Charging for Educational Activities

Rickley Junior School

Sections of the Education Reform Act 1988 set out the circumstances in which educational activities, including educational visits, may attract charges from parents.  

The Local Authority and all Governing Bodies are required to declare a policy on charging for educational activities.   The school’s Governors considered the options available and decided to adopt the Local Authority policy, as follows:-

(a)         That where activities take place in school session time parents should be invited to make voluntary contributions towards the cost of the activity on a pro-rata basis, but that a pupil should not be debarred from taking part in that activity because his/her parents cannot, or will not, contribute.

(b)         Where activities are arranged by a third party, e.g. trips abroad organised through a travel agency, a charge can be levied, even where the activity takes place during school hours.

(c)         That where activities take place outside school session time, charges should continue to be levied, where appropriate.

(d)         That any application for a full or partial remission of charges be considered by the Headteacher, as has been the case in the past.

(e)         That appropriate charges be made for materials where parents have indicated, in advance, that they wish to own their child’s  finished work, i.e. craft work.

(f)          That parents be required to meet the cost of breakages and damages where this is a result of their child’s behaviour.

 

The Act allows voluntary contributions to be sought from parents in support of any school activity, whether it takes place during or outside school hours.  If contributions are not forthcoming, the activity may be cancelled.