SECTION 1                INTRODUCTION:

 

BYJHS recognises the valuable contribution that a wide range of additional activities, including trips, clubs and residential experiences can make towards the education of our students.  The school aims to promote and provide such activities both as part of a broad and balanced curriculum and as important, additional, optional activities.  However due to the limitations of its budget the school reserves the right to make a charge in the following circumstances for activities organised by the staff. BYJHS will from time to time, review and amend the categories of activity for which a charge may be made.

 

SECTION 2                CHARGING FOR VISITS

 

a)        All Visits:

The group leader should always ensure that parents are notified as early as possible as to:

   the total cost of the visit;

   how much of the cost will come from Academy or other funds;

   how much each parent will need to pay or be asked to contribute towards the cost of the visit;

   how much spending/pocket money children will reasonably need (especially important for trips which involve a residential element);

   use of any surplus funds, i.e. will they be returned to parents or used to purchase items for the children whilst on the trip.

 

Early notification of the above is important as this allows parents to make financial preparations.  Parents will be better able to gauge the value of the visit if they have information relating to the constituent costs of the visit, i.e. transport, accommodation, food, etc.

 

b)        During Normal School Hours:

 

Visits which occur during school hours are deemed part of the curriculum,  however the funding the school receives makes no allowance for such trips. Parents are therefore asked to make a voluntary contribution towards the cost of the trip.  In reality the value of the requested contributions equates to the total cost of the visit and therefore if insufficient voluntary contributions are forthcoming the visit may have to be cancelled - parents must be notified of this contingency.

 

Parental permission should be obtained:

 

 

i)          Signed Slip received back from parents:

A letter about the visit is sent out to parents and contains a reply slip (with space for parental signature) and also a section on meeting the costs of the visit, the essence of which is contained in the following example:

"All children will need to take a packed lunch with them.  Students who receive free School meals will be provided with a packed lunch.  As we are travelling by coach/ train, a small cost will be incurred.  Current legislation permits us to ask only for voluntary contributions towards the costs involved.  No pupil will be discriminated against on the grounds of inability to pay, but if sufficient money is not raised by voluntary contributions, then the visit will have to be cancelled.  A contribution of £___ should be sufficient to ensure that the trip can proceed."

 

c)        Outside Of Normal Academy Hours/Optional Extras

 

The Academy can charge parents for board and lodging on residential visits as well as the full cost when a visit is deemed to be an 'optional extra'.  An optional extra:

   falls wholly or mainly outside Academy hours, i.e. a skiing holiday during the Academy holidays is an optional extra.

   does not form part of the National Curriculum or the statutory requirements for religious education;

   is not part of a syllabus towards a Prescribed Public Examination – e.g if a GCSE level Geography syllabus mentions fieldwork as a requirement then this in itself does not necessitate a residential fieldtrip to another part of the country as local facilities may suffice.  However, if the syllabus mentions that pupils need to know about the ecology of rocky shores and they live in a city a long way from the coast then the fieldtrip would not be classed as an 'optional extra'.

 

The parents' agreement to meet the costs of an optional extra visit before that visit is planned in detail will always be obtained in writing.  The stated cost of an optional extra visit must not include an element of subsidy for pupils whose families do not meet the full charge.

 

Parental permission should be obtained as follows:

 

i)    Parental Declaration.  Parents sign a declaration which states that:

 

   the Academy has the right to ask for the full cost of the visit;

   that the Academy does not have to arrange subsidies for the visit;

   that if insufficient numbers of children opt for the visit then the visit may have to be cancelled.

   that their child cannot attend this 'optional extra' visit if full payment is not made in advance

 

 

SECTION 4                INGREDIENTS/MATERIALS/EQUIPMENT (IN KIND)

 

The Academy reserves the right to charge for ingredients, materials or equipment (or the provision of them by parents) or require them to be provided if the parents have indicated in advance that they wish to own the 'finished product'. In the case of Food Technology, Forms 1-3 pay an annual contribution of £30 to cover the costs of the ingredients. However, assistance will be provided for those students who cannot afford to pay for this provision.  Forms 4 and 5 usually provide their own ingredients.

 

SECTION 5                BROKEN EQUIPMENT (REPLACEMENT)

 

The Academy will ask students and/or their parents to contribute towards the cost of replacement items of equipment or the cost of repairs to the fabric of the building, fixture or fittings where damage or breakage has occurred as a direct result of misconduct on the student’s part.  (This does not in any way detract from the teaching staff's duty to brief students thoroughly and to manage a calm and safe working environment for the children.)

 

SECTION 6         BOOKS & EQUIPMENT

 

Essential books and equipment are always supplied by the Academy. For some courses like GCSE Science, there may be published revision texts available which support the curriculum and which students are advised to purchase. In English, GCSE students are recommended to purchase their own copies of literature texts in order to underline, annotate and highlight sections of texts and quotations. In these cases, where students following an examination course may be disadvantaged by their inability to purchase such additional texts, parents eligible under the criteria for remission of charges may request financial support towards the cost of purchase.

 

Students who lose text books issued to them or who fail to return textbooks to school after leaving will be charged for them. Students will also be charged for replacement homework diaries.

 

 

 

SECTION 7         EXAMINATION ENTRY

 

All students following an examination course who have completed the essential requirements – such as coursework, will be entered for the examination with the Academy meeting all costs.

 

Where a student has not completed all parts of the course and is deemed almost certain to fail, the Academy may decide to refuse an entry. If a student and parent, despite the advice of the Academy staff, insist on entry, the Academy will expect the parent to fund the cost of entry to that examination. The costs will be refunded if the student obtains a grade.

 

Where the Academy advises that early entry to an examination is advisable, the Academy will pay the costa of entry. If a student and parent request early entry against the advice of the Academy staff, the parent will fund the cost of entry which will be refunded should the student achieve a grade.

 

In some circumstances, the school may allow external candidates to sit examinations at the school. The school will charge the full costs for each entry.

 

SECTION 8         EXAMINATION REMARKS/REGRADING

 

Where the examination result of an individual or group is significantly under the prediction of the Academy staff and not in keeping with the previous level of achievement of the student or group, the Academy may well decide to ask for a remark of the papers and will fund such a request. If the Academy staff feel that the result a student obtained, although disappointing was not significantly below expectation or prediction, although the Academy will arrange for a remark, the parent will be asked to fund it. Should such a request result in a grade revised upwards, the Academy will refund the costs.

 

 

SECTION 9                REMISSIONS

 

The Academy may remit in full or in part the cost of any activity for particular groups of parents, for example, in the case of family hardship.  When arranging a chargeable activity such parents will be invited in confidence to apply for the remission of charges in full or in part.  Authorisation for such remission will be made by the Head Teacher in consultation with the Chairman of the Governors

 

The decision to offer to remit costs is normally subject to the parents of a pupil being in receipt of one or more of:

   Income Support;

   Jobseekers' Allowance;

   Working Family Tax Credit;

   Disability Working Allowance.