Charging and Remissions Policy

 

Version Number	001
Status	Approved June 2026
Policy Owner/Author	Headteacher
Review Date	September 2026
Approved/Ratified by	Interim Executive Board (IEB)

KAHSC v12 – Rev September 2025 | Review Sheet: Version 1 (Original) May 2026

---

1. Policy Scope

Sections 449 to 462 of the Education Act 1996 and The Education (School Sessions and Charges and Remissions Policies) (England) Regulations 1999 set out the law on charging and remissions for school activities in England and require schools to have a Policy on charging.

This Policy is based on the law, statutory guidance, and the non-statutory Department for Education (DfE) guidance.

Section 21 of the Education Act 2002 gives schools the power to provide community facilities or services for the (charitable) benefit of pupils, their families, or people who live or work locally. This Policy does not apply to charges we make for community facilities which are handled separately under hire agreements, nor does it apply to third-party organisations renting school premises.

Aims

• All pupils must have full and free access to a broad and balanced curriculum regardless of their family’s financial means.
• Maintain absolute transparency about the activities or items that can be charged for and when charges will be made, or remissions offered.
• Ensure no undue pressure is placed on family finances (e.g., by giving good notice about charges and avoiding ‘first to pay, first served’ arrangements).

Definitions

• Charge: A fee payable for clearly defined items or activities.
• Remission: The cancellation of a charge which would normally be payable.
• School hours: The hours when school is in session, excluding the lunch break (8.45am – 12.35pm and 1.15pm – 3.15pm).

---

2. Roles and Responsibilities

The Governing Body / Trust Board

The Governing Body/Trust Board holds overall responsibility for approving the Charging and Remissions Policy, delegating daily oversight to the Headteacher, and monitoring its implementation.

The Headteacher

The Headteacher is responsible for ensuring staff are familiar with the Policy and that it is being applied consistently across the school.

Staff & Trip Leads

Implementation rules are integrated into the induction of new trip leads. Senior leadership provides updates or refresher training as necessary. Staff must implement the policy consistently and flag ambiguous circumstances to the Headteacher.

Parents and Carers

Parents and carers are expected to notify staff or the Headteacher of any concerns or queries regarding the Charging and Remissions Policy.

---

3. When No Charges Will Be Made

Education

There will be no charge for:

• Admission or applications for admission.
• Education provided wholly or mostly during school hours (including materials, books, instruments, or other equipment).
• Education provided outside school hours if it is part of the National Curriculum, a syllabus for a prescribed public examination, or religious education.
• Instrumental or vocal tuition if required as part of the National Curriculum or a core examination syllabus.
• Entry for a prescribed public examination or corresponding examination re-sits, provided the pupil has been prepared for it at this school.

Transport

There will be no charge for:

• Transporting registered pupils to or from premises where the local authority has a statutory obligation to provide transport.
• Transporting pupils to other premises arranged by the governing body or local authority for educational purposes.
• Transport required to meet an examination requirement.
• Transport provided in connection with an authorized educational visit.

Educational Visits

There will be no charge for:

• Education provided on any visit that takes place during school hours.
• Education provided on any visit outside school hours if it directly serves the National Curriculum, a prescribed examination syllabus, or religious education.
• Supply staff used to cover teachers accompanying pupils on a residential visit.

---

4. Voluntary Contributions

When legal charges do not apply, parents and carers may still be asked for a voluntary contribution to make certain enrichment opportunities viable, such as:

• On-site enrichment activities, educational visits, and associated transportation.
• Specialist equipment or contributions to general school funds.

Important Note: Contributions are strictly voluntary. No pupil will be treated differently or excluded if their parents do not contribute. However, the Headteacher reserves the right to cancel activities if insufficient voluntary funds are received to make the project viable.

---

5. When Charges Will Be Made

The school may recover the exact costs (without exceeding them) for the following items:

• Materials, books, instruments, or equipment where parents have indicated in advance that they wish their child to own the finished product.
• Non-attendance without a valid reason for a public examination where an entry fee was incurred.
• Optional extras (detailed below).
• Voluntary music and vocal tuition outside core curriculum needs.
• School meals.

Optional Extras

Charges apply to education or activities outside school hours that are not part of the National Curriculum, religious education, or a core exam syllabus. This includes board and lodging on residential trips, non-statutory transport, and extended day services (e.g., breakfast clubs, after-school clubs, and supervised homework sessions).

Charges are calculated by dividing the total operational cost (including materials, accommodation, or specialist non-teaching/supply staff) equally by the number of participating pupils.

School Meals & Cashless Catering

School meals are available at a set cost per day, or free to eligible families. Payment for school meals is strictly required in advance via Arbor and ParentPay.

• Arrears Prevention: There is no overdraft facility for school meals. If an account falls into arrears, the school will request immediate payment by phone, followed by a formal letter requesting clearance within 7 days.
• Emergency Provisions: If a pupil arrives without a lunch or prepaid booking, emergency contacts will be reached. School may authorize a temporary meal, which must be repaid the following school day. If this emergency provision occurs 3 times without resolution, the ParentPay account will be frozen until the balance is cleared.
• During an account freeze, parents must provide a packed lunch. Persistent unpaid meal debts will trigger formal debt recovery action.

Property Damage and Breakages

The school will actively seek to recover costs incurred repairing wilful or culpably negligent damage to school property, or third-party property for which the school has been billed. The final recovery amount is determined by the Headteacher.

---

6. Calculating Charges and Remission

Charges are strictly based on the actual costs incurred divided by the number of participants. There is no added levy to subsidise other students; hardship support is funded independently through allocated school premiums and dedicated fundraising.

Remission (Waiving of Charges)

Full or partial remission is granted at the discretion of the Headteacher. Pupils who are ‘cared for’ by a local authority or whose families receive qualifying benefits (such as eligibility for Free School Meals) are entitled to full remission for board and lodging during mandatory residential visits. Governors may also deploy Pupil Premium funds to subsidise other chargeable activities.

Residential Apportionment Rules

• Deemed School Hours: If the number of school sessions missed during a residential trip accounts for 50% or more of the total half-days away, the trip is handled as taking place during school hours. Board and lodging can be charged, but core activities cannot.
• Optional Extra Residential: If the school sessions missed total less than half of the total half-days away, the entire trip is deemed an optional extra, and full operational costs can be charged.

---

7. Debt Recovery

In accordance with school financial policy, all services must be paid for in advance to prevent structural debt. Where debts do accumulate, the Governing Body authorises all reasonable, legal measures to collect outstanding public funds.

Debts are only considered for write-off after all reasonable recovery pathways are exhausted, subject to the limits specified by the Secretary of State. Detailed audit records of any written-off balances are securely maintained for 7 years.

---

8. Monitoring and Evaluation

To ensure this policy achieves its core aims of equitable access and transparency, the Governing Body actively monitors its financial and social impact via formal reviews during scheduled governing body meetings.