Exclusive:Parent Raises Concerns Over After-School Club Price Increases at an Elm Park Primary School.
A parent whose son attends RJ Mitchell Primary School in Elm Park has criticised a sharp increase in after-school club charges, claiming the new pricing structure has left his family facing a large rise and an unexpected £279 deficit charge.
Paul, whose son attends the school, said the cost of the after-school club initially increased from £6 to £7.50 before the charges changed according to the length of time a child stayed.
He said the fee had now risen to £15, representing a high increase for parents whose children use the provision for less than an hour.
Paul said his son attends for less than 45 minutes. He also explained that his son uses a wheelchair and has a specialist diet, meaning he does not eat or drink while attending the club.
“They are penalising working parents,” he said.
Paul also raised concerns about the school’s booking and payment system. He said he had booked sessions in advance and was still being charged the previous £6 fee because the system had not been updated to reflect the new prices.
He said he made the payment at the amount displayed, but subsequently received an unexpected bill for £279.
“I paid and it still showed £6 as their system had not updated and now they sent me deficit charge of £279,” he said.
Paul described the situation as particularly concerning for working families who rely on the club to bridge the gap between the end of the school day and their working commitments.
He added: “They are discriminating against working parents.”
Paul has also questioned how the new pricing structure has been calculated, arguing that parents using the provision for longer periods appear to have received smaller increases than those relying on it for shorter periods.
He said parents using the breakfast club for the full two-and-a-half hours had not faced any price increase, while those using it for two hours had seen an increase of just £3.
By contrast, he believes working parents who cannot physically collect their children immediately at the end of the school day, but arrive within the first hour of the after-school club, are being disproportionately affected.
He argued that the school premises were already open, staff were already on site and much of the energy expenditure would be incurred regardless of whether a child attended for 30 minutes or two-and-a-half hours.
He said: “The new pricing structure appears to penalise parents who use the provision for the shortest amount of time, whilst those using considerably more of the school’s facilities and resources are seeing little or no increase.”
Paul said parents were not questioning that running costs could increase, but wanted to understand how those increases had been distributed and what evidence supported such a substantial rise for families using the service for less than an hour.
Responding to the concerns, a spokesperson for Aspire Learning Federation, which includes Elm Park Primary School and RJ Mitchell Primary School, said:
“We understand that any increase in childcare costs will be a concern for families and appreciate the financial pressures many households are facing.
“The revised charges for the after-school club have been introduced following a careful review of our operating costs. The club is currently running at a deficit, with staffing, food, utility and other associated costs continuing to rise. The previous fees no longer covered the cost of delivering the service.
“A range of options have been considered by School Leaders and Governors before the decision was made, with the aim of finding the fairest and most sustainable approach while ensuring the Breakfast and After School Club could continue to operate.
“The new charges have been introduced in line with those of similar childcare providers in the area, which typically charge between £12 and £16 for after-school clubs.
“While we appreciate that some families may be disappointed by the increase, these changes are necessary to secure the long-term future of the service and maintain access to before- and after-school childcare for families who rely on it.”
However, Paul’s concerns raise further questions about how the revised charges have been calculated, why parents using the provision for shorter periods appear to be facing much larger increases, and why payments made at the previous advertised rate have subsequently resulted in a deficit charge.
The issue is likely to be of concern to other working families who depend on affordable before- and after-school childcare.
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