How to review your charging and remissions policy

What this policy needs to do

It should reflect:

• Advice from the Department for Education (DfE) on charging for school activities, and
• The Education Act 1996 (sections 449 to 462)

It's not your job to cross-reference the policy with this guidance, but you should expect your senior leaders to have done so.

You'll want to make sure the policy sets out: 

• What your school can and can't charge parents for
• When your school might ask for voluntary contributions, and that parents aren't obliged to make any contributions
• Under what circumstances your school will remit/cancel any charges (wholly or partly) 

3 key questions to challenge this policy

You need to ask challenging questions of senior leaders when the policy comes to you for approval, so you can be sure the policy-reviewing process was robust.

Check the entire policy is clearly written for a parent audience, without too