You may be eligible for a Government childcare grant if you are a full-time student with children undre the age of 15 (or under 17 if they have special educational needs). The grant does not have to be paid back, and is paid on top of any other student finance payments you receive.

You may also be eligible for Parents' Learning Allowance if you're a full-time student with children. How much you are entitled to depends on your household income. The allowance does not need to be paid back, is paid on top of any other student finance payments, and will not affect any benefits or tax credit you receive.

If you would like support identifying funding you are eligible for, please contact the SU Advice Centre.

Here are some resources to support you studying at home with children:

• The Library's toolkit of productivity tools
• OurWarwick blogs by student parents Jules Sparkles and Maura Murray-Reeves
• "How to Study with Children Around: 17 Stories from Moms and Dads"
• "Studying with Kids Underfoot"
• "7 Tips for Studying at Home with Kids"
• "Tips for Working or Studying from Home - with Kids in the House"

If you are taking on some home-schooling responsibilities, or would simply like to engage with your children using educational activities, you might like to explore:

• The BBC's curriculum-based programming
• The Washington Post's "ultimate parents' guide to summer activity resources"
• Primary Science Teaching's "Starters for Science"
• TechRadar's round-up of "the best free homeschooling resources 2021"

The University runs a nursery for students and staff members whose children are between 3 months and 5 years. There may be quite a long waiting list for places, as the nursery is a very popular service.

International students may be able to access the International Students Childcare Fees Remission Scheme in order to help pay for nursery fees, while Home students might be able to access one of the University's Hardship Funds.

The University runs a Holiday Scheme for ages 5-14 during the February, Easter, and Summer holidays. Sessions run 8am-6pm at the Warwick campus, with a huge range of activities offered to children taking part.

Multiple discounts are available, including an "Early University Discount", "Sibling Discount", and "Five Session Discount". If you're booking before 4th March for the Easter Holiday Scheme, you'll be eligible for the Early University Discount. The Holiday Scheme accepts childcare vouchers.

Information and bookings can be found here.

If you're breastfeeding and need a room to express milk, there are several available to use at Warwick:

• University House (contact University House reception to book)

• The Nursery

• Gibbet Hill (Family and Reflection room)

• Social Sciences (book here)

• The Library (baby changing facilities on the ground floor, due a refurbishment in 2018)

The University's pregnancy and maternity guidelines haven't been updated since 2014, but you can find the current policy here. 

If you're an RCUK funded student, this briefing might be of use to you. All RCUK funded students are entitled to one full year (52 weeks) of maternity leave which includes 26 weeks of maternity leave on full stipend, followed by 13 weeks of pay at a level commensurate with employee entitlements of statutory maternity pay, and a final 13 weeks of unpaid leave. Adoption leave is granted on the same basis. Two weeks of paid paternity leave is provided. There are lots of other options for taking leave, so check with your funding provider.

If you're a student with caring responsibilities, Student Support can provide you with support during your time at Warwick, as can Warwick SU's Advice Centre. 

The NUS published a report on the experiences of students with caring responsibilities, in 2013. You can read the full report here.

Your Personal Tutor should be a point of support and signposting for you. If you find you need to take a period of Temporary Withdrawal, or submit Mitigating Circumstances for an assignment, your Personal Tutor, the Advice Centre, and Student Support can all help.