Charging For School Activities
Governors' Policy
The Law on charging is set out in sections 106-111 and 117-118 of the Education Reform Act 1988. It is amplified and explained in DES Circular 2/89 "Education Reform Act 1988: Charges for School Activities" and in Lancashire County circular C2/7/89 "Charging for School Activities". The policy of the Governors on charging is based on these documents.
1. The Governors re-affirm their commitment to the principle of a basic fee education service for all pupils.
Charges will not be made for:
- Education within school hours
- Education outside of school hours which is necessary
- To fulfil the requirements specified in the syllabus for a prescribed public examination, or to fulfil duties relating to the National Curriculum except that changes may be imposed for the cost of board and lodgings on residential visits.
2. No charges will be made for entries to prescribed public examinations for pupils who have been prepared for such examination by the school, except that where the Governors feel that a pupil missed an examination or failed to meet the coursework requirements without good reason, they may recover the examination fee from the parents. The Governors will determine what contributes "good reason".
Where parents request the re-scrutinising of an examination result, a charge will be made to cover the cost incurred.
3. The Governors want the full range of activities and experiences which are provided by the school to continue;
- except for activities required as part of a prescribed public examination course the school may write to parents on behalf of the Governors asking for voluntary contributions towards the cost of an activity.
- Such contributions would be genuinely voluntary, there being no obligation to contribute and pupils would not be treated differently according to whether or not their parents have made a contribution.
- Any activity for which voluntary contributions have been requested will only proceed if the total cost of the activity can be met from funds which may be available to the Governors to support such activities.
- In activities which involve residential visits a charge will be made for board and lodgings but the charge will not exceed the actual cost of providing board and lodging.
- Any parents in receipt of Income Support will, on notifying the Headteacher through the teacher organising the activity, receive automatic remission of charges. The Governors will expect the Headteacher to ensure that all parents are advised of the rights in these circumstances of those receiving family credit or income support.
- The Governors will levy charges for activities which are "optional extras". These are activities which are not a necessary part of a prescribed public examination course, or which are not a necessary item in the school meeting its obligations under the National Curriculum.
- For such "optional extras" the charge will not exceed the actual cost of providing the activity, divided equally by the number of pupils willing to participate.
- An element in this charge may be the cost of engaging teaching staff to run the activity and may cover the cost of supplying such staff with travel, board and lodgings.
- Staff engaged in running "optional extras" will be engaged on a separate contract for these services. All staff engaged in this manner will exercise supervisory control of pupils as specified in the Conditions of Service.
4. The Governors will approve charges being made:
- to recover the cost of materials or equipment lost or damaged;
- to meet the cost of damage to school property;
- for materials or ingredients required in practical subjects where parents have expressed a wish in advance to own the finished product;
- to recover examination fees in the circumstances described above ins Section 2.
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