CHARGED SERVICES - 2023-24
Fir Ends School's primary educational provision between the hours of 9:00 and 15:25 is provided free at the point of use for pupils in Reception to Year 6. In addition to this, the school offers additional services which involve direct charges to parents.
The Governing Body manages the procedures for charged services through the Charging & Remissions Policy, which is updated at least annually. The current version can be found on the policies page.
The school aims to ensure that charged services are affordable, whilst also being sustainable.
Charged services where the school is paid are billed through ParentPay. To register your account for this service, contact the office.
Guidance on how to use ParentPay can be found on the newsletter archives page.
School meals are charged directly by our caterer, Dolce. These charges are made through the Schoolgrid system.
To assist parents with budgeting for access to charged services, current costs and estimates are detailed below.
SCHOOL LUNCHES
Pupils in Reception and Key Stage 1 receive free school meals, funded through the Universal Free Infant School Meals grant.
Our school lunches are provided by Dolce.
For pupils in Nursery and Key Stage 2, the there is a daily cost paid directly to Dolce through their Schoolgrid app.
KS2 school lunches currently cost £2.40 per day.
This equates to:
- £12 per week
- approx. £144 per term (12 weeks)
- £456 per year
Costs associated with meal provision are reviewed by Dolce and the school regularly and may increase in line with rising costs. The school subsidises costs as far as it is able to from the school budget.
From September 2023 costs will be:
- Nursery: £2.42
- KS2: £2.54
SUPPORT WITH MEAL COSTS
Parents eligible for some benefits may also be able to claim the Free School meals Grant (FSM).
Accessing FSM also generates increased Pupil Premium funding for the school, and can also trigger eligibility for other subsidies and benefits.
KEYBOARD & GUITAR LESSONS
Pupils can extra-curricular receive tuition in guitar or keyboard (piano) with Mr Draper.
These lessons are provided directly through Mr Draper's business, and are invoiced direct to parents by him.
See: Music Lessons
NURSERY PROVISION
Our Nursery provision is offered at an hourly rate of £4.00 per hour.
Nursery Lunches are £2.10 per day in addition to any hourly costs.
Prices will increase in September 2023
- Nursery provision: £4.50 per hour
- Nursery Lunches: £2.42 per day
Further details about our Nursery & Early Years class can be found here.
WRAPAROUND CARE
Fir Ends School provides wraparound childcare from 8:00 to 8:45 and 15:30 to 17:30.
Breakfast Club costs between £1 and £3 per day.
After School Club costs between 50p and £6.50 per day, depending on usage.
Prices will increase in September 2023
- Breakfast club: £1.15 - £3.45 per day
- After-school club: £2.00 - £7.15 per day
The costs for this provision are detailed here.
LOST or DAMAGED items
The school provides all KS1 & 2 pupils with a chromebook. In addition, KS2 pupils are given a recorder.
Should these items be lost or damaged, the school reserves the right to charge parents for their replacement.
Chromebook
- If damage is covered by insurance: £100 insurance excess
- If not covered by insurance: full replacement cost at time of loss
Recorder replacement: £2.50
OTHER CHARGES
MILK
Children under 5 receive free milk, and we subsidise the continuation of this for pupils that turn five during their Reception year.
Parents can arrange for pupils over 5 to receive a daily drink of milk via CoolMilk. This is a direct arrangement with the company, involving a direct debit.
Parents can register at www.Coolmilk.com
CURRICULUM TRIPS & VISITS
Fir Ends School encourages staff to arrange trips and visits to support the curriculum and to access sporting events. These typically involve significant transport costs in addition to per-pupil entry fees, and the charging policy details the contributions that may be requested from parents to assist with these costs.
Typically, the requested contribution will be £3, although some may involve higher costs.
Pupils eligible for Pupil Premium funding will have these costs subsidised by the school.
KS2 RESIDENTIALS
We arrange annual residential trips for pupils in years 4,5&6.
Year 4 attend RobinWood in Alston for a three-day residential, and costs for this are typically £130 to £150 per child.
Year 5&6 travel further afield for a five-day residential and costs will typically be around £300 - £315 per child.
Pupils eligible for Pupil Premium receive a subsidy of 50% against these costs.
Where there are siblings attending a residential in the same academic year, a subsidy of 10% for each child in the family will be provided by the school.