Charging and remissions policy: what to publish on your school website
Your charging and remissions policy says what you charge for, such as trips and music lessons, and when charges are reduced or waived.
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 it's due
Keep it up to date
There's no fixed date. Update it whenever something changes.
What's needed
Publish your charging and remissions policy on the statutory information or policies page on your website, saying what you charge for and when charges are reduced or waived.
What it must contain
3 parts- Says what the school charges forMust: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.
- Says when charges are waived or reducedMust: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.
- Eligible pupils pay nothing for board and lodging on qualifying residential tripsMust: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.
What the official sources say
Set out in 5 official sources:
What maintained schools must publish online
Schools must publish their: – charging policy, giving details of activities for which they will charge parents and carers
Must: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.§ 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: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.§ Charging and remissions policies > What schools must publish
What academies must publish online
Academies should publish their: – charging policy, giving details of activities for which they will charge parents and carers
Should: Recommended in official guidance, such as the DfE's. Not a legal requirement in itself.§ 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: Recommended in official guidance, such as the DfE's. Not a legal requirement in itself.§ 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: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.§ 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: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.§ 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: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.§ s457(5)
Charging for school activities (departmental advice, May 2018)
These policies should be made available to parents on request.
Should: Recommended in official guidance, such as the DfE's. Not a legal requirement in itself.§ 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: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.§ 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: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.§ clause 2.15 (Charging)
Questions schools ask
Do schools have to publish a charging and remissions policy?
Academies and maintained schools must.
What does a charging and remissions policy need to 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.
When do we need to update our charging policy?
Keep it up to date. There's no fixed date. Update it whenever something changes.
Where does the requirement for the charging and remissions policy come from?
It is set out in What maintained schools must publish online, What academies must publish online, Education Act 1996 s457 (charging and remissions policies) and Charging for school activities (departmental advice, May 2018) and 1 other source.
Recent changes to the official guidance
Updates to the official sources that affect this requirement, newest first.
7 April 2016 · What maintained schools must publish online
Added a link to school charging and remission guidance.
We last checked these sources on 21 September 2026.
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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