St Ambrose Catholic Primary School

Charging policy

CHARGING FOR SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

The Governing Body recognises the valuable contribution that the wide range of additional activities, including clubs, trips and residential experiences can make towards pupils' personal and social education. The Governing Body wish to see the curriculum enriched as far as possible for the benefit of all the pupils. The Governing Body aims to promote and provide such activities both as part of a broad and balanced curriculum for the children and as additional optional activities.

The Education Reform Act 1988 (Clauses 106-110) sets out rules concerning the charges that schools can make for visits, materials, etc. which take place during school hours. In most cases the most the school can ask for is a voluntary contribution towards the cost from parents. A request for contributions must make it clear that there is no obligation to contribute and that pupils will not be treated differently according to whether or not their parents have made any contribution in response to the request.

Charges may be made for the cost of repairing or replacing any damaged property or item resulting from a child's inappropriate behaviour or for replacing any non-returned property or an item that has been loaned or hired to a child. This is especially the case with lost reading and homework books. A charge of £5.00 will be made for each book lost.

Parents in receipt of various benefits listed below are entitled to remission:

• Universal Credit in prescribed circumstances
• Income Support (IS);
• Income Based Jobseekers Allowance (IBJSA);
• support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999;
• Child Tax Credit, provided that Working Tax Credit is not also received and the
  family’s income
• the guarantee element of State Pension Credit;
• an income related employment and support allowance that was introduced on 27
  October 2008.