Charging & Remissions Policy

he charging and remissions policy is subject to annual review to ensure compliance with statutory requirements.

CHARGING POLICY

Activities without charge

There will be no charge for the following activities:

• Education provided wholly or mostly during school hours. This includes the supply of any materials, books, instruments, other equipment and also transport provided in school hours to carry pupils between the school and an activity;

• Education provided outside school hours if it is part of the national curriculum, or part of a syllabus for a prescribed public examination which the pupil is being prepared for at the school, or part of religious education;

• Instrumental and vocal music tuition for pupils learning individually or in groups, unless the tuition is provided at the request of the pupil's parent / carer.

• Entry for a prescribed public examination including re-sits if the pupil has been prepared for it at the school;

• Examination re-sit(s) if the pupil is being prepared for the re-sit at the school.

Voluntary Contributions

The school may ask for voluntary contributions towards the cost of school-time activities to assist with funding, subject to the following conditions:

• Any children of parents who do not wish to contribute will not be treated any differently;

• Where there are insufficient contributions to make the activity viable, or the school cannot fund it from some other source, then the activity will be cancelled.

All requests to parents for voluntary contributions will make it clear that the contributions are voluntary and that there is no obligation to contribute.

Chargeable Activities

The school may recover the full costs of the following activities but charges will not exceed actual cost:

• Any materials, books, instruments, or equipment, where the child’s parent wishes him/her to own them;

• Optional extras (see below);

• Music and vocal tuition, in limited circumstances. (See Appendix B);

• Certain early years provision (see the Education (Charges for early years provision) regulations 2012);

• Community facilities. (See s27 education act 2002).

Optional Extras

Charges may be made for some activities which are detailed below:

• Education provided outside of school time that is not:

• part of the national curriculum;
• part of a syllabus for a prescribed public examination that the pupil is being prepared for at the school;
• part of religious education.

• Examination entry fee(s) if the registered pupil has not been prepared for the examination(s) at the school;

• Transport (other than transport that is required to take the pupil to school or to other premises where the local authority/governing body have arranged for the pupil to be provided with education);

• Board and lodging for a pupil on a residential visit (subject to remission arrangements)

• Extended day services offered to pupils (for example breakfast club, after-school clubs, tea and supervised homework sessions where this is run under the responsibility of the governing body).

(Note: schools may wish to attach a schedule of current charges as an appendix to the policy)

In calculating the cost of optional extras an amount may be included in relation to:

• Any materials, books, instruments, or equipment provided in connection with the optional extra;

• The cost of buildings and accommodation;

• Non-teaching staff;

• Teaching staff engaged under contracts for services purely to provide an optional extra, this includes supply teachers engaged specifically to provide the optional extra; and

• The cost, or an appropriate proportion of the costs, for teaching staff employed to provide tuition in playing a musical instrument, or vocal tuition, where the tuition is an optional extra.

Any charge made in respect of individual pupils will not exceed the actual cost of providing the optional extra activity, divided equally by the number of pupils participating.

REMISSIONS POLICY

There will be no board and lodgings charges for pupils whose parents/carers are receiving specified benefits. This is subject to change but usually equates to pupils being eligible for free school meals.

Charges for other 'chargeable activities' may be fully or partially remitted. Where appropriate Governors approve the use of the delegated budget and other funding streams such as Pupil Premium to allow 'chargeable activities' to be fully or partly remitted.

Details of remission arrangements will be stipulated when parents are advised of charges for individual activities.