Late payment fee

[missedith01]

My local primary is proposing to impose a £5 late payment fee on parents who fall behind with school dinner payments. I was wondering if such a charge was legal ... there doesn't seem to be any provision for it in the Education Act ... any thoughts?

Pay your dinners in time then the poor over worked secretaries don't have to
A) chase you for it
B) explain to the governors and LA why the budget is down X pounds

All that extra work photocopying and meeting time could be better spent

I think many schools impose a fee for late payment to cover admin. costs for chasing the debt.

Thanks, I wasn't asking from the pov of being a late payer, I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on the law ... the law allows for late payment charges in contractual settings of course, but the circumstances in which schools can require parents to make payments are set out in the Act and late payment charges aren't specifically mentioned.

Well instead that can refuse to feed your child

Which would you prefer?

How awful for parents genuinely struggling to pay the bill without charges on top.

Does the school use an external catering provider (most seem to)

Primary schools here all operate a cashless system. If there's not enough credit in a child's account, they get a very basic lunch on the first day and parents are then advised that no further meals will be provided until the account is in credit again. Those who can't /won't pay have to send a packed lunch. Children who get fsm get a full lunch as their account is automatically in credit. Not sure about late payment fees, but at least the school no longer has to chase parents who run up a debt and refuse to pay -before we changed, there were at least two parents owing around £60.

No, catering is in house.

This school uses a School Money.

What system would you rather they had?

I doubt anyone would be making proposals like this if there was not a late payment proble,pm. I doubt a school wants to divert money into propping up the lunches.

And AFAIK schools can set the T&Cs of services it provides which parents are not compelled to use.

In short - yes, they can.

I think it's perfectly fine, you can't expect free food. It would be like walking into a supermarket then announcing you'll pay at some point.

It's a basic of parenting to feed a child. If parents can't afford school meals then they should send in their own lunch.

Pay on time and there's no issue.