outside work.
We are concerned that this inequality of support, especially amid a cost-of-living crisis, disincentivises parents from pursuing postgraduate qualifications. This lack of provision also limits the equality and diversity of the higher education workforce.
Some of our postgraduate students have shared with us the impact funding childcare while studying has had on their family life, including feeling a huge pressure to finish their studies as soon as possible, the guilt of the financial burden placed on their family and reliance on wider family support. Some even said that knowing what they know now, they would not choose to have children at the same time as studying for a PhD, or regularly consider quitting.
We believe extending the scheme to include postgraduate students is a logical first step to ensure that those with children, and from the most socioeconomically deprived backgrounds, are not disincentivised from studying for higher qualifications.
We have welcomed other university alliances and industry stakeholders supporting our campaign, and we hope together we can work with Government and the childcare sector to support postgraduate students with children to access childcare funding schemes.