The Legal Framework

Governing Bodies are required by law to have a charging and remissions policy.  They will also wish to take into account any local guidelines such as the city's Anti-Poverty Strategy.

The law allows for a charge to be made for music instrumental lessons of up to and including 4 pupils inside the school day, unless the tuition is required as a part of a syllabus for a prescribed public examination, or is required by the National Curriculum.

Individual or group vocal tuition, which is provided within school hours must be free.  Where vocal tuition is provided outside school hours, and is not required as an integral part of the syllabus for a prescribed public examination or by the National Curriculum, a charge may be made.

In Birmingham schools there is no requirement to charge.  This decision to charge or not to charge is the responsibility of individual Governing Bodies.

The Role of the Instrumental/Vocal Teacher

If schools require formal advice on charging they should be referred, in the first instance, to the Head of Music Service who will arrange to visit the school.

If an individual teacher feels that a school is not remaining within the legal framework set out above, this should be pointed out informally to the school, in the first instance.  If remedial action is not taken, the matter should be referred to the Head of Music Service.  It is the responsibility of the school, not the individual instrumental teacher, to ensure that its statutory obligations are being met.

Sometimes, individual teachers may be informally asked for advice.  They may wish to refer such a request to the Head of Music Service but, in offering any informal guidance, they will wish to remember that schools, where successful charging and remissions policies operate, are characterised by a number of common factors:

• the school is making some financial input itself;
  
  
• the notion of instrumental/vocal lessons supporting a variety of special educational needs is clearly understood by the school and explained to pupils and parents;
  
  
• equality of access to opportunity is maintained for all pupils;
  
  
• no pupils are denied access because of financial hardship;
  
  
• charges are the same for all lessons regardless of lesson or size of group;
  
  
• sufficient flexibility is retained to allow groups of different sizes and lessons of different length;
  
  
• money is collected in advance and charges are made per term, rather than per lesson.  Refunds are only made when the number of lessons missed due to teacher absence falls below an agreed level.