Church of England Specialist Science & Languages School / Sunnyside Road Wyke Regis
Weymouth
Dorset
DT4 9BJ
POLICY: Charging, Remissions and Lettings

“I have come that you may have life,

life to the full.”

(John 10:10)

Our Mission is to inspire the community of All Saints School to embrace the fullness of life.

School or County Policy / School
Staff Reviewer / Headteacher & Business and Finance Manager
Governors Reviewing Committee / Finance and HS&P
Date Reviewed / October 2014
Review Period / 1 year
The date this policy was adopted / October 2014

If there are any 'Safeguarding' issues that arise from the implementationof this policy then they should be dealt with in accordance with the school's Safeguarding policy. This policy may be found on the school website or accessed via the school office. Any emergency should be referred directly to the school by telephone or in person for the attention of the Designated Senior Person for Child Protection.

This policy should be read in conjunction with the Single Equality Policy. The general equality duty requires that, in the exercise of their functions, schools must have due regard to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment, victimisation and other conduct prohibited by the Equality Act 2010. This school endeavours to advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations for all. This Policy has been reviewed in line with the 9 principles set out in the Single Equality Policy and an initial screening Equality Impact Assessment has been carried out.

The Governing Body of All Saints School has drawn up this policy fully cognisant of the current legal requirements related to these issues. The school is therefore aware that it cannot charge for:

  • education provided during school hours
  • educational materials provided during school hours;
  • education provided outside of school hours which is part of the National Curriculum, a prescribed syllabus or part of the religious education curriculum;
  • examination re-sits, if the pupil is being prepared for resits at the school;

The school can charge for :

  • any materials the parents wish for their child to own;
  • optional extras (e.g. educational trip outside of the national curriculum)*
  • music and vocal tuition (as outlined in DFE guidance 2007; 2013);
  • community facilities.

Pupil Premium

The school is aware that it must inform parents on low incomes (as defined by the DfE ‘Charging for school activities (2013)’) of support available to them. This information will be available on the school website.

The school gives parents the right to nominate £25 per academic year towards educational activities (optional extras).

In keeping with the guidance**, the school reserves the right to ask parents/carers for voluntary contributions to support school activities. If there are insufficient funds, in keeping with the ethos of the school, no child whose family are unable to contribute to such activities will be excluded. However, if there are insufficient funds, the school may need to cancel the activity.

Under the charging provisions of the Education Reform Act, 1988, the governing body has approved the charging and remissions policy below.

The six sub – headings given below are the areas of activity for which the board of Governors may legally make charges. The approved Governors’ policy for charging within each of the listed areas is stated beneath each individual sub heading.

1Board and Lodging on Residential Trips which do not deliver the prescribed curriculum

ChargingIt is the policy of the Governing Body to make a charge.

The full cost of the board and lodging will be charged for all residential activities that take place outside of school hours.

RemissionIt is the policy of the Governing Body not to remit charges other than where the trip is essential for the prescribed curriculum, or is undertaken during school hours (as outlined in the 1996 Education Act). Remission of charges for board and lodgings will be made only to the parents of the pupils who have participated in activities in which the education provided must be free under the terms of the Act and who are in receipt of income support or family credit as outlined in the seven categories in the DfE advice (Nov 2013).

2Costs associated with individual tuition in the playing of a musical instrument whether in or out of school hours (unless it is provided as part of the syllabus for a prescribed public examination, or is required by the national curriculum)

ChargingIt is the policy of the school to make charges for peripatetic musical tuition in or out of school hours. This is in keeping with the most recent statutory guidelines.

3Activities which take place wholly or mainly outside school hours (including residential activities) AND which are not provided as part of the prescribed curriculum or to Religious Education.

ChargingIt is the policy of the Board to charge in full for such activities to cover costs. This will include the full cost of transport to and from the activity, full board and lodging costs (if residential), full cost of educational/tuition fees, full cost of other extras, eg entrance fees to museums, castles, theatres.

RemissionNoremission of charges will be made by the school. However, parents of pupil premium students may ask for a contribution of up to £25 towards the overall annual cost of such activities.

4Examinations.

It is the policy of the board to make charges for public examinations in the following circumstances:

i
ii
iii
Iv
v / Where a pupil is prepared for any examination by the school but fails, without good reason to complete the examination requirement, the full cost of the examination entry fee will be recovered from the parents. (The criteria to be adopted will be made clear to parents before entries are made).
Where a pupil remains at school and wishes to retake a particular examination, a full charge for the entry fee will be made where the school has not provided tuition since the previous examination and the entry is not recommended or supported by the school.
Where a pupil, with the agreement of his/her parents, is entered for a public examination for which (s)he is not prepared by the school, the full cost of the entry fee(s) may be charged to the parent.
Additionally, the cost of the tuition provided for the pupil outside school hours in preparation for this examination will be charged in full to the parent.
The full cost of the checking/re-marking/reporting on examination scripts will be charged to the parents of the pupil where they have requested any of these services.

5 Charging in Kind

The Board of Governors can make a full charge for the cost of the ingredients or materials used in lessons where the parents have signified beforehand that they wish to own the finished product or artifact.

6 Losses, Breakages and Cost of proven vandalism

The Governors will expect parents to make good either by replacement or paying the full cost, text books which have been lost or damaged by pupils, breakages that have the result of pupil negligence or indiscipline, and the cost of reinstating any property that has been damaged as a result of pupil vandalism.

Nothing in this policy statement precludes the Governing Body from inviting parents to make a voluntary contribution towards the cost of providing education for pupils.

Letting of School Premises

Control over the use of accommodation and facilities at All Saints School premises outside of normal school session times rests with the Governing Body. The Governors are responsible for approving or declining applications and this action is delegated to the Headteacher and the Business and Finance Manager of the school.

The rate charged includes an element for running costs of the premises, including caretaking. The Governing Body cannot allow the school budget to subsidise non-school activities.

Voluntary youth associations hiring the school premises for organised activities may, at the discretion of the Headteacher, only be charged the basic running costs of the premises, including caretaking.

Charitable organisations at the discretion of the Headteacher may only be charged the basic running costs of the premises, including caretaking.

The school is not licensed for public entertainment, music or the sale of alcohol. Potential hirers are made aware of their responsibility to obtain all such licenses where necessary.

No hiring of the school premises which would interfere with the normal activities of the school should be approved.

Particular attention should be given to the hiring of the school premises on a Sunday to ensure that all activities are appropriate for a Church school.

VAT will be charged in accordance with the school's legal obligations to do so.

All hiring of the school premises involving caretaking overtime should be with the expressed agreement of the Site Manager or the Assistant Caretaker. No assumptions can be made. There must be due regard for their own use of their non-contracted time.

All lettings on are made on a ‘Booking form for use of Educational establishments’ which sets out conditions for hire.

Charges

Price / ex VAT / VAT @ 20% / Total
Cricket Pitch - ADULTS / £40.00 / per match / £32.00 / £8.00 / £40.00
Cricket Pitch - YOUTH / £24.00 / per match / £20.00 / £4.00 / £24.00
Tennis Courts / £4.00 / per court per hour / £3.33 / £0.67 / £4.00
Football Pitch / £24.00 / per match / £20.00 / £4.00 / £24.00
School Field / £42.00 / per day / £35.00 / £7.00 / £42.00
School Field / £24.00 / Fixture (including Sundays) / £20.00 / £4.00 / £24.00
School Hall / £90.00 / afternoon and evening / £90.00 / On top when applicable
School Hall / £15.00 / per hour / £15.00 / On top when applicable
Classroom / £15.00 / per hour / £15.00 / On top when applicable
Additional
equipment/staff / Variable / On application
Gym / £14.30 / Per hour / £11.92 / £2.38 / £14.30
Sports Hall (full) / £15.50 / per hour / £12.92 / £2.58 / £15.50
MUGA (unlit) / £12.00 / Daylight hours only / £10.00 / £2.00 / £12.00
MUGA (lit) / £18.90 / Per hour / £15.75 / £3.15 / £18.90
Tents, Caravan & Motor Home per Pitch per night / £10.00 / per pitch / £8.33 / £1.67 / £10.00
Dining Hall / £15.00 / per hour / £15.00 / On top when applicable
Rooms above Dining Hall / £15.00 / per hour / £15.00 / On top when applicable
South Playground Car Park / £24 / day or part day / £20.00 / £4.00 / £24.00
Gym Changing Rooms (showers/ Toilet facilities) / £5.00 / Per hour (Discretionary on size of group) / £5.00 / £0.00 / £5.00
Photocopy recharges (Staff and non staff) / Colour: £0.042 Paper: £0.005 / per copy / £0.047 / £0.009 / £0.56
Mono: £0.003 Paper: £0.005 / per copy / £0.008 / £0.002 / £0.010

The facilities are available for hire Friday night and Saturday morning at the same rates as above. The above changes will take effect from 1st September 2014. These charges may be reduced or waived for charitable organisations

*The specified optional extras or board and lodging that the schoolintends to charge for includes :

INDICATIVE TRIPS: / INDICATIVE COSTS:
Skiing / £700
Lille Christmas Market / £95
Germany visit / £450
PGL Activity residential / £340
Poetry Live / £27
Broomhill Sculpture Park trip / £20
Latin trip to Roman Baths in Bath / £23
Paintballing / £30
Southampton Geography trip / £9

Given the broad range of activities that the school undertakes, the Governors have taken all reasonable steps to provide this list as ‘indicative’ of the type of activities that occur across the academic year. The list has been updated with indicative costs based upon recent activity. The Governors recognise that as costs change, and new opportunities arise, the school will continue to offer a variety of activities with costs consistent with these. Where the curriculum has been suspended to offer pupils alternative learning experiences - there will always be a sufficiently wide range of activities at a variety of costs to ensure all pupils can participate in a quality learning experience.

Clothing Allowance

For parents/guardians who have difficulty in providing their children with essential items of clothing or footwear that they need to attend school, a limited amount of financial help may be available depending on income. The school is only able to offer assistance towards clothing in necessitous cases, i.e., in those instances where children may be unable, by reason of inadequacy or unsuitability of their clothing, to take full advantage of the education provided at the school. As well as normal everyday clothing, items such as PE kit and protective overalls are purchased.

Any application made for a grant towards children's clothing under the necessitous clothing scheme will be tested against an income scale. The benchmark for eligibility for a clothing grant is eligibility for free school meals.

Parents/guardians who qualify for free school meals qualify for a clothing grant which must be requested. Clothing grants of £50 are awarded to individuals when they join the school and may be applied for on one additional occasion during the pupil’s school life. Eligibility for free school meals can be confirmed via Dorset Direct at the Local Authority either on line at or on 01305 221000.

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