OVERDUE ACCOUNTS POLICY

Updated 7 June 2011

1. Purpose

To standardise the procedure for the collection of outstanding accounts.

2. Credit Checks

2.1. Dainfern College carries out a credit check via Legal City as part of the enrolment process. The College at its discretion may carry out credit checks after the child has enrolled should problems be experienced in the payment of accounts.

2.2. Where a family wishes to enrol a sibling, the payment record with the other siblings will be taken into account.

2.3. It should be noted that any debt relating to a child having left Dainfern College will transfer to an enrolled sibling’s account for which that same parent is accountable.

3. Fee Collection Procedures

3.1. Parents will be invoiced for fees annually (in three term installments). Statements will be sent on a monthly basis.

3.2. The full fees for a term are payable in advance on or before the last day of the first week in which the term begins.

3.3. If the account is outstanding at the start of the third week of the term, a first warning letter will be sent. The letter will warn parents that they are in arrears and that they have 14 days from the date of the letter to settle their account.

3.4. Should the account remain unpaid after the 14-day period stated above, parents will receive a second letter advising them that the learner will be excluded after half-term as a consequence of the breach of contract and that the learner should not return to school after half-term until the account has been fully settled.

3.5. If the fees are still outstanding after two letters of warning the school will insist that the parents keep their child at home. If the child is sent to school, the respective principal will remove the child from class and place him/her under supervision in the Media Centre. The parents will be phoned and asked to collect their child soonest from the Media Centre.

3.6. Reports (of any nature) will not be issued to parents with outstanding fees.

3.7. A child will not be eligible to attend a tour or special event requiring additional payment (e.g. Matric dance), if there are fees outstanding.

3.8. Should the account remain unpaid at the end of the term, a term’s notice will be given that the contract will be terminated at the end of the following term and the school will award that place to any learners on the waiting list. Alternative arrangements should be made by the parents for the education of the learner in question.

3.9. Once the contract has been cancelled and the learner excluded from school, the account will be handed over to a debt collection agency, the College’s attorneys, or another suitable agency, for collection.

4. Interest on Overdue Accounts

4.1. Interest on overdue fees is charged monthly on all outstanding tuition fees.

4.2. The rate has been set at prime plus 5% to encourage parents to pay the school account on time.

5. Communication

5.1. All procedures and communications concerning the collection of fees will be conducted by the Bursar’s department.  The heads of the schools will not be involved in the process.

5.2. Parents are advised to contact the Bursars office in good time to make a mutually agreeable payment plan, should they foresee that they will experience difficulties with fee payment commitments.

6. General

6.1. All communication with parents will be recorded on a data collection system. The College reserves the right to record any conversations with any parents.

6.2. All communications concerning arrangements for the payment of outstanding accounts will be confirmed in writing by the College.

6.3. Collections will be allocated against the account in the following order:

6.3.1. Legal fees

6.3.2. Interest

6.3.3. Extras (books; trips; incidental charges; etc.)

6.3.4. Tuition fees

6.4. Credit balances on the account of a learner who has left the College will be refunded to the person(s) responsible for the account two months after the learner has left the College.