Charging Policy
Introduction
The Governing Body recognises and supports the valuable contribution that a range of additional activities such as trips, music tuition and residential experiences make towards pupils' education and development. The school wishes the curriculum to be enriched as far as possible to the benefit of all pupils. Where these additional activities fall outside the school hours or do not form an integral part of the school curriculum, the school is permitted to make charges for these additional activities. Without these charges it would not be possible to undertake many activities.
This policy identifies the categories of charge that the school will make and the circumstances under which those categories will apply. It also outlines any remissions that will be made.
Charging Categories
a) Full Cost
Activities that are not an integral part of the school curriculum and do not take place within school hours or for which the school is specifically permitted to charge (i.e. there are no school funds/budget identified to support these activities), will be charged at full cost. This charge will include any materials required to undertake the activity. For example the board and lodgings elements of residential trips will normally be charged at full cost.
b) Voluntary Contribution
No compulsory charge can be made for activities that take place in school hours to enrich the curriculum even if they are not an integral part of the curriculum. For these activities a request will be made for voluntary contributions towards the additional costs of the activity, however no individual child will be excluded from these activities because of contribution. If the level of contributions received together with any available school funds/budget is insufficient to meet the cost of the activity, the activity will not take place. For example voluntary contributions may be requested for school trips to cover the cost of transport, entrance fees and other expenses.
Loss and Damage to School Property
A charge will be made for replacement of school property that is lost or damaged beyond reasonable repair. For example a charge may be made for school library and home loan books that are lost or damaged.
Remissions
In order to remove financial barriers from disadvantaged pupils, the governing body may agree that some activities and visits where charges can legally be made will be offered at no charge or a reduced charge to parents/carers in particular circumstances.
The Academy will receive Pupil Premium for children whose parents are in receipt of the following:
- 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 HM Revenue and Customs) does not exceed the sum given in the Revenue and Customs rules
The funding received from the Pupil Premium grant will be used to cover costs for those children .
If due to circumstances beyond parents’ control a pupil is unable to take part in an activity, the school will refund any charges above the costs, or share of the costs, that have been incurred up to that time by the school for that pupil.
General Notes
• The school may make a charge for materials used, or request that parents provide them, for any activity that produces an end product where the parents have expressed a wish to keep the finished product.
• There will be provision made for payment by instalments for larger charges.
• The Headteacher has delegated responsibility for determining, within the constraints of this policy, what category of charge should apply for additional activities, what the charge or voluntary contribution should be and what, if any, contribution will be taken from school funds/budget within the constraints of the monies available.
• The charges applied for an activity will not exceed the total cost of the activity apportioned equally between the participants.
• A limit will be set on the level of voluntary contribution that may be requested.
• More than one category of charge may be made for different elements of the same activity. This is likely where some elements can be charged for at full or partial cost and others cannot.
• The examples quoted in this policy may be subject to change. A current list of school activities that are subject to charge and the category of charge applied will be maintained within the school.