Refund Policy

Purpose

This policy is developed to provide guidelines and outline circumstances where payments made to the school can be refunded to parents/guardians.

 

Guidelines

 

Types of payments for which refunds might apply;

School Councils are able to request payments or contributions for education items and services from parents and guardians for students in Victorian government schools in the following three categories:

• Curriculum Contributions
• Extra-Curricular Items and Activities
• Other Contributions

 

All administrative and financial processes are compliant with Department of Education (DE) requirements, including CASES21 financial reporting.

 

Curriculum Contributions

These are items and activities that students use, or participate in, to access the Curriculum.

 

These items can include:

• classroom consumables, materials and equipment (eg. student stationary items, art supplies, LOTE stationary, STEAM supplies, ingredients for cooking, craft, numeracy equipment, classroom readers and sports equipment)
• online subscriptions (eg. mathletics, essential maths, reading eggs etc.)
• contribution to the cost of provision of class set of ICT devices
• contribution to the cost of photocopying worksheet and learning materials

 

Extra-Curricular Items and Activities

These are items and activities that enhance or broaden the schooling experience of students and are above and beyond what the school provides in order to deliver the Curriculum. These are provided on a user-pays basis and if parents choose to access them for students, they will be required to pay for each item.  

 

These items can include:

• excursions and incursions
• camps
• additional school items such as level 6 school jackets

 

Other Contributions

Are non-curriculum items and services under which parents are invited to make a donation to the School, for example for the School Sports Victoria affiliation and Waverley East Sports Association affiliation, first aid equipment, library fund, grounds maintenance or building fund.

 

IMPLEMENTATION:

School activities such as (but not limited to) incursions, excursions, camps and purchases must be paid for prior to the event, and be accompanied by parent consent.

Refunds are all subject to the discretion of the Principal on a case by case basis, and usually follow the guidelines below.

 

 

 

Curriculum Contributions

Refunds are not available for money received for curriculum contribution items that are retained or used by the student eg. classroom consumables, stationary and online subscriptions.

 

Extra -Curricular Items and Activities

As these are charged on a user-pays basis, refunds may be available for payments made for extra-curricular items and activities if:

• the student has not participated in the service, or received the item that has been paid for
• the school receives a credit from a third party provider involved in the camp or excursion (eg. admittance fees and charges).

 

Refunds are not available where:

• payment for transport and entrance fees (etc) is a flat charge split across the number of students expected to attend.
• the school will be out of pocket

 

Other Contributions

All refunds of other contributions are subject to the discretion of the Principal on a case by case basis.

 

How to apply for a refund

Any request for a refund should be in writing and directed to the Principal.  Requests can be emailed to glen.waverley.south.ps@education.vic.gov.au.

 

RELATED POLICIES:

Parents Payments Policy

 

POLICY EVALUATION:

This policy will be reviewed annually.

 

This policy was last ratified by School Council on: 21 March 2023