Students and teachers in Bradford have been making their feelings known on the Government’s proposal to scrap the Education Maintenance Allowance.

The means-tested scheme provides 16 to 19-year-olds with weekly payments of between £10 and £30 for staying on in education but it will be closed to new applicants next month.

A 20-minute silent protest was held during break time at Beckfoot School, Bingley, against the cuts and the Government’s decision last week to raise university tuition fees to up to £9,000. Seven of the school’s sixth-form students attended a march in London last Thursday.

A peaceful demonstration was also held at Bradford College where about half of all its 16 to 18-year-old students – 2,500 – benefit from the payments.

The protests coincided with a day of national action endorsed by NUS, UCU, Unison, NUT, Unite, GMB, ATL and NASUWT unions.

The silence at Beckfoot signified the feeling among students that they are not being listened to by the Government. Hundreds of students and teachers occupied the school yard at 10.50am.

Unions were supporting the action at Bradford College, whose principal and chief executive Michele Sutton was sympathetic to the feelings of those taking part. The College is backing an Association of Colleges’ campaign to lobby MPs to reverse the decision to withdraw the EMA.

Mrs Sutton said: “The EMA has supported many young people who may have previously dropped out of education. The vast majority of them are doing well at college and have every intention to seek employment or continue in further or higher education when they have completed their course.

“With youth unemployment figures already high I am worried about their future. Providing support to vulnerable and disadvantaged young people surely is the right thing to do.”

Craven College principal Alan Blackwell and six other principals at colleges in North Yorkshire have also signed a letter protesting at the scrapping of the EMA.

l Two people arrested in Bradford on Saturday during a protest outside Topshop in Darley Street have been released from police custody.

The first person, a man who was arrested on suspicion of a public order offence, was released with a fixed penalty fine and the other protester, a woman whom police officers had accused of assaulting them, was released without charge, said a West Yorkshire Police spokesman.

The protest was about big businesses avoiding tax and Sir Philip Green, owner of Topshop’s parent company Arcadia Group, being asked for advice on civil service efficiency cuts by the Government.

Fellow protesters held a vigil outside Lawcroft House Police Station to show their support for the duo held inside.