Schools and learning

What are voluntary contributions?

The governing body of your child's school may ask parents for voluntary contributions towards the costs of:

• any activity which takes place during school hours (including non-curriculum)
• school equipment
• school funds generally

Any such contribution is voluntary - it is not possible for your child to be penalised because you have not contributed towards a particular activity.

Schools can, and do have a duty, to point out that if they don't receive sufficient contributions for a particular event, then that event may be put at risk and can be cancelled.

If you have any queries on this issue, you should contact your child's school in the first instance.

School transport

Any transport provided within school hours by the Local Education Authority (LEA) or a school to carry pupils between a school and any other places where education is provided by the LEA or school must be provided free of charge. If your child is on work experience however, you may be asked to pay for the travelling costs.

What you might be charged for

Hertfordshire County Council's policy is to charge for the following areas of activity as permitted under the Education Act 1996:

• board and lodging on residential visits
• costs associated with the individual tuition in playing a musical instrument whether in or out of school hours, unless it is provided as part of the syllabus for a prescibed public examination or is required by the National Curriculum
• optional extra activities which take place wholly or mainly outside school hours, but which are not provided as part of the syllabus for a prescribed public examination, and are not required to fulfil statutory requirements relating to the National Curriculum or to religious education, participation in any such activities to be on the basis of parental choice and a willingness to meet such charges as are made
• the cost of entering a pupil for public examination not prescribed in regulations, and for preparing the pupil for such an examination outside school hours
• the cost of re-sits of prescribed public examinations where no further preparation has been provided by the school
• the cost of entering a pupil for a second public examination when preparation by the school enables the pupil to take more than one examination
• the cost of any scrutiny of examination results if so requested by parents
• the cost in cash or in kind of ingredients and materials needed for practical subjects such as home economics and craft, design and technology, if parents have indicated in advance a wish to own the finished product.

Hertfordshire's County Council's remission policy states that parents in receipt of certain benefits are entitled to have the fees waived for the cost of board and lodgings on residential trips, and / or individual music tuition. For more details follow the Am I eligible for financial support? link to the right of this page.