Information regarding pricing

Pricing: Academic Year September 2024 to August 2025

At The Lighthouse Club we believe in open communication with all our parents and staff. We set our prices to achieve an affordable charging structure that allows school to offer excellent provision at as low a cost as possible.

We set our prices for the whole of the academic year so you are not faced with unforeseen cost increases during the school year. We last increased our prices in September 2023, and before this raised our prices in September 2019, September 2015 and September 2010.

Pricing per child for academic year September 24 to August 25

Session	Cost	Weekly	Whole year
Breakfast	£4.50	£22.50	£855.00
After School	£8.00	£40.00	£1,520.00

The Club is open 190 days during term time. The weekly and whole year costs above are shown for guidance and are based on a single child attending each club for the whole week.

Term Dates

Term	Dates	Days	Breakfast	After School	Total
Autumn	04 Sept 24 to 24 Oct 24	37	£166.50	£296.00	£462.50
Autumn	4 Nov 24 to 20 Dec 24	35	£157.50	£280.00	£437.50
Spring	07 Jan 25 to 14 Feb 25	29	£130.50	£232.00	£362.50
Spring	24 Feb 25 to 04 Apr 25	30	£135.00	£240.00	£375.00
Summer	22 Apr 25 to 23 May 25	23	£103.50	£184.00	£287.50
Summer	03 Jun 25 to 22 Jul 25	36	£162.00	£288.00	£450.00
	Totals	190	£855.00	£1,520.00	£2,375.00

Please note that costs assume one child attending Monday to Friday

Places – when you register your child for either breakfast and/or after school club you are reserving a place for your required club on the specified days. The registration form allows you to state which days of the week and which sessions you wish your child to attend. This information is used to determine the minimum required staffing levels and you are signalling your intent to pay the club throughout the full academic year.

Payment is required for all days booked, even if a child does not attend. You are charged per registered place and not the number of sessions attended.

Should your account fall into arrears and is not settled once requested, your child’s place will be cancelled. However, family circumstances can and do change and we will aim to be as flexible as possible in such instances. You will still need to provide notice and settle outstanding payments. See below for further information regarding payment.

Additional days/One off sessions – if your child does not attend every day there is the option, should you need it, to buy in “one off” or irregular additional days. Please note that this is not guaranteed and will be subject to sufficient free space being available in the club for the additional day(s) you require. Payment in full is required in advance of the additional/one off session(s). Please see the Club Manager for further details. Absence will be charged in line with the policy and a charge is applied even if the booked session is no longer required.

Late collection of a child – in the case of a late pick up of a child or children by a Parent/Carer from the After School session, school reserves the right to charge an extra fee of £5.00 per child for every half hour or part thereof from 5.55pm. This is to cover the additional childcare provided and staff overtime costs. Repeated late collections will jeopardise your child’s place at the club. Parents/Carers are required to contact After School Club if they are going to be late. The late collection charge will be automatically applied to the After School Club account and confirmation of the charge sent to the Parent/Carer via School Spider.

Absences /Illness – short term absences and short term illness absence will still be charged. Long term absence will be reviewed by management on a case by case basis.

School closure days – your registered places are for the 190 term days each academic year. The five staff training days (commonly called “INSET” days) are not included in the 190 days and are therefore not charged. You will not be charged for any other school closure days, such as those due to industrial action or bad weather when the Club is forced to close. However, please bear in mind that the Club may still be open if the closure is only partial. For example, the Breakfast club may be open but mid-morning the school closes because of bad weather. Breakfast charges apply but the After School charges for that day will be credited and carried forward to reduce your next payment.

Residential trips and other voluntary activities

You will still be charged should you opt for your child to attend school residential trips and/or partake in any other activities and extra curricular clubs which are voluntary, for example, performing arts, craft clubs or athletic clubs after school.

Withdrawal

If a place is no longer required, you must give 4 weeks’ notice to cancel your place. You will be charged until the end of the 4 week notice period. If you wish to relinquish your registered place(s) before the end of the academic year you must submit written notification to the Club Manager, providing four term weeks’ notice. Should you withdraw your child from Club without notice or with less than four term weeks’ notice you will be charged a four week equivalent of your child’s normal sessions. You must immediately settle all outstanding fees.

Change to registered days

We require a four week notice period if you wish to change your registered day to another day. A change in registered day is subject to sufficient places being available on the requested day and waiting lists.

Payment

The Lighthouse Club is self-financing and is run as a “not for profit” venture. Fees are used to employ the Club staff – salaries are not funded by the school - and to pay for food and activity resources. It is very important that families pay promptly and do not accumulate arrears. Payments must be made a week in advance and a credit balance maintained. Non-payment of fees resulting in repeated fee chasing may jeopardise your place at the club.

It is the Parents/Carers responsibility to contact the Club Manager if unable to make payment of fees for that week. An alternative date for payment must be provided in writing and accepted at the discretion of management.

There are several options available for you to pay for your registered places(s).

Parent Pay – an online secure payment facility allowing for payment via debit or credit card. Schools nationwide use this facility and families can see 24hrs a day how much they owe and how much they have paid. School provide all families with details.
Standing Order – payment is made direct to the club’s bank account. Please contact the Club Manager for details. It is important that the reference you choose identifies the family making the payment.
Childcare Voucher – these are redeemable online. It is important that the reference you choose identifies the family making the payment.
Tax Free Childcare – the Club is registered to accept TFC payments as Mount Primary School. Please provide the Club Manager with your TFC reference.
Childcare Grant – we accept payment via Childcare Grant. Please inform the Club Manager once you are registered with the scheme.

Not valid methods of payment

Cheque – no longer accepted as payment in January 2015
Cash – no longer accepted as payment from September 2015.

School monitors payments and accounts on a daily basis and you must remain in credit to ensure your place is retained. We cannot guarantee a continued place at the Club if you have unpaid fees on your account.

Regardless of payment method all children using the Club have a Parent Pay record that parents can view to see the balance of fees and charges. Payments via standing order, TFC or childcare voucher will be subject to a delay while records are manually updated. Any adjustments to reflect unusual events – such a closure due to bad weather or industrial action – will be delayed while records are manually adjusted.

Debt Recovery Policy

Further information regarding arrears and our debt recovery policy can be found under the “Policies” section of the school website.

Existing Debt

We are unable to provide a new place or additional sessions at Breakfast or After School Club if you have unpaid fees on your Lighthouse Club Account. Please ensure your account is up to date and paid in full before applying for a place or requesting additional sessions.

Behaviour

The Lighthouse Club promotes a safe and positive environment for children. Children attending the Club are expected to behave and conduct themselves in accordance with school policies. Not following the school’s behaviour and safety policies may result in the removal of your child’s place from the Club.

Registration Details

The Club Manager must be informed of any changes to your registration details as soon as possible. It is important that your contact information is kept up to date.

Non Attendance

If your child is being collected from class and will not attend one of their registered days, you must notify the club in advance. Please see Absences/Illness for more information regarding charges.

Alternative Collection

If the person collecting your child is not registered as a named person, we require written notice or verbal notice to The Lighthouse Club or the school office giving permission for that person to collect your child. We will require a password and brief description of the nominated person. If we have not been informed of an alternative collection we will attempt to contact the parent/carer for verbal permission to collect in the first instance. If we are unable to make contact with the parent/carer we will use the school Arbor database to confirm if the person collecting has recorded permission to collect. If the person is not registered to collect on the school database then the child will not be released until confirmation from the parent/carer has been received.

New Starters

If your child is starting After School Club, please provide the Club Manager with a password that can be provided upon request by staff when your child is collected from Club. This will be used until the person collecting is recognised by The Lighthouse Club staff.