Charging and remissions policy
The school's policy on charges: which activities it charges for, when charges are waived or reduced, and free board and lodging on residential trips for pupils who qualify. Every school must publish it.
Check this on my websiteWho it applies to
- Published on
- The school's own website
- School type
- Academies and maintained schools
- School stage
- All stages, from early years to sixth form
- Does not apply to
- No school types are excluded
When is it due?
- Renewal
- No fixed date
The official sources set no renewal date. Keep it accurate whenever it changes.
What's needed
Publish the charging and remissions policy on the statutory information or policies page.
What it must contain
3 parts- Says what the school charges forMust
- Says when charges are waived or reducedMust
- Eligible pupils pay nothing for board and lodging on qualifying residential tripsMust
What the official sources say
Set out in 5 official sources:
What maintained schools must or should publish online
Schools must publish their: – charging policy, giving details of activities for which they will charge parents and carers
Must§ Charging and remissions policies > What schools must publish
– remissions policy, giving details of any circumstances in which they will wholly or partly waive any charge they would otherwise expect parents and carers to pay
Must§ Charging and remissions policies > What schools must publish
What academies, free schools and colleges must or should publish online
Academies should publish their: – charging policy, giving details of activities for which they will charge parents and carers
Should§ Charging and remissions policies > What academies should publish
– remissions policy, giving details of the circumstances in which they will wholly or partly waive any charge they would otherwise expect parents and carers to pay
Should§ Charging and remissions policies > What academies should publish
Education Act 1996 s457 (charging and remissions policies)
3 A remissions policy determined by the governing body of a school . . . shall set out any circumstances in which the governing body propose to meet (in whole or in part) any charge payable to the local authority, in accordance with the authority’s charging policy, for an optional extra or board and lodging provided for a registered pupil at the school.
Must§ s457(3)
4 A remissions policy shall provide for complete remission of any charges otherwise payable in respect of board and lodging provided for a pupil on a residential trip if—
Must§ s457(4)
Show 1 more from this source
5 A remissions policy shall be kept under review by the governing body or local authority by whom it was determined.
Must§ s457(5)
Charging for school activities (departmental advice, May 2018)
These policies should be made available to parents on request.
Should§ Frequently asked questions, 'Q. What is a charging policy?'
The remissions policy must set out any circumstances in which the school or local authority propose to remit (wholly or partly) any charge which would otherwise be payable to them in accordance with their charging policy.
Must§ Charging and remissions policies
Master academy and free school funding agreement (Dec 2020)
For all itsAcademies except16-19Academies, theAcademy Trustmustcomply with sections 402, 450-457 and 459-462 ofthe Education Act 1996 with regard topublic examinations, charging,providing information,inviting voluntary contributions and recoveringcivil debts,as ifitsAcademieswere maintained schools.
Must§ clause 2.15 (Charging)
Questions schools ask
Does every school have to publish the charging and remissions policy?
Academies and maintained schools must publish it.
When does the charging and remissions policy need to be published?
Renewal: No fixed date. The official sources set no renewal date. Keep it accurate whenever it changes.
What must the charging and remissions policy include?
Says what the school charges for; Says when charges are waived or reduced; Eligible pupils pay nothing for board and lodging on qualifying residential trips.
Where does the requirement for the charging and remissions policy come from?
It is set out in What maintained schools must or should publish online, What academies, free schools and colleges must or should publish online, Education Act 1996 s457 (charging and remissions policies) and Charging for school activities (departmental advice, May 2018) and 1 other sources.
Changes to the official sources
Dated change notes published by the Department for Education on the sources above.
7 April 2016 · What maintained schools must or should publish online
Added a link to school charging and remission guidance.
We last checked these sources on 21 September 2026.
Is this on your school's website?
We check your site the way an inspector or a parent would find it: page by page, against the official wording of each requirement. If it's there, you get the page and the words we found. If it isn't, you get every place we looked.
Check this one requirement free, or scan your whole site against every requirement.
Official wording that does not apply to schools (2)
Charges and remissions policies.
The purpose of this departmental advice is to help governing bodies, school leaders, school staff and local authorities set out their policies on charging and remission for school activities and school visits.
Official sources last checked 21 September 2026 · register version 1.0.4