Residential Visits Charges
During the year we arrange residential trips for year 4 children to visit Ufton Court and for year 6 children to visit Osmington Bay. Parents will be charged the full cost of transport and accommodation and will be invited to make a voluntary contribution to the cost of all activities. Pupils whose parents or carers are in receipt of certain benefits may not be charged for board and lodging costs. Where voluntary contributions are insufficient to cover the costs involved, the trip may be cancelled.
Schools cannot charge for:
- education provided on any visit that takes place during school hours
- education provided on any visit that takes place outside school hours if it is part of the national curriculum, or part of a syllabus for a prescribed public examination that the pupil is being prepared for at the school, or part of religious education;
- supply teachers to cover for those teachers who are absent from school accompanying pupils on a residential visit.
Schools can charge for:
- board and lodging and the charge must not exceed the actual cost.
When a school informs parents about a forthcoming visit, they should make it clear that parents who can prove they are in receipt of the following benefits will be exempt from paying the cost of board and lodging:
- 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 (as assessed by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs) does not exceed £16,190 (financial year 2013/14);
- the guarantee element of State Pension Credit;
- an income related employment and support allowance that was introduced on 27 October 2008.