Parents are protesting at the increase in costs of extra-curriculum care at schools run by a West Devon schools academy.

Lauren Tingle, who has two young children, has so far gathered nearly 300 signatures on a petition on the 38 Degrees campaign website saying the increased cost parents are expected to pay for ‘wraparound care’ at Dartmoor Multi Academy Trust (DMAT) schools is too high.

Wraparound childcare is care that ‘wraps’ around the normal school day, such as breakfast or after-school clubs.

The new scheme asks parents to pay in advance, which parents say is unaffordable and unrealistic, especially for people on a limited income who have no spare money to pay before they need care. They are calling on DMAT to rethink the scheme which has given them only a month’s notice of the changes.

Lauren says on her petition: “The price increase of wraparound care at DMAT schools is not affordable, and the pre-booking and paying for half a term at a time is not a realistic or reasonable request.

“Many families need wraparound care at short notice and this is going to leave them without childcare. Most families live pay cheque to pay cheque and will not have the money to pay for six to seven weeks at a time in advance, especially with a month's notice a week after Christmas.

“This is going to put many families into even more hardship and financial stress and will cause people to be forced to leave their jobs or cut hours which will impact their lives as a family.

“DMAT need to give a realistic increase and keep the previous booking system. We need affordable wraparound childcare to enable parents to work full-time and give our children the best potential in life.”

This care takes place at the school, or in linked provision close by. It can be run by the school, or through a private or voluntary sector partner and does not include school-run activities or clubs that do not meet the childcare needs of working families such as a weekly football club.

A DMAT spokesperson said: "To ensure we are providing the very best educational and care experience for our pupils, we have been undertaking a full review of our wraparound care provision, including costs, which we have avoided increasing for as long as possible.

“Due to budgetary pressures facing schools and rising costs, it is necessary to introduce small incremental fee increases to ensure we cover operational costs and guarantee the viability of our wraparound provision.

"We very much appreciate the impact on families, which is why as part of the review, we issued a parental survey, attracting 120 responses.

“Building on this feedback, we are planning to introduce the incremental increase to be manageable for families. We will ensure there is support available for families who need it.”

Changes will not happen until after February half term. The spokesperson thanked parents and carers for their ‘understanding and support’ as DMAT delivers long-term ‘high-quality, financially sustainable’ wraparound provision.