Charging and Remissions Policy 2023-2024

Charging and Remissions Policy 2023 - 2024

This policy has been approved and adopted by the Governing Body in November 2023 and will be reviewed in November 2024.

1. Aims

Our school aims to:

• Have robust, clear processes in place for charging and remissions
• Clearly set out the types of activity that can be charged for and when charges will be made

2. Legislation and guidance

This policy is based on advice from the Department for Education (DfE) on Charging for school activities (May 2018) and the Education Act 1996, sections 449-462 of which set out the law on charging for school activities in maintained schools in England.

3. Definitions

• Charge: a fee payable for specifically defined activities
• Remission: the cancellation of a charge which would normally be payable

4. Roles and responsibilities

4.1 The Governing Body

The Governing Body has overall responsibility for approving the Charging and Remissions policy, but can delegate this to a committee, an individual governor or the headteacher.

The Governing Body also has overall responsibility for monitoring the implementation of this policy.  

In our school, responsibility for approving the Charging and Remissions policy lies with the Governing Body.

In our school, monitoring the implementation of this policy has been delegated to the Resource Committee.

4.2 The Headteacher

The Headteacher is responsible for ensuring staff are familiar with the Charging and Remissions policy, and that it is being applied consistently.

4.3 Staff

Our staff are responsible for:

• Implementing the Charging and Remissions policy consistently
• Notifying the Headteacher of any specific circumstances which they are unsure about or where they are not certain if the policy applies

The senior leadership team will provide staff with appropriate training in relation to this policy and its implementation.

4.4   Parents

Parents are expected to notify staff or the Headteacher of any concerns or queries regarding the charging and remissions policy.

5. Where charges cannot be made  

Below we set out what the school cannot charge for:

5.1 Education

• Admission applications
• Education provided during school hours (including the supply of any materials, books, instruments or other equipment – except for loss or willful damage)
• Education provided outside school hours if it is part of:

• The national curriculum
• Religious education

• Instrumental or vocal tuition, for pupils learning individually or in groups, unless the tuition is provided at the request of the pupil’s parent

5.2   Transport

• Transporting registered pupils to or from the school premises, where the local authority has a statutory obligation to provide transport
• Transporting registered pupils to other premises where the Governing Body or Local Authority has arranged for pupils to be educated.
• Transport provided in connection with an educational visit – The school asks for voluntary donations towards to cost of educational visits. There is no obligation for parents to make any contribution, and no child will be excluded from an activity if their parents are unwilling or unable to pay. If the school is unable to raise enough funds for transport for an activity or visit then it will be cancelled.

5.3   Residential Visits

• Education provided on any visit that takes place during school hours
• Education provided on any visit that takes place outside school hours if it is part of:

• The national curriculum
• Religious education

• Supply teachers to cover for those teachers who are absent from school accompanying pupils on a residential visit

6. Where charges can be made

Below we set out what the school can charge for.

6.1   Education

• Any materials, books, instruments or equipment, where the child’s parent wishes him or her to own them
• Optional extras (see below)
• Music and vocal tuition, when provided by Hampshire Music Service or Rocksteady.
• Certain early years provision
• Community facilities
• Materials/Ingredients for cooking (Design Technology) where the child will bring home the finished product.

6.2   Optional extras

We are able to charge for activities known as ‘optional extras’. In these cases, the school can charge for providing materials, books, instruments or equipment. The following are optional extras:

• Education provided outside of school time that is not part of:
  • The national curriculum
  • 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 has arranged for the pupil to be provided with education)
• Board and lodging for a pupil on a residential visit
• Extended day services offered to pupils (such as breakfast clubs, after-school clubs, tea and supervised homework sessions)

When 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 (including supply teachers engaged specifically to provide the optional extra)
• 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 be greater than the actual cost of providing the optional extra activity, divided equally by the number of pupils participating.  Any surplus following the completion of a period of ‘wrap-around care’ will be invested in the school for the benefit of today’s pupils.

Any charge will not include an element of subsidy for any other pupils who wish to take part in the activity but whose parents are unwilling or unable to pay the full charge.

In cases where a small proportion of the activity takes place during school hours, the charge cannot include the cost of alternative provision for those pupils who do not wish to participate.

6.3   Music tuition

The school can charge for vocal or instrumental tuition provided either individually or to groups of pupils, provided that the tuition is provided at the request of the pupil’s parent.

Charges may not exceed the cost of the provision, including the cost of the staff giving the tuition.

Charges cannot be made:

• If the teaching is an essential part of the national curriculum
• If the teaching is provided under the first access to the Key Stage 2 instrumental and vocal tuition programme
• For a pupil who is looked after by a Local Authority

6.4   Residential visits

We can charge for board and lodging on residential visits, but the charge must not exceed the actual cost. 

7. Voluntary contributions

As an exception to the requirements set out in section 5 of this policy, the school is able to ask for voluntary contributions from parents to fund activities during school hours which would not otherwise be possible.

Some activities for which the school may ask parents for voluntary contributions include:

School trips, sporting activities and festivals, special visitors to the school

There is no obligation for parents to make any contribution, and no child will be excluded from an activity if their parents are unwilling or unable to pay. If the school is unable to raise enough funds for an activity or visit then it will be cancelled.

8. Activities this school charges for

The school will charge for the following activities:

9. Remissions

In some circumstances the school may not charge for items or activities set out in sections 6 and 8 of this policy. This will be at the discretion of the Governing Body and will depend on the activity in question.

9.1   Remissions for residential visits

Parents who can prove they are in receipt of the following benefits will be exempt from paying the cost of board and lodging for residential visits:

• Universal credit in prescribed circumstances
• Income Support
• Income Based Jobseekers Allowance
• Support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• Child Tax Credit, provided that Working Tax Credit is not also received and the family’s income (as assessed by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs) does not exceed £16,190
• The guarantee element of State Pension Credit
• An income related employment and support allowance that was introduced on 27 October 2008

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10. Monitoring arrangements

The School Business Manager monitors charges and remissions, and ensures these comply with this policy.

This policy will be reviewed by the Governing Body every three years.  At every review, the policy will be approved by the Governing Body.

11. Debt Recovery

School dinners should be paid in advance using the online payment system (SCOPAY).  If debts exceed £30, the debt will be referred to the Governing Body.  Before reaching this level, two reminders are sent via email to the parent and on the third reminder the debt is referred to the Governing Body.

Further sources of information:

Charging for School Activities, May 2018, https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/706830/Charging_for_school_activities.pdf