EAST Lancashire sixth-formers who come from deprived backgrounds are to be paid £100 weekly so they can afford to study during the summer holidays.

A new bursary scheme means that students planning to go to university or training colleges this autumn will be able to forego their holiday job and attend a Blackburn College summer school instead.

Co-ordinator June Watson said the free, five-week intensive course was aimed at widening participation by poorer pupils in higher education.

Increasingly, they have been the ones to drop out after grants disappeared and housing costs rose.

As well as studying, students will learn all about university life and how to apply for benefits.

Mrs Watson said: "We will be teaching pupils from low-income families the skills they needed to help them survive at college or university.

"I've spoken to many teachers who have said that summer schools are an excellent idea but that most of their pupils have to work over the holiday if they don't want to get into debt before they go to college.

"Although it is free, attending for five weeks means a loss of income for them.

"This new scheme shows we have listened to them, thought about it and come up with a solution."

The summer college at Blackburn will run in conjunction with one at Lancaster University.

Lancashire County Council will provide the bursaries of £500 to each pupil who attends.

To be eligible, the applicant must be a sixth-form student planning to go to college or university this year and must reside in Lancashire.

Qualifications include the family wage-earner being on benefit or the pupil receiving an education maintenance grant. Mrs Watson said: "It's a pilot scheme but at least 20 places will be on offer at Blackburn College."

Cheryl Smith, post-16 student support officer with Lancashire County Council, added: "The council is keen to support initiatives which encourage pupils to continue to college or university.

"More pupils than ever are applying to colleges within the county and this is a way of finding out about these places and developing the confidence to tackle a degree in October.

"We hope the £500 bursary will be an incentive for them to take advantage of this excellent opportunity."

Students can apply to the Summer College Co-ordinator, Department of Continuing Education, Lonsdale College, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YN.

Organisers of the scheme will be available at a higher education open evening at Blackburn College tomorrow, starting at 6pm.