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Coronavirus: getting refunds for residentials and school trips
Find out who to speak to, what the DfE insurance scheme covers, and what you can do if your travel provider isn't playing fair.
Check what refunds you're entitled to
Speak to your travel provider and credit card company
First, get in touch with your travel provider(s), including booking agents and tour operators.
Find out if you're entitled to any refunds, but bear in mind you may not be – it'll all depend on the terms and conditions of your booking.
If you have no luck with your travel provider(s) and you paid by credit card, check if you can get a refund from your credit card company.
If you're entitled to a refund, but can't get one
If your Ts&Cs state you should get a refund but your travel provider or credit card company is refusing or making it difficult, you can report the business to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).
Find out more about the complaints process here.
Bear in mind, you may not get a refund at the end of this process, so it's still worth speaking to your insurance provider too – read on for more advice on this.
Check if you're covered by insurance
The RPA covers refunds of cancelled trips
The risk protection arrangement (RPA) is the Department for Education's alternative to commercial insurance. If you're a member you'll be covered for the following:
- Cancelled overseas and UK travel
- To reclaim costs for any affected children, where the travel provider has offered to rearrange a trip but some children can't attend the new date
But you should first:
- Speak to your travel provider(s) – and credit card company, in the case of cancellations – to see if you can get any money back
- Provide evidence that you've done this in your claim
Read the FAQs on COVID-19 and submit a claim from the claims portal (TopMark Claims Management is the chosen provider for the RPA).
If you're not a member of the RPA, speak to your travel insurance provider
- Check your travel insurance policy or speak to your provider
- Your insurance may cover some non-refundable costs – most insurers will cover you when there's government advice against travelling
Sources
In addition to the RPA FAQs linked to above, when writing this article we referred to guidance from:
- Coronavirus: catch-up premium report template
- Coronavirus: changes to faith school admission arrangements
- Coronavirus: guidance on hiring out your premises
- Coronavirus: how to manage the NHS contact tracing app in your school
- Coronavirus: how to record attendance
- Coronavirus: how to safely run your open evenings
- Coronavirus: visitor agreement
- How to develop your coronavirus catch-up premium strategy
- How to run a virtual parents' evening
- Recruitment during coronavirus: how to manage it remotely
- School reopening: ways to raise money
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