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When Gloria Nsiah arrived in the UK at 19, having grown up in Ghana and Italy, she had a catering qualification but very little English, which made it difficult to get a job. Two years on, she has completed a course in English for speakers of other languages and is working towards a level 2 (GCSE equivalent) qualification in health and social care at Croydon College in south London. Her long-term aim is to become a paediatrician. "I'll be in my late-20s by the time I qualify, but I don't mind because working with kids has always been my passion," she says.
Stevie-Anne Howard is also getting a second chance at education. She dropped out of school at 14, unable to read and write, after being bullied by other students due to being a Traveller. Now 17, she has completed basic qualifications in English and maths, is working towards a level 2 hairdressing qualification and hopes one day to own her own salon. "At school, the other kids would call me 'gippo' or 'pikey' … I used to always be in fights because I didn't like it," she recalls. "I've learned to sit down and control my anger."
Their educational journeys may be unconventional, but they are not unusual, says Di Layzelle, head of student life and pastoral care at Croydon College, which is located in one of the most deprived parts of the borough. Around 70% of students here are non-white British (compared with 20% nationally). And not only does Croydon have one of the highest rates of youth unemployment in London, it is also a train stop away from Gatwick airport and home to the UK Border Agency headquarters, which means young people "quite literally walk out of the Home Office and into the college wanting to learn with us," says Layzelle.
Layzelle recalls the story of a young Afghan man who arrived in the UK after a "horrendous journey", with nothing but a telephone number for a distant uncle. Another, from Iraq, saw family members being murdered. It's not just asylum seekers and refugees who are vulnerable. A large number of students are living in hostels or temporary accommodation, and others are staying with different friends for short periods of time. The college has recently opened a free breakfast club for all students. "It might be the only meal they get all day," says Layzelle.
But while staff at the college are proud of their ability to meet the needs of a diverse community, cuts to funding could make it much more difficult for them to continue to do so. From September, money for students in England who are already 18 will be cut by 17.5%. As reported last week, concern is growing that the cuts will hit the most vulnerable students hardest.
Croydon College, which has an unusually high number of 18-year-olds, says it will be hard hit, losing around £511,000 from its £26m annual budget.
Steve Reed, MP for Croydon North, spoke out on behalf of the college at a debate on the proposed cuts in London last week and says Croydon is the "hardest hit" college. He puts the high number of 18-year-old students here down to Croydon being "a poor area with high levels of immigration". While the college draws students from across south London, many come from nearby "down-at-heel" Thornton Heath, Selhurst and South Norwood, where "the only businesses that are booming are betting shops and fried-chicken shops". Croydon was one of the worst-hit areas in the 2011 London riots. The images of the Reeves furniture store being burned to the ground – which were broadcast across the world – "kind of crystallised the sense of Croydon as an area in decline", Reed says.
According to figures published by the education department (DfE) last month, Croydon has more students at underperforming schools than any other London borough. It also has one of the biggest shortages of school places and fastest growth in pupil numbers in the country.
The minister for skills, Matthew Hancock, has justified the cuts on the basis that, by the age of 18, most young people have already had two years of post-16 learning. But in very deprived areas, young people are far more likely to have dropped out or had other interruptions to their education, says Reed.
"Where you get high levels of deprivation, you tend to get young people who didn't manage to achieve basic qualifications in English and maths by the time they leave school, which means it takes them that bit longer to get on the right path," says Reed. "Where you get high levels of immigration, you also tend to get high levels of aspiration, but external factors – like lack of English language skills – can often mean a learner's journey takes slightly longer."
Frances Wadsworth, principal and chief executive of Croydon College, says the proposed cuts are based on a misunderstanding of how things work "on the ground" in colleges. "It's as if [ministers] think students get to a certain level and then you say, 'Well, actually, you don't need any more input because you've reached a certain age' … and then you put on a course for 18-year-olds that has fewer hours. Well, it doesn't work like that. Students come in at different levels and ages, according to their ability. Perhaps school didn't work out, or they were told to do A-levels – because it was all the school could offer – and then realised that wasn't for them. You can't separate them [students] out."
And because further education students are taught by stage, not age, if principals are forced to increase class sizes or cut courses in order to balance the books, this will affect 16- and 17-year-olds just as much as 18-year-olds.
Like many in the sector, Wadsworth is frustrated that the cuts were announced without any consultation. While the impact assessment, published last month, highlighted that students from ethnic minorities and 18-year-olds who are taking vocational courses in colleges are most likely to be affected, there is no sign yet of a government climbdown. But if last week's London debate is anything to go by, there is huge cross-party support for a rethink on the issue.
The mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has written to Hancock to point out that the recent rise in the education participation age – now 17 and due to rise to 18 in 2015 – makes the new cuts all the worse. Johnson also warns that trying to make short-term savings could lead to a rise in the numbers of young people not in education or employment – which could prove more expensive in the long-run.
In the meantime, Wadsworth is hoping the government will provide transitional funding so that the cuts do not affect students already enrolled on two-year courses. "So, was it malice aforethought or uninformed, unintended consequences?" she asks. "I'm not sure, but I do think it hasn't been thought through, and I'm hoping that there will be a rethink. I understand that there has to be some reduction, but it might have been more appropriate if the cuts were borne equally across the board."
A DfE spokesperson said the changes would affect less than a fifth of students and that those with learning difficulties or disabilities would not be affected. "Those students without a grade C in English and maths will continue to attract disadvantage funding at the full rate. The secretary of state has made clear he would look at the suggestion of providing interim support where students who have started courses this year will be affected."
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