School Fees Policy
Introduction
The St. Augustine Catholic Primary School is a private assisted school, which promotes faith-based spiritual and moral direction as well as excellence in both academic and non-academic pursuits of all its pupils. Parents are required to make a commitment to financially support the education of their children by paying fees. No distinction is made between families at the St Augustine Catholic Primary School based on financial circumstances.
The School Board has approved the collection of school fees from parents/guardians as a necessary contribution to the costs of delivering the high-quality education offered at the School.
For the purpose of this policy, School Fees shall be considered to be tuition fees and other charges as set out in the “Schedule of Fees”. All matters of school fee payment will be handled confidentially and sensitively by the Board, School Finance Officer and Principal.
Tuition Fee
The School Board reserves the right to revise the Tuition Fee annually in order to meet the long-term financial goals established for the sustained administration of St. Augustine Catholic Primary School. Parents/Guardians will be provided with due notice of any changes to tuition fees.
Payment of Tuition Fees
In order to meet the operational costs of the school, it is necessary that school fees be paid in a timely manner.
On or before the beginning of each school year, a Payment Arrangement Form will be sent to the parents/guardians of each pupil registered at the school. Parents should sign and return the fee payment Arrangement Form within one week of receipt.
Parents/guardians have the option of paying tuition fees in one of the following ways:
Plan 1. ANNUAL payment: Tuition fees for the school year are paid in full in one lump sum at the beginning of the school year. The annual tuition fees will be discounted by 2% for those persons who opt for a lump sum annual fee payment.
Plan 2. TERMLY Payments: The tuition fees for each term are paid in full at the beginning of each school term (that is, before the ending of the first week of each school term in September, January and April).
Plan 3. MONTHLY Payments (Applicable to Nationals and Residents ONLY): The annual tuition fees are paid by a maximum of nine (9) monthly payments over the period September to May of the school year. Each monthly payment is to be made by the first working day of each month. Failure to make the agreed payments on time may result in the cancellation of this concession, and a requirement for the immediate payment of the full balance of the term’s tuition fee. The terms under which school fees are to be paid under a monthly payment arrangement must be agreed with the Principal or School Finance Officer.
For GRADE 6 pupils, all tuition fees and outstanding payments must be made before the beginning of the third (final) term. If payment is not made on time, a late fee of $5.00 per week will be charged for each week that payment is outstanding.
All payment plans must ensure that tuition is fully paid by June 24 of each school year. Failure to comply could result in you being requested to immediately withdraw your child/ward from the school until all payments are made in full.
Any exception to the above guidelines must be immediately referred to the Principal or Financial Officer of the St Augustine School.
Payment should be deposited to the School’s Bank Account online or at Bank of Montserrat Account Number 651 8989.
Family Discounts
Family discounts for the tuition portion of fees are available for siblings attending St. Augustine Catholic Primary School at the same time and are set out in the Schedule of Fees. Children of staff will receive discounts of similar proportion to the family discounts.
Arears of School Fees
Letters of reminder will be sent to parents/guardians of accounts unpaid after the due date (and for which written arrangements have not been made) within two weeks of the first missed payment. A late fee charge of EC$5 per week for every week in arrear will be levied to cover administrative costs. Parents with arrears of school fees which remain outstanding after one (1) month will be required to attend an interview with the School Finance Officer and the Principal. The School Board will be informed of outstanding accounts.
Where parents/guardians have ignored all reasonable attempts to negotiate a fee payment strategy and further action is required (e.g. legal action), all expenses incurred in recovering these outstanding fees will be the responsibility of the parents/guardians.
Exclusion for Non-Payment
If school fees are not paid in accordance with the terms agreed to in the Payment Arrangement Form, or in accordance with any further negotiated payment strategy, the School reserves the right to withhold admission or exclude a student from school. Continued non-payment of school fees will ultimately result in a student’s place at the School being forfeited. The school also has the right to withhold any information such as school reports, examination/test results, transfer letters/certificates, etc. while fees are unpaid. A student who has been excluded due to non-payment of fees will be deemed withdrawn, without notice, 30 days after exclusion.
Financial Hardship
The School Board recognises that families sometimes operate under serious financial constraints. Families in need may apply to the School Board Finance Committee for assistance in meeting some of the tuition fees. Request for assistance should be submitted before the beginning of the school year.
Funding for tuition assistance is extremely limited, and the School Board Finance Committee will consider applications and endeavour to provide assistance to those deemed to be most in need, within funding constraints.
Tuition Assistance will not cover more than seventy-five percent (75%) of tuition fees. Parents/guardians will be required to pay the balance in full using a payment plan that has been agreed with the School Finance Officer in conjunction with the Principal.
All information pertaining to parents/guardians and the payment of school fees will be kept in the strictest confidence.
Extended Vacation
Where a family elects to go on extended vacation during the school term, no concession will be made with regard to school fees and charges. It is expected that all accounts will be paid in full.
Late Entrants/ Withdrawals
A child who enrolls in the school before half-term will be charged the full term’s tuition fee. If the child enrolls after half term, the tuition fee for that term will be reduced by 50%. Parents/guardians of a child who is withdrawn from the school during the school year may apply to have a proportional refund of the school fees for that school year.
Schedule of Tuition Fees & Other Charges
The Board of St Augustine Catholic Primary School sets tuition fees and other charges. Charges are reviewed annually and parents informed of any changes that occur. The Schedule of Fees and Charges, for the Academic Year 2022 – 2023 for pupils in Grades K to Grade 6 are as follows:
Local Student Application fee for new pupils $100 (non-refundable)
Overseas Student Processing Fees for new pupils $200 (non-refundable)
Deposit for New pupils/Placement Confirmation $100
Late Fee Payment Administrative Costs $5 per week
Optional School Enrichment Programmes
(e.g. Steel Orchestra) $25 per month
Late Entrants up to Half Term Full term fee
Late Entrants after Half Term Half term fee
Transfer/Reference Letter Fee $20 per letter
Transcript Fee $50 per request
Family Rates for Tuition Fees 2022 - 2023
| TERM 1, 2 & 3 |
1st Child of the family will pay
| $675 |
2nd Child “ | $650 |
3rd Child “ | $600 |
4th Child “ | $550 |
Payment Plan ($675 per term) For First Child of Family
Annual Plan $ 2 025.00
Termly Plan $ 675.00 per term (3 terms in the school year)
Monthly Plan $ 225.00 per month for 9 months.
Other Fees
Religion Book $ 25
Steel Pan $ 75 per term
Drum Tuition $ 25 per month
Graduation Gown $ 100 (refundable EC$75 if returned blemish-free)
St Augustine Polo Shirt $ 40 – Child; $ 50 – Adult
St Augustine Sports Shirts (House Colour) $ 21 Child; $ 25 – Adult
Rental of laptop/tablet $ 402 Annual fee $ 134 per Term