Mumsnet Talk

This could be worrying - charging for basic core lessons. Anyone heard of other examples? http://www.exaronews.com/articles/4822/

I can only access the abstract of this, where it says "activities" may be charged for. What exactly is the school proposing?

Whatever the school is propposing would be a breach of its funding agreement. It is bound by the same restrictions on charging as LA-controlled schools. They may not charge registered pupils for any activity that is part of the national curriculum.

Occasionally an LA-controlled school will get this wrong and attempt to charge parents illegally, so I'm sure some academies will get it wrong too. However, if the report is accurate (and the brief report doesn't identify the school so I can't check) the academy will clearly be in breach of its funding agreement if it goes ahead.

I couldn't get the link to work.

If you want us to read an article you have written (presumably you are the Naomi Lloyd who wrote that story?) it would be polite to firstly mention that it was your article, and secondly to make sure we could actually read it in full. Otherwise we might conclude you were simply fishing for clicks onto your site.

I happen to share Naomi's name, but I am not Naomi Lloyd. It didn't cross my mind to have to put a disclaimer up!

My apologies for posting a link that didn't work. You may need to sign up to the website.

www.exaronews.com/articles/4822/

No. Post something we can read or don't post at all. I'm reporting this as spam.

Need more details, charging for swimming seems to be standard if a bit legally dodgy in ks2, charging for phonics would be outrageous. Can't access it at all on the link, says the page is missing.

Try this: last go! www.exaronews.com/articles/4822/academy-prepares-to-charge-for-lessons-on-national-curriculum

You need to register in order to read it. Won't be doing so.

Bottom line is that will be illegal if what is being quoted is correct.
Googled it but nothing else comes up other than above, so no idea which academy it is, unless somebody knows?

Nope, and nothing on NASUWT website about this either.

I haven't read the story at the link. However, there don't seem to be any other reports suggesting this school intends to charge for national curriculum activities. Their 2012/13 prospectus indicates that they know the law on charging. They charge board and lodging for any residential activities, although some parents on low incomes are not charged. They may request voluntary contributions for other outings, visits and activities. This is perfectly legal and in line with many other schools.

All of this leaves me wondering if Exaronews has got firm hold of the wrong end of the stick.

Hi, I went on the site so I could be better informed. This is what the academy itself says about charging. I quote: The school’s head teacher, Sue Vickerman, said: “I do not anticipate having to charge in the future,” but added, “I think that it is maybe a fail-safe… We would hope that we would not have to charge.”

Karen Josse, the school’s business manager, said: “It is just to cover all possible eventualities,” adding, “That gives us the flexibility.”

Academy school primary charging for lessons story in Yorkshire Post. http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/at-a-glance/education/academy-under-fire-over-lunch-activity-charges-1-5376718

So our primary school is charging parents for ingredients for baking (within lessons) DD paid £2.50 last term and brought home one breadroll.The previous half term we got 2 iced 'rich tea' biscuits for £2.50 the previous half term.
They charge £5 per half term for (optional)lunchtime sewing club for materials.
Are these charges lawful?

The charge for the lunchtime club is clearly lawful (and shows the NASUWT spokesperson quoted in the Yorkshire Post article is wrong in suggesting that no primary school charges for lunchtime activities).

Regarding the charge for ingredients, schools can charge for materials where the child's parent wishes him/her to own them. So, since your daughter is bringing home the results of her lessons, it is just about legal. There is an argument that you should have the option of refusing to pay and not see what your daughter has baked but I suspect that most parents, faced with that choice, would pay.

By the way, the journalist who wrote the Yorkshire Post article clearly hasn't bothered to understand the rules on charging. A school can charge for board and lodging for field trips provided they only ask parents to pay the actual cost. Having read the article I don't see anything that shows the school breaking or intending to break the rules, nor do I see anything that shows it behaving differently from many community schools.

PRH47bridge
Thankyou for that.Do you happen to have a link to what the legal position actually is.Clearly the school are profiting on the ingredients unless they are shopping at Fortnum and Masons.Foe interest only I won't take it up with the school!

You can find the DfE guidance here. You will find the bit about materials at the top of the third page.