Charging in clubs

Breakfast clubs across the country vary enormously when it comes to charging. Some do and some don’t. Where clubs do charge their fees and methods also vary a lot. 

Here are a few examples:

• No charge - all costs are covered by a funder or allocated from the school budget.  This is very common in targeted provision or that focused on school improvement.
• Charge per item - each food item is individually priced and attendees can choose how much they spend.  Has drawbacks if you are trying to support low income groups and can mark out ‘poor’ families.  Good for encouraging members to try new food or healthy food as you can price these lower than other items.
• Charge per day/week/term - these have various advantages and disadvantages.  Termly fees will help you budget better and encourage regular attendance but they may put off families who can’t afford a whole terms fees.  Charging per day has the opposite impact!
• Sliding scales of payment - eg this could be second family member goes half price; attend 4 days and get a 5th breakfast free etc or it may be based on whether a family is entitled to free school meals.
• Free places - many clubs charge a standard fee but budget for a set number of ‘free’ places for families that couldn’t afford the charge.  In schools this money is usually from the school budget to support disadvantage (see below).
• Token schemes - large school based canteen style clubs might operate a swipe card system if it is already in place at lunch time. Other clubs can use a tokens system at the club to avoid daily handling of cash and help anonymise free places.
• Special/promotional offers - many clubs offer a special ‘new members deal’ at the start of the term or school year to encourage newcomers.  Special events like ‘bring a family member/parent/friend for free’ can help spread the message about what you do and what the club feels like.  Taster days are great for nervous families.
• Loyalty schemes - You might want to offer members who have been coming for a year a free term of breakfast the next year. This will help encourage regular attendance and you could have a prize each year or term for the best attendance.  This doesn’t have to be a cash prize, it could be a treat or a role of responsibility in the club.

WorkingTax Credit (WTC) 

If you are registered as formal day care, families can claim back up to 80% of the cost of the club through WTC.

For guidance on claiming WTC see the HMRC website.