The Government tackled the thorny issue of charging parents for extendedservices last week. It led some national newspapers to proclaim thatparents could soon be paying 200 a week for out-of-hours clubsnot linked to the national curriculum.
But the Department for Education and Skills document on planning andfunding extended schools is more nuanced than this. It sets out howschools should draw up a charging structure and clarifies what schoolscan and can't charge for. There is also information on pots of moneythat can be used to fund extended school activities.
The issue of charging
The most contentious issue is what schools can charge for. Allchildcare, except the free provision that all three- and four-year-oldsare now entitled to, should be charged for. This means breakfast clubscould be charged at full cost, according to the DfES. The document alsostates that schools may charge for some study support. So while anEaster revision week for GCSEs should be free, charges could be made foran after-school foreign language club. And pupils could attend acatch-up maths club for free but have to pay to attend a film club.
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