Charging Policy | Leigh Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School

Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Leigh

Charging Policy in Connection with Education

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General

1.1 Section 457 of the Education Act 1996 requires that every governing body of a maintained school shall determine and keep under review a policy for charges in connection with “Education” at that school.

1.2 This policy statement makes the distinction between those activities undertaken at Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Leigh for which the governing body is prohibited from charging for the service provided and those activities/services for which it is permitted to levy charges.

Prohibition of Charges

2.1 This school is prohibited from raising a charge in respect of the following:-

A) Admissions

No charge shall be made in respect of admissions to the school. The only circumstances where this may not apply is when:

i) part time education is being provided to individuals over school age;

ii) full time education has been provided to persons over 19 years of age; and

iii) teacher training.

B) Provision of Education

As part of its statutory responsibilities, this school will not charge for the education of registered pupils at the school for education provided during normal school hours with the exception of:

i) Tuition in playing a musical instrument where the tuition is provided individually or to a group of not more than four pupils, unless the tuition is part of a syllabus for a public examination for which the pupil is being prepared by the school, or part of the implementation of the National Curriculum. This also applies to tuition for playing a musical instrument when the tuition if required as part of the syllabus for which the pupil is being prepared for public examination.

ii) If the music tuition is provided out of school hours and not being aimed for public examination, then charges may be levied accordingly.

C) Education provided partly during and partly outside school hours

Unless there are exceptional circumstances whereby education provided to pupils (even a residential trip) falls significantly outside of normal school hours, then the school will not charge for the service provided in accordance with Section 452 of the Education Act 1996.

D) Examinations

Charges cannot be made in respect of the entry of a registered pupil for a prescribed public examination, for which the pupil has been prepared at the school, unless the school have paid the examination fee and the pupil fails, without good reason, to meet any examination requirement for that syllabus. In such circumstance the school may recover the amount of the fee from the pupil’s parents.

E) Incidental Charges

i) The parents of pupils registered at the school may not be charged for or asked to supply any materials, books, instruments or other equipment for, or in connection with, the statutory education provided in school, or a syllabus for a prescribed examination for which the pupil has been prepared at the school.

ii) Charges will not be made for transport provided for a registered pupil if the transport is incidental to the statutory education provided by the school or is required to allow a pupil to meet any examination requirement for any syllabus for a prescribed public examination for which they have been prepared by the school.

For these purposes, incidental to statutory education provision is defined as transport to and from any part of the school premises in which provision is made for these pupils, or, to and from any place outside the school premises where such provision is made.

Incidental charges may be made for the supply of any materials used in the production of an article, in the course of the education of the pupil, where the parent has indicated in advance of the payment that they wish the article to be owned by the pupil/parent.

Permitted Charges

3.1 The school may raise a charge to the parents of pupils concerned for the following:-

i) Board and lodging provided to a registered pupil on a residential trip;

ii) The provision of extra curricular activities out of school hours such as sports clubs, summer schools, childcare and tap in services;

iii) Additional transportation costs, which are not incidental to the education, provided to registered pupils;

iv) Examination costs where a pupil has failed to meet the examination requirements of the syllabus.

Any charge that is raised will be payable by the parent of the pupil concerned and will not exceed the actual cost of service provided.

Remissions Policy

4.1 The Governing Body will meet (in whole or part) any charge due to the school/LEA for the cost of optional extras or payable board and lodging for a registered pupil at the school if the parents are entitled to state income benefits.

Reviewed Summer Term 2022