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The Court of Appeal rejected an appeal by the Department for Social Security this week that would have left some part-time students with no entitlement to student grants, loans or income support. It ruled that Anthony Webber, 24, a former environmental biology student at Oxford Brookes University, should have been entitled to benefits as a part-time student even though he had previously been classified as full-time.

The Government had argued that he should continue to be excluded from benefits even though his status had changed. Part-time students will still have to satisfy rules restricting them to 16 hours of study a week and be actively seeking work when claiming benefits.