Course fees and discounts

Most of our adult education courses and leisure classes are for adults over the age of 19 on 31 August 2023 who have a postcode from a non-devolved area in England. The courses are either fully or part-funded by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) Adult Education Budget

When you enrol on a class we’ll check to see if you’re eligible for funding and any of the following fee remissions:

Community and leisure fees

Full fee (no concession)

Our community and leisure class fees are £5 per hour.

Some classes also have additional materials costs to pay.

Standard concessions - Gold Card 10%

10% fee discount will be given to Derbyshire Gold Card holders 

Other concessions

If you can provide evidence of the following, you may be eligible for full fee remission, meaning your course fees will be covered by ESFA funding:

Those in receipt of:

• Job Seekers Allowance (JSA)
• Universal Credit (UC), and your take-home pay as recorded on your UC statement (disregarding UC payments and other benefits) is less than £617 a month (learner is sole adult in their benefit claim) or £988 a month (learner has a joint benefit claim with their partner)
• Employment Support Allowance (ESA)
• Plus, learners in receipt of income-based benefits and their take-home pay as recorded on their UC statement (disregarding UC payments and other benefits) is less than £617 a month (learner is sole adult in their benefit claim) or £988 a month (learner has a joint benefit claim with their partner).
• If you’re employed or self-employed and your gross annual income is less than £20,319.

Fully funded courses

We have a range of fully funded classes (no fees) aimed at supporting learners to engage in activities that promote health and wellbeing, develop resilience and build confidence. These classes are designed to support learners to progress onto further learning or community-based activities.

Qualification fees

Full fee (no concession)

If you are employed and earn more than £20,319 gross salary per year, the government will fund 50% of the standard course fees for you. 

There will be an extra fee to cover courses that include an exam or require a registration. To check if this applies to your course ask one of our staff or have a look at the course information on our website.

Other concessions

If you can provide evidence of the following, you may be eligible for full fee remission, meaning your course and exam fees may be covered by ESFA funding:

Those in receipt of:

• Job Seekers Allowance (JSA)
• Universal Credit (UC), and your take-home pay as recorded on your UC statement (disregarding UC payments and other benefits) is less than £617 a month (learner is sole adult in their benefit claim) or 988 a month (learner has a joint benefit claim with their partner)
• Employment Support Allowance (ESA)
• Plus, learners in receipt of income-based benefits and their take-home pay as recorded on their UC statement (disregarding UC payments and other benefits) is less than £617 a month (learner is sole adult in their benefit claim) or £988 a month (learner has a joint benefit claim with their partner).
• Learners in receipt of low wage – earns less than £20,319 annual gross salary

Sign Language offer

British Sign Language courses at level 1 will be fully funded for:

• learners who are deaf or hearing impaired
• the spouse or civil partner of a deaf or hearing impaired person
• the parent or carer of a deaf or hearing impaired person or child

Maths, English and digital skills

Our maths and English courses up to level 2 are fully funded to anyone who doesn’t already have these qualifications at GCSE (grades A*-C or 4-9) or an equivalent.

Our essential digital skills courses are fully funded for anyone who needs to build their confidence and skills at entry level and level 1.

Other fully funded courses

All our community taster courses are fully funded.

All our skills for employment courses are fully funded.

We offer several qualification courses that are fully funded if it’s your first full level 2 or level 3 qualification.

Help with fees

If you are experiencing genuine financial difficulties, you may be able to apply for help with some of your course costs. Talk to our enquiries team on 01332 956565 or speak to one of our centre staff about our Hardship Support Fund. Information can be found in the download Hardship Support Policy 2023-24

Payment options

You will need to pay for your course and exam fees when you enrol.

For some of our longer courses, we offer the option to spread the cost and pay by instalments.

For level 3 and 4 qualifications you may be eligible to apply for a 19+ Advanced Learner Loan to pay for your course fees. More information about this can be found on the government website GOV.UK - Advanced Learner Loan.

Devolved areas

We no longer receive funding from the government for learners living in devolved areas. To find out if you live in a devolved area, please check the government website GOV.UK - Adult education budget (AEB) devolution.