(This note is not part of the Regulations)

The Regulations amend the St Mary’s Music School (Aided Places) (Scotland) Regulations 2001 to uprate, with effect from 1st August 2003, the qualifying income levels for the remission of fees and charges and the making of grants under the aided places scheme, and to add receipt of the Child Tax Credit as one of the qualifying benefits for remission of charges for meals for day pupils.

The details of the amendments are as follows:–

(a)

the deduction from relevant income for dependent children and relatives has been increased from £1,463 to £1,500 (regulation 2(a));

(b)

the level of income at or below which fees are to be wholly remitted is increased from £9,772 to £9,997 for boarders and from £12,310 to £12,593 for day pupils, with corresponding increases in the extent of fee remission where the relevant income exceeds these sums (regulation 2(b) and (c));

(c)
the circumstances in which receipt of the Child Tax Credit is a qualifying benefit for remission of charges for meals for day pupils is that the parent must not be in receipt of the Working Tax Credit and that the award of Child Tax Credit must be based on an annual income not exceeding the amount determined for the purposes of section 7(1)(a) of the Tax Credits Act 20025, currently £13,230 (regulation 2(d));
(d)

the qualifying income levels for clothing grants and school travel grants are increased (regulation 2(e) and (f)); and

(e)

school clothing grants are increased by either £2 or £1, depending on the income level (regulation 2(e)).