Grants called for

National minimum grants for further education students to meet the costs of fees, travel and childcare have been called for in a government-commissioned report. The "entitlements" should apply to all 16 to 19-year-olds in schools and colleges and to low-income students over 19. They should be paid for by a ring-fenced government grant. The report, by a working group headed by Graham Lane, education chair of the Local Government Association, also urges the government to consider extending loans through individual learning accounts to students joining higher level FE courses.