Education Reform Act 1988

111 Charges for board and lodging at boarding schools

(1) Subject to the following provisions of this section, where any registered pupil at any maintained school is provided at the school with board and lodging at the expense of a local education authority or the governing body of the school, charges shall be payable in respect of the board and lodging by the parent of the pupil concerned to that authority or body.

(2) Where the board and lodging are provided for the pupil—

(a) at a school maintained by a local education authority; and

(b) under arrangements made by the authority on the ground mentioned in subsection (4) below;

the authority shall remit the whole of the charges payable under this section.

(3) Where the board and lodging are provided for the pupil—

(a) at a grant-maintained school; and

(b) under arrangements made by a local education authority on the ground mentioned in subsection (4) below;

the whole of the charges payable under this section shall be payable by the authority instead of by the pupil’s parent.

(4) The ground referred to in subsections (2)(b) and (3)(b) above is that, in the opinion of the authority concerned, education suitable to the pupil’s age, ability and aptitude and to any special educational needs he may have cannot otherwise be provided by the authority for him.

(5) Where a local education authority are satisfied that payment of the full charges payable under this section would involve financial hardship to the parent of the pupil concerned, the authority—

(a) in the case of charges payable to the authority, shall remit so much of those charges as falls in accordance with subsection (6) below to be so remitted; and

(b) in the case of charges payable to the governing body of a grant-maintained school in respect of board and lodging provided under arrangements made by the authority, shall pay so much of those charges as falls in accordance with that subsection to be so paid.

(6) In the case of any such charges, the amount that falls to be remitted or paid by a local education authority by virtue of subsection (5) (a) or (b) above is—

(a) such part of those charges as the authority consider ought not to be paid by the pupil’s parent in order to avoid such hardship as is mentioned in that subsection; or

(b) if in their opinion such hardship cannot otherwise be avoided, the whole of those charges.