Terms and conditions (revised september 2019)
1. All students are to be well behaved and polite to teachers, helpers and class mates at all times. Bad language, unruly behaviour and bullying will not be tolerated. Offending students will be asked to leave. Parents, please be patient at all times. Please remember that staff members are here to help you and your child, but will not put up with bad manners, rudeness or bad language. Offending parents will be asked to leave with their child, which may result in those offending, losing any money paid.
2. Students will be allowed into the changing area 15 minutes before their class starts, to get changed. While waiting, students must be on their best behaviour as there are classes in progress. Only children who are part of the dance school are allowed in the changing areas, anyone else must stay in the foyer. All coats and other belongings are to be put in the changing area with the exception of valuables which must be left at home. X-press performers will not be held responsible for any loss or damage to any personal property. All mobile phones must be left at home or switched off during classes and will be confiscated until home time if they do ring during classes. All of our staff members have a mobile phone to use in case of an emergency.
3. We only accept responsibility for the students during classes. It is your responsibility to stay with them until the class is starting as they are not allowed into the studios until then. Please make sure students are collected promptly at the end of the class so the next class can start on time. If a student is going to make his/her own way to and from classes, please indicate on their registration form. If making their own way home, please inform them that they must go straight home and not hang around the building. Remember that this is a residential area.
4. It is very important that everyone writes on their registration forms any medical conditions/injuries if they have any, and bring with them what is needed. E.g. if a student has asthma then they must bring their inhaler to class. It is the parent’s responsibility to inform us of any changes of address, telephone number or new medical conditions/injuries etc
5. It is important that students arrive on time as they must do a warm up at the beginning of the class for safety reasons, any student missing from this will not be allowed to join in the rest of the class.
6. Students will be given a 1 month trial period after which they will be required to purchase the school uniform. This may be purchased at the school for which full payment is required before the order is made. Until then, all students are to wear comfortable non restricting clothing and trainers/p.e. pumps until this time, (shorts or leggings and vest top for ballet tap or modern). No jewellery, jeans, skirts, sandals, boots or slip on shoes please. Hair must be tied back (a low bun for ballet).
7. No food or drink is to be consumed in the studios, with the exception of plastic bottles of water or diluted juice. If students come to classes straight from school and need to eat, they must sit in the cafe area or changing area and put their rubbish in the bin immediately afterwards for health, safety and hygiene reasons.
8. Chewing gum is not allowed anywhere in the building. Parents, as this is a public building, smoking is not allowed in or near the building. If you do smoke, please do so outside the building well away from the entrance.
9. For all new members, a £10.00 joining fee must be paid on the 1st day of joining X-press performers to keep their place in the school. If a student leaves the school we will require 2 weeks’ notice so that we can fill their place. If 2 weeks’ notice is given and provided the student has attended and paid for those 2 weeks, the joining fee will be returned after the 2 weeks’ notice. If no notice is given, the £10.00 will be used to cover fees for the 2 weeks after they leave until their place is filled. Any remaining fees must be settled within 30 days of leaving us. If not, legal action may be taken. If the student rejoins at a later date, the joining fee must be paid again to hold their place. For all members, fees must be paid monthly at the beginning of each month before entry to classes. Late payers will not be entitled to discount and will therefore pay full price for the classes which are paid late. If fees are not paid by your child’s next class, your child will not be able to take part and will be sent home. In a case where a child is left in our care and a parent has left without paying fees, your child will be asked to sit in the studio and watch the class.
10. A seasonal newsletter and any new information regarding extra classes/events etc. are put up on the notice board well in advance, along with any changes to the terms and conditions or new terms and conditions. It is your responsibility to read these notices. Please do not expect your child to pass on all information, from experience, we know this doesn’t happen. If you have any queries regarding the terms and conditions or any new ones please see Miss Lee. If you do not, then it will be assumed that you are happy to comply. If letters are given out, and you do not come in to the building, your letter will be given to your child who will have to sign for it. It is your responsibility to read your letter and make sure both you and your child understand it so that you are aware of any new events etc.
11. If you need to speak to the principal or any other teachers about anything, feel free but please wait until classes have finished. Besides being impolite, it is not fair on the students to have their classes disrupted by parents walking in and out of classes. Classes do have to start on time so teachers may not be able to talk to all parents waiting, in this case we would advise you to arrange a suitable appointment to talk to the teacher. Please do not ask any of our staff members for their phone numbers or contact them by phone, face book, twitter, Instagram or any other social media websites. Our teacher’s accounts and phone numbers are personal and are not to be used to discuss any work related matters. Due to child protection issues please also ask your children not to do this. All queries must go through the principal and decisions are made by her. Queries can be made by calling or emailing the principal or by contacting the principal through our Facebook page. Our office is open 9am-2pm Monday – Friday. Calls out of office times will not be answered but will be returned. Emails/Facebook enquires will be answered on Mondays and Tuesdays only. Any queries you have for other staff members will be passed on.
12. If paying anything by cheque, please be aware that there will be an £8.00 charge if it is rejected by the bank due to insufficient funds in your account. This sum is what is charged to us by our business bank account.
13. If a student is absent for any reason, including illness/injury, those missed classes must be paid for the following week before entry to classes if they haven’t already. This also applies to extra classes. If a student is going to be absent from classes please call Miss Lee before the class. If we are not informed previously, then they may lose their place. Please remember this is a dance school not a youth club (where they come when they feel like). If taking part in shows, exams and competitions, the students need to learn routines. If they miss, they may hold back the rest of the class while they learn the work from the previous week. If a student misses classes on what we consider a regular basis, they may not be able to catch up and therefore will be taken out of those routines. If a student is seriously ill, injured or is hospitalised, and a valid doctor’s note is shown, showing the dates of illness, fees will be waived. Fees will not be waived for brothers or sisters who miss at the same time unless they also have a valid doctor’s note. If a student is ill or injured, then were possible they must come to watch the class so they don’t miss anything. Please understand that we have expensive overheads to cover every month regardless of how many members are present and we must meet the payments in order for the school to stay open.
14. We close for Christmas, Easter and summer as well as ½ terms. Exact dates will be given on our newsletters which are given out at the beginning of each term. They usually fall the same time as the council school holidays. If a student is going to be taking a holiday during term time or has important school events, e.g. exams out of school hours etc. these must be noted in the book 4 weeks in advance so that we know who will be absent from classes/events etc. (please appreciate that classes are planned 4 weeks previous and are difficult to amend at short notice). If a student is absent for other reasons such as school trips, parent evenings, school performances, doctor/dentist appointments for you, your child or another family members, parties, family events, days out etc. Please also inform us so that were necessary we can adapt classes. Please note that while we understand that students do like to go to parties or on trips etc. which sometimes fall on rehearsal days, if they do miss rehearsals due to these events, they may fall behind, if this is the case, unfortunately they may not be able to take part in certain events. Missed classes must be paid for in full before the above events.
15. Please do not ask us to waive fees or give discount for any other reasons other than those mentioned in rule 13 as refusal may cause offence. We have 12 weeks holiday from the school each year in which to plan other events. We also offer week day and weekend classes so if a student can’t make a class we are more than happy to offer an alternative class for those classes missed.
16. Shows/competitions/exams – all of these events are optional. But please remember that if you agree to let your child take part, you are also agreeing to be present at extra classes were necessary as well as usual classes. Failure to be present at extra classes will mean that you will not be able to take part unless a phone call is made before hand to Miss Lee, and the only valid excuses being if your child is ill or injured, any other reasons will only be excused at the discretion of Miss Lee. If 2 extra classes are missed for any reason leading up to an event, your child will automatically be taken out of those acts missed/the exam which will result in you losing any money paid. At x-press performers we take great responsibility for the children we teach and take pride in their presentation. Our priority in running extra classes is to ensure the children are fully rehearsed for big events i.e. shows/competitions/exams, so extra classes are sometimes necessary. There is not always time in their usual timetabled class to concentrate on show, competition and exam work, also not everyone in the class wants to take part in these events. This is why extra classes are sometimes unavoidable. These classes are kept to a minimum.
17. All extra/private classes are booked in and put on the notice board at least 4 weeks in advance. It is up to the student and the student’s parents to look at the board and make a note of all classes the student needs to attend. If we are given 4 weeks’ notice that they can’t make these classes, every attempt will be made to find the student a more convenient date and time. If a student does not turn up for a private class and does not give any notice, or cancels too late for us to get a replacement, whatever the reason, this class must be paid for at their next class before entry.
18. Costume payments can be made on a savings card supplied by us. There is a 3 month closing date prior to shows/comps. Any student who has not paid for costumes in full 3 months before unfortunately will not be able to take part in dances in which these costumes are used. Please do not ask for any refunds. Costumes/material will be bought from your 1st payment onwards. Suppliers will not give refunds on made to order costumes. Also material can’t be sent back and once a costume has been made/adjusted it can’t be dismantled. Unfortunately all we can offer you is the costumes. Payments for competitions, exams, tickets, DVD’s. Coaches, trophies etc can also be made on your savings card in advance. Closing dates are 2 months before the events. When payments for the above are made, unfortunately refunds can’t be given after the closing date as money does need to be sent off in advance to pay for the above. We recommend a payment of £2.50 per student per week to be paid on your card so that you do not have to pay out a lump sum for events your child wants to take part in. This way of payment is optional.
19. If for any reason a student decide to leave X-press Performers, anything purchased e.g. uniforms, costumes, DVD’s, certificates, trophies etc. will be kept for you to collect for 3 months from the day you leave. After this time they will be sold on or discarded and any money paid will be lost. Any deposits paid will also be lost. If a student leaves owing money for any items or fees, the balance will be taken from any card payments made or from your joining fee. If there are still outstanding debts you will have 30 days from the day you leave us to settle. If they are still owed after this time, matters may be taken further. Any Items owned by X-press Performers will also need to be returned e.g. trophies/Display team tracksuits within 30 days of leaving us. Failure to do so may result in matters being taken further.
20. In shows, competitions and exams, marks are given for presentation and costume/uniforms so all students must be immaculately dressed, with hair and makeup done (were necessary). Once costumes or uniforms have been given to you, they are your responsibility. If anything is missing/ruined it is up to you to inform us so something can be done about it well in advance. If a student’s costumes/uniforms are not to the standard required or parts are missing, they will be excluded from those dances and may lose any money paid for that event.
21. If a student is on holiday within 3 weeks leading up to an event, it is highly unlikely that they will remember routines/exercises etc in time. Even if they are back in time for that event, they will not be able to take part having not practiced with their group beforehand. Children need constant practice leading up to shows, competitions and exams. You would not expect your child to do well in school exams etc if they had not revised in the weeks previous! If you are planning a holiday before any events please see Miss Lee before you make any payments, as once they are made they can’t be refunded. If you decide last minute to take a holiday or are absent for any other reason and miss important classes before an event please appreciate that we can’t keep your Childs place in that dance/event as they will not be ready.
22. While at X-press Performers, students are taught to a very high standard by qualified teachers who have your child’s best interests in mind. Our classes contain age, level and ability appropriate material whilst tutoring the students in a healthy safe environment. The syllabus we follow is I.S.T.D, L.A.M.D.A, A.D.A. and Acrobatic Arts. Any training elsewhere may counteract our valuable training. If a student is taught badly elsewhere it reflects badly on our high standards. Therefore if your child is taking classes with us they will not be able to train at any other dance school or dance group. (School shows/after school clubs are not included). Students are sent by us to competitions, auditions and other performing events and perform under our name. They are not permitted to enter any other competitions, auditions or performing events or use our choreography elsewhere without permission from the principle 1st. While we understand that students want to take part in other events, some events do carry a bad name which our school does not wish to be associated with.
Thank you for taking the time to read these terms and conditions. If anyone wishes to see any qualification certificates etc. for any of the teachers, there is a folder available in the foyer. There is also a copy of the above terms and conditions in large print on the notice board and on the web site. If you would like a copy of the terms and conditions please see Miss Lee.
