The Governing Board recognises the valuable contribution that the wide range of additional activities, including clubs and visits, can make towards a pupils education.  The Governing Board aims to promote and provide such activities as part of a broad and balanced curriculum for the pupils of the school and as additional optional activities.

The relevant statutory provisions are contained in Chapter III of Pt VI of the Education Act 1996. This requires the Governing Board to determine and keep under review a Charging and Remissions Policy.  Parents have a right to ask for this information and a summary must be included in the school prospectus.  The school must also comply with the Buckinghamshire Council Scheme for Financing Schools, Finance Section F7 Charges for Educational Activities.

There are two types of financial contributions for which parents can be asked in relation to educational activities:

• Voluntary contributions
• Permitted charges

They have different limitations as set out below.

Voluntary Contributions:

Nothing in legislation prevents a school Governing Board or Local Authority from asking for voluntary contributions for the benefit of the school or any school activities. However, if the activity cannot be funded without voluntary contributions, the Governing Board or head teacher should make this clear to parents at the outset. The Governing Board or head teacher must also make it clear to parents that there is no obligation to make any contribution.

It is important to note that no child should be excluded from an activity simply because his or her parents are unwilling or unable to pay. If insufficient voluntary contributions are raised to fund a visit, then it is likely to be cancelled.  Schools must make sure that they make this clear to parents. If a parent is unwilling or unable to pay, their child must still be given an equal chance to go on the visit.  Schools should make it clear to parents at the outset what their policy for allocating places on school visits will be.

When making requests for voluntary contributions to the school funds, parents must not be made to feel pressurised into paying as it is voluntary and not compulsory.  Schools should avoid sending colour coded letters to parents as a reminder to make payments into the school or maintenance funds. Schools should also ensure that direct debit or standing order mandates are not sent to parents when requesting for contributions.

There is no limit to the level of voluntary contribution, nor is there any restriction on the way in which such contributions may be used. Thus voluntary contributions may be used to subsidise pupils of lesser means and to pay the travel and accommodation costs of accompanying teachers.

Permitted Charges:

Permitted charges are a direct request to cover certain costs involved with a school activity or visit.  No charge can be made in respect of education provided during school hours (which excludes the midday break).  Furthermore, no charge can be made for any education provided outside of school hours if this forms part of the syllabus for a public exam, or as part of the National Curriculum or religious education (non-chargeable education).  A charge may be made however for board and lodgings on any residential educational visit (subject to the provisions of the LA and school’s remissions policy).

1. Materials & Textbooks

Where a pupil or parent wishes to retain items produced as a result of art, craft and design, or design and technology, a charge may be levied for the cost of the materials used. In the case of Food Technology, pupils usually provide their own ingredients, but if the pupil forgets, the school provides the ingredients and levies a charge. Textbooks are provided free of charge, but in some subjects, additional revision guides are available, for which a charge is made.

2. Music Tuition

Although the law states that all education provided during school hours must be free, music lessons are an exception to this rule. 

The Education and Inspections Act 2006 introduced a regulation-making power which allowed the Department for Education to specify circumstances where charging can be made for music tuition.  The new Regulations, which came into force in September 2007, provide pupils with greater access to vocal and instrumental tuition.

Charges may now be made for teaching either an individual pupil or groups of any appropriate size (provided that the size of the group is based on sound pedagogical principles) to play a musical instrument or to sing.  Guidance about these changes to the charging regulations can be viewed here. Charges may only be made if the teaching is not an essential part of either the National Curriculum or a public examination syllabus being followed by the pupil(s), or the first access to the Key Stage 2 Instrumental and Vocal Tuition Programme (Wider Opportunities).

3. Residential Activities/Activities Outside School Hours

If the activity is held outside school hours and is education other than non-chargeable education, then it is regarded as an “optional extra”.  A charge may be made for the full cost of the activity but must not exceed the actual cost of providing the activity.  The charge may include the costs of travel, board and lodgings, additional staff costs, entrance fees, insurance, materials and equipment.  However, the charge made to individual parents cannot include any cost added to subsidise parents of children who are unwilling or unable to pay the charge.

When is an activity held in school hours?

If the number of school sessions taken up by the visit is equal to or greater than 50% of the number of half days spent on the visit, it is deemed to have taken place during school hours (even if some activities take place late in the evening). Whatever the starting and finishing times of the school day, Regulations require that the school day is divided into 2 sessions.  A “half day” means any period of 12 hours ending with noon or midnight on any day.  

Example 1:  Visit during school hours

Pupils are away from noon on Wednesday to 9pm on Sunday. This counts as 9 half days including 5 school sessions, so the visit is deemed to have taken place during school hours.

Example 2:  Visit outside school hours

Pupils are away from school from noon on Thursday until 9pm on Sunday.  This counts as 7 half days including 3 school sessions, so the visit is deemed to have taken place outside school hours.

4. Examination Entries

A charge will be levied in respect of examination entries for pupils where the school has not prepared the pupil for the examination.

A charge will be levied in respect of examination entries for pupils where

- the school has prepared the pupil for the examination and

- it considers that for educational reasons the pupil should not be entered and

- the pupil’s parent/guardian wishes the pupil to be entered (or pupil him/herself when over 18 years old).

In these circumstances, if the pupil subsequently passes the examination, the school may refund the cost.

A charge may be levied for pupils re-sitting an examination.

A charge will be levied where a pupil fails without good reason to complete the requirements of any public examination where the school paid or agreed to pay the entry fee.

5. Damage/Loss to Property

A charge will be levied in respect of wilful damage, neglect or loss of school property (including premises, furniture, equipment, books or materials), the charge to be the cost of replacement or repair, or such lower cost as the Head teacher may decide.

6. Lettings

The school will make its facilities available to outside users at a charge of at least the cost of providing the facilities. The scale of charges will be determined annually by the Resource Committee and approved by the Governing Board.

7. Other charges

The Head teacher, Resource Committee or Governing Board may levy charges for miscellaneous services up to the cost of providing such services e.g. for providing a copy of an OFSTED report.

Remissions Policy

Where non-chargeable education is provided during a residential visit, parents in receipt of certain benefits (broadly equivalent to those which qualify pupils for Free School Meals) shall receive a complete remission of any charges that would otherwise be payable in respect of board or lodgings.

Government guidance providing details of the benefits which exempt parents from being charged can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/charging-for-school-activities

Where charges are to be made by the Governing Board for optional extras, parents may receive a remission for the whole or part of the charge as set out in the school’s remissions policy.

Additional information about charging for school activities (document 3.2c) can be found at:

http://oeapng.info/

Adopted by the Governing Board: Autumn Term 2018

Review date:           October 2020

This policy is reviewed on an annual basis by the Resource Committee of the Governing Board in the Autumn Term

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