Fees and refunds

• Learners who are eligible for full funding from the DFE will not be charged a fee for any aspect of the course, including exams, resources or awarding organisation registration and fees - NALS will draw down 100% of the fee allocation as set by the DFE
• Learners who are eligible for co-funding as specified by the DFE will be funded at a rate of 50% with a maximum of the other 50% being paid by the learner or employer - at the discretion of NALS, some courses may be charged at less than 50% for the learner
• Learners who qualify for no funding will pay 100% of the fee as set by the DFE. In this instance NALS draws down no funding from the DFE
• Accredited courses that are funded as part of our Tailored Learning provision, for example, First Aid, will be charged a course fee of £6.75 per hour in line with charges for non-accredited courses
• Accredited courses are priced according to the funded rate specified for the qualification in the DFE funding rules
• From time to time the service will pilot a new qualification course funded as a Tailored Learning course - regardless of whether they meet the criteria to participate free of charge no tuition fees will be charged when a course is being piloted - learners who meet the criteria to receive the course free will not pay exam costs but all other learners will be required to pay the exam registration and associated costs if they wish to take the qualification at the end of the course

Unemployed learners will not be charged for courses leading to a qualification and for funding purposes we define a learner as unemployed if one or more of the following apply and evidence is provided on request:

• receive Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), including those receiving National Insurance credits only
• receive Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• receive Universal Credit

Learners in receipt of low wage

We will fully fund learners who are employed and cannot contribute towards the cost of co-funding fees, if we are satisfied the following applies:

• The learner has annual earnings below the threshold of £26,800 - this includes individuals with no earnings, such as those who are unemployed or economically inactive
• We have seen evidence of the learner’s gross annual wages that supports this - this could be a wage slip within 3 months of the learner’s learning start date, or a current employment contract which states gross monthly/annual wages

Tailored Learning - Targeted

Tailored Learning courses offered through our targeted provision are fully funded by the DFE. Courses offered for free include:

• Courses offered as Family Learning through schools and other partner organisations
• Courses offered in partnership with voluntary organisations

Where a course is free, this will be included in the information on the website.  

3.2 Tailored learning courses co funded by the DFE

1. The standard fee rate per hour is £6.75
2. The remitted rate is £2.36 per hour

Any learners not eligible for funding will pay the full cost amount.

3.3 Courses delivered online

• Online provision is fully funded or co funded at the same rates as face-to-face delivery and subject to the same Fees Policy

3.4 Eligibility for remitted fee rates on co funded Tailored Learning courses

If the non-accredited course is not part of the suite of Tailored Learning courses that are free of charge learners will pay 30% of the cost of the course if one or more of the following apply.

If the course does not lead to a qualification you will pay just 35% of the tuition fees if you:

• receive Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) including those receiving National Insurance credits only
• receive Employment Support Allowance (ESA)
• receive Universal Credit
• receive Income Support
• receive Working Tax Credit
• receive Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
• receive House Benefit
• receive Carer’s allowance
• receive Child Tax Credit
• receive Pension Credit
• are in employment and earning less than £26,800 gross salary

Learners in receipt of a benefit who qualify for a remitted fee or a free course must provide our business support team with suitable evidence to support their claim. Please email [email protected] attaching a copy or image of your receipt of benefit. Once suitable proof of benefit has been provided, ALS will not store copies of your evidence once your enrolment is confirmed.

Should learners fail to provide suitable evidence in advance of the course start they will be asked to pay a full fee for the place. Failure to do so will result in learners being asked to leave the course and may affect future enrolment on our courses.

Bespoke courses for employers, businesses and charities offered by NALS will be costed and charged on a case by case basis. Accreditation costs (exam fees) are not included. Refreshments and lunch can be arranged at an additional cost.

Learners on a qualification may be able to receive financial support for public transport costs, childcare and resources.

Learner applying for tailored learning courses may be able to receive support towards the cost of the course.

Please use the button below to apply for financial support.