Any lawyers about? #2 (with apologies to Jay)

Don't wanna hijack Jay's thread but

Is the following a point of law, unlawful, an act of discrimination or some other legal term and

more importantly what (like Jay) recousre do I have

You may remember me posting on here that I was going to return to full-time education. I successfully enrolled wit h the Open University (OU) to do a full-time (BSc) degree in Mathematics. At the same time I applied for a tuition fee loan and a maintenance grant from Student Finance England (SFE). I have been informed that my course is classed as a part-time course, even though to study the same course at a more 'traditional' university - lets say for example The DeeDar University, would be deemed full-time. As the course is claimed by SFE to be only part-time no maintenace grant is payable. I accept that most OU courses are indeed part-time just as some courses at DeeDar university are part-time and hence no maintenance grant is payable.

Paradoxically my course is a full-time one and as such by signing up to a full-time course excludes me from claiming JSA or other benefits.

What recourse do I have - do I

a) let rip with both barrells at the SFE?
b) get my MP involved
c) contact the Govt dept responsible (Business Skills & Innovation)
d) email the Gov't minister direct
e) raise an e-petition

f) all of the above (clue - done all of a-e but not yet gone public with the petition)

g) chalk **** on it
h) falsely claim benefit anyway
i) get a sympathetic legal type on the case who will take the Gov't to court (or at least threaten it) - if so where do I find one?

 

What do the Open University say

 

The OU are very subservient (if that's the right word) -all they seem to be interested in is their tuition fee

 

Not sure, just sounds like it's one of those that fall through the middle.

Not that it helps but, when I was 20 and on the dole I was doing a part time course at (the then) Barnsley Tech, in computer studies. It was 1 full day a week until 9pm and an evening, so down on their syllabus as a day-release course which is how most were doing it from their employer. The DHSS would pay for this and it was within the hours I could do and still receive benefit.
Toward the end of the first year (2 year course) myself and another lad on the course got temporary jobs (which ended up lasting 3 and half years before I moved on) at Barnsley Council, basically as a result of being on the course as the council IT department had approached them asking if they knew of anyone that might be interested.
Come the 2nd year of the course I (and the other lad) couldn't get public funding because I was employed but the Council wouldn't pay for it because I was only temporary staff (these days it would actually be classed zero hours contract I guess, I could range from 8 hours one week to the highest I did which was 80! - that was another one when me and another lad who'd done similar put our time sheets in and the guy signing off to be paid was querying it and saying to his manager "can we authorise this?" to which his manager said "If that's what they worked then you better had", whilst we were stood there!) Went between the 2 for ages trying to get someone to agree to it and ended up having to pay for it myself - well, my parents paid for it, paying monthly.