Charges and Remissions
1. Introduction
The Governing Body recognises the valuable contribution that a wide range of additional activities can make towards pupils’ education. These activities may include educational visits, clubs and residential experiences.
The Governing Body aims to promote participation in these activities and to provide them as part of a broad and balanced curriculum for the pupils of the school, and also as additional optional experiences.
2. Charges
The Governing Body reserves the right to make a charge in the following circumstances for such activities organised by the school.
- Educational visits during school hours
The board and lodging element of approved residential activities deemed to take place in school hours.
- Educational visits outside of school hours
The full cost for each pupil of all approved activities deemed to be optional extras taking place outside of school hours.
- Individual Instrumental Tuition
The cost for each pupil of providing any instrumental tuition which is not part of normal LA peripatetic provision.
- Charging in Kind
The cost of materials, ingredients, equipment for Technology, Science, Art or Craft lessons.
The Governing Body reserves the right to charge for these items, or to require them to be provided by parents, if the parents have indicated in advance that they wish to own any finished products.
The Governing Body reserves the right to charge for any child care offered to children before and after school, or during school holidays, with the level of fees and any remissions to be set and reviewed regularly by the Governing Body.
The Governing Body may seek to recover some or all of the costs incurred due to wilful damage or breakage of school property. This will be determined by the Headteacher.
The Governing Body may seek to recover some or all of the costs incurred due to wilful damage of property belonging to a third party, where the school has been charged. This will be determined by the Headteacher.
3. General
The Governing Body will decide on an annual basis, whether the charge will be made individually for each visit, or whether a single charge is made for that year for all non-residential visits during that year.
From time to time the Governing Body may amend the categories of activity for which a charge may be made. Nothing in this policy precluded the Governing Body from inviting parents to make a Voluntary Contribution towards the cost of additional activities, which take place in school time.
Parents may be advised that the continuance of an activity may depend upon voluntary contributions, but once it has been decided to run such an activity, no qualifying child will be excluded upon the grounds of voluntary contributions. This does not prevent the child being excluded for other reasons, if the need arises.
If an activity cannot go ahead due to lack of voluntary contributions it will be explained to parents that the activity has to be cancelled due to insufficient funds. In these circumstances all monies received will be returned to parents.
4. Remissions
The Governing Body will not make any charges for pupils entitled to free school meals or for when the school receives the Pupil Premium.
The Governing Body may, at its discretion agree to remit in full, or in part the cost of other activities for particular parents, or groups of parents. One example being the case of family hardship. When a chargeable activity is arranged, parents will be invited to apply, in confidence, for the remission of charges, in full, or in part. Authorisation for such remission will be made by the Headteacher, in consultation with the Chair of Governors.
The Governing Body will not make any charges for pupils entitled to free school meals.
5. Subsidy
Where an educational visit is deemed to be essential to pupils’ education, the Governors may agree to subsidise the cost of a visit for all parents. Authorisation for any subsidy will be made by the Headteacher, who shall report such decisions to the next meeting of the Finance and Staffing Committee, or any subsequent Committee to whom such powers are delegated by the Governing Body.
6. Review
This policy will be reviewed by the Finance and Staffing Committee, or any subsequent similar Committee, on an annual basis. This review shall take place during the Autumn Term. Any changes will be implemented from 1st September following Governing Body approval.
February 2018