PLA and Childcare grant

I have been really looking forward to starting Uni in 2 weeks time. I have. 17month old baby and was told before I Applied to uni that I would be eligible for childcare grant as my husband doesn't earn much and I haven't worked since before I was pregnant. We have a mortgage and bills to pay for which ment without childcare help I couldn't go to Uni.

I was getting nervous as not heard back from childcare grant people and parent learning allowance so I called student finance who just announce over the phone that I would not receive a penny for PLA or CCG ! Apparently we earn over 13.500 threshold !!

I am devistated as I now have to withdraw my University place. Funnily enough as a student I won't be able to afford £660.00 per month for childcare.

My last 6 months of plans and dreams gone in the space of a phone call. They didn't even have the balls to write to me and tell me.

Hello I am not sure on your personal situation but this is mine
I dont work or claim any benefits.
My wife works £17000 pa.
we claim working tax. child tax & child benefit. We have 2 children 6/8
I asked tuition loan, Maintenance grant and maintenance loan. Parental loan. And child care grant.
I wont get tuition loan, Maintenance grant this year as I have done 2 years part time so have to fund my 1st year of 3 at uni.
I have had comfirmed on my account I will receive the maintenance loan £5555 ( you are entitled to it as long as uni comfirm enrolment )& Parental loan £1196
I too have not heard about childcare grant but if I dont get it from them. I/you can get a childcare grant from working tax although working tax pay upto 85%.
I would double check with a different call agent or just keep checking your account online.

That's given me some more hope thank you. I have just spoken to the student union advice centre who have been much more positive and I'm going to see them tomorrow.
Fingers crossed the student finance department just got it wrong.

p.s if you have not heard from childcare grant people then call student finance as they don't seem to write a response to you.

Well, I called them after I wrote my last response to this thread and they said it was all approved, no problem. Still had no letter to say so though.
Today I called AGAIN to ask what was going on and the advisor told me that there were two conflicting notes on my account, one said approved, one said not, and said they had to go with the one that said not approved. So no PLA and no CCG.

I'm livid that I have not been informed of this sooner, I have now got to use my entire student loan to pay for my childcare and top it up from my husbands wages, which we cant afford, so now what? Even the advisor couldn't tell me what the criteria for eligibility is, not even when he phoned the other departments to ask! I also asked him why I wasn't sent a letter, he said he did ask that dept the same question and they said apparently we should just realise from the SFE award letter that id the PLA and CCG isn't included then you aren't getting it...yep, we should all be psychics!

There is NO information anywhere to say what the threshold is for applying and NO entitlement letter is sent to tell you its not happening. Totally shoddy operation if you ask me....

Sorry for the rant, I'm cross and I probably wont be going to college.