Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what advice they are giving to parents who have been notified by their children's maintained schools of the need for voluntary financial contributions to offset higher operational and employment costs and real-terms reductions in public funding.

The published advice ‘Charging for School Activities’ is available to parents.

The advice explains that schools can ask for voluntary contributions for the benefit of the school or any school activities. When schools make requests for contributions they should not make parents feel pressurised into paying and must make clear contributions are voluntary.

The advice also makes clear that no child should be excluded from an activity simply because his or her parents are unwilling or unable to pay.