TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Code of conduct

Flamenco Dance Academy states that any unacceptable behaviour will not be tolerated, either within the dance studio or at any event/performance where Flamenco Dance Academy is being represented.
1) Unacceptable behaviour may result in the student’s exclusion from the Academy.
2) Unacceptable behaviour will not be tolerated off parents/careers or other family members and could result in parents/careers or family members being banned from events/performances.
3) Unacceptable behaviour includes – swearing, spitting, fighting and derogatory comments towards others.

Payment

1) All payments must be made via bank transfer. Never pay cash in hand to any of the teachers.
2) Payments are to be made in advance. Failure to do so; the student will no longer be able to attend the chosen course.
3) Once the chosen course has been paid for, it will not be interchangeable with any other course.
4) Lessons CANNOT be paid weekly or monthly; it must be paid per course; children pay by terms only.
5) We do not have any concession fees.
6) Late starts (adults & children) that register in the course 2 weeks after it has started will pay a different price rate than the original discounted price for the full course (pro-rata £13 for adults/£10 for children) and the remaining of the course must be paid in full before the student joins the class.
7) There is a double course discount of 10% if the student registers in two full courses (Not applicable for late starts).
8) There is a parent & child discount of 5%. One adult full course and one child full term (Not applicable for late starts). This is only valid for the adult course that is booked at the same time as the child’s course.
9) Payment must be made as soon as the invoice is received; otherwise a penalty fee of 10% will be charged to you to cover our additional administration costs.
10) We do not offer credit; all courses must be paid for upfront prior to attending your first class.
11) There is no drop- in or concessions available.

Missing payment

1) First we will send an email or text message as a reminder; if payment is not received within 2 days a 10% late fee will be added to your invoice due to additional administrative costs.
2) After a week delay with payment the student will be unable to participate in the class.

Missed lessons & refunds

1) There will be no refund of any lesson missed by the student.
2) The only instance that Flamenco Dance Academy will refund fees is; if the teacher is unable to take any scheduled lesson and a supply teacher cannot be arranged.
3) Only Adult students at the time of booking who inform us that they are unable to attend the full course will be allowed to book the sessions they can attend. However; a different price rate will apply (late start rate). Discounts are not applicable.
4) If the student (adult or child) has a long term illness/injury and requires more than four weeks off a retainer fee of 25% of the course price will be required to secure your place at Flamenco Dance Academy.

Notice to leave

1) One months notice in writing will be required if you do not wish to continue with a class.
2) Failure to leave without providing written notice will result in fees being charged (equivalent to the class fee paid the previous month).

Punctuality & attendance

1) Students must arrive on time to get dressed and be prepared for the lesson.
2) Students must inform Flamenco Dance Academy in advance if they are unable to make a lesson.
3) Children with a poor attendance record that falls below 80% may not be able to return (in the first half term). Their place maybe given to another student on the current waiting list for the rest of the term.

General policies

1) No food is allowed in the studio.
2) Only capped water bottles allowed in the studio.
3) Ask permission if need to leave the studio during a lesson.
4) Mobile phones must remain on silent and not be used during the classes.
5) Students must be dressed in appropriate attire for the class they are attending (flamenco skirt, trousers,
flamenco shoes, flamenco boots).
6) Students should be well groomed and only dance shoes must be worn in the studio.
7) Hair must be tied back in a bun or ponytail.
8) Flamenco Dance Academy will not be held responsible for the loss of any valuables on the premises.
9) Sound, video recording equipment, cameras or any form of recording or copying equipment etc. are not permitted in any of the classes by students.
10) Occasional photographs or films may be arranged by Flamenco Dance Academy during class/performances for publicity. By enrolling in a course you are giving consent, therefore, please inform us in writing if you do not want to be involved.
11) Students, parents and legal guardians should be aware that at times it may be necessary to correct students through physical contact in order to ensure correct technique and subsequently safe dance practices are achieved.

Bad weather disruptions or cancellation of classes

In the event of bad weather Flamenco Dance Academy will make a decision as early as possible to cancel the classes on the day. Notice will be sent out via text, email and social media. This procedure will be followed if classes have to be cancelled for any other reason.

Waiting Areas

All people using the waiting areas need to show respect to all other users of the premises. Please ensure that your conversations are child friendly and no student should overhear any bad language or swearing.

Smoking

Flamenco Dance Academy has a non-smoking policy. Smoking is not permitted anywhere within the centre where lessons take place.

Drugs & Alcohol

Flamenco Dance Academy has a strict no drugs & alcohol policy. Any student, teacher or volunteer found using drugs or alcohol whilst attending classes or working at the academy, will be subject to a disciplinary action.

Health &Safety

1) Flamenco Dance Academy takes seriously their responsibility to ensure the safety of their students. All students must complete a registration form when joining Flamenco Dance Academy with clear information regarding emergency contacts and any relevant medical history.
2) A copy of emergency contact numbers will be kept on class registers.
3) It is the parent/student responsibility to notify Flamenco Dance Academy of any changes to their emergency contact details.
4) In case of a fire emergency all teachers have a clear understanding of responsibilities. They must be understood by all following the procedures of the relevant centre.
5) Flamenco Dance Academy will undertake regular assessment of risks regarding premises hired and any concerns will be raised with the providers.
6) It is Flamenco Dance Academy responsibility to keep a fully equipped First Aid Box at all hired premises.
7) Students and parents understand that dance is as active as with any sport, and whilst every effort is made to avoid injuries, it can happen. Flamenco Dance Academy accepts no responsibility for injuries sustained via any means other than a teacher’s negligence.
8) Students/children are supervised during class time only and parents/careers must ensure the safety of their children in the waiting, changing and toilet areas.
9) Students/parents or guardians should inform the teacher of any special health considerations or existing injuries before participating in a class.
10) Dress code must be observed at all times, especially footwear for safe dance practice.
11) Students should not wear any jewellery that may pose a risk to themselves or others (stud earrings and jewellery worn for religious or cultural reasons are acceptable under their own risk); however Flamenco Dance Academy accepts no responsibility for injuries sustained by wearing any kind of jewellery.

Public Insurance Liability

The directors of Flamenco Dance Academy have public liability insurance and the certificate is displayed in the information folder, which is available at any time on request.

Uncollected Child

Flamenco Dance Academy has the highest regard for the safety of the children in our care from the time they arrive until they leave.
At the end of every session, the teacher will ensure that all children are collected by a parent, career or designated adult, in accordance with the arrivals and departures policy.
If for some reason a child is not collected at the end of a session, the following procedures will be activated:

1) If a parent, career or designated adult is more than 15 minutes late in collecting their child, the teacher will inform the manager.
2) The manager will call the parent, career or designated adult, and use any other emergency contact details available in order to try to ascertain the cause for the delay, and how long it is likely to last.
3) While waiting to be collected, the child will be supervised by a teacher who will offer them as much support and reassurance as necessary.
4) If, after repeated attempts, no contact is made with the parent, career or designated adult, and a further period of 30 minutes has elapsed, the teacher will call the local children’s services department.
5) In the event of the local children’s services being contacted, the manager will attempt to leave a further telephone message with the parent/career or designated adult’s answer phone, where available.
6) Unless absolutely necessary the child will not be taken to the teacher’s home or away from the Flamenco Dance Academy’s premises, in the course of waiting for them to be collected at the end of a session.
7) The child will remain in the care of the Flamenco Dance Academy teacher until they are collected by the parent, career or designated adult, or alternatively placed in the care of local children’s services department.
8) Under no circumstances will a child be left in the care of another parent.
9) Incidents of late collection will be recorded by the teacher and discussed with parents/careers at the earliest opportunity. Parents and careers will be informed that persistent late collection may result in the imposition of an additional cost or the loss of their child’s place at the Flamenco Dance Academy.

Child Protection

Flamenco Dance Academy has a duty of care to safeguard all children involved in the academy from harm. All children have a right to protection and the needs of disabled children and others who may be particularly vulnerable must be taken into account. Flamenco Dance Academy will ensure the safety and protection of all children involved in the academy through adherence to the Child Protection guidelines. A child is defined as under 18 (The Children Act 1989). Flamenco Dance Academy Child Protection promotes good practice; providing children and young people with appropriate safety and protection whilst in the care of the academy.
Flamenco Dance Academy believes that:
1) The welfare of children is vital.
2) All children, whatever their age, culture, disability, gender, language, racial origin, religious beliefs and/or sexual identity have the right to protection from abuse.
3) All suspicions and allegations of abuse will be taken seriously.
4) All staff (paid/voluntary) working in Flamenco Dance Academy have a responsibility to report concerns to the directors.
The aim of Flamenco Dance Academy Child Protection Policy is to promote good practice and so, by promoting good practice Flamenco Dance Academy will encourage the following:
1) Always working in an open environment (e.g. avoid private or unobserved situations and encouraging an open environment i.e. no secrets).
2) Treating all young people/disabled adults equally, and with respect and dignity.
3) Always putting the welfare of each young person first, before winning or achieving goals.
4) Maintaining a safe and appropriate distance with dance teachers (e.g. it is not appropriate to have an intimate relationship with a child).
5) Building balanced relationships based on mutual trust which empowers children to share in the decision making process.
6) Making dance fun, enjoyable and promoting fair play.
7) Ensuring that if any form of manual/physical support is required, it should be provided openly.
8) Keeping up to date with the technical skills, qualifications and insurance.
9) Involving parents/careers wherever possible (e.g. for the responsibility of their children in the changing rooms). If groups have to be supervised in the changing rooms, always ensure parents/teachers/coaches/officials work in pairs.
10) Being an excellent role model – this includes not smoking or drinking alcohol in the company of young people.
11) Giving enthusiastic and constructive feedback rather than negative criticism.
12) Recognising the developments/ needs and capacity of young people and disabled adults – avoiding excessive training or competition and not pushing them against their will.
13) Keeping a written record of any injury that occurs, along with the details of any treatment given.
Practice not acceptable
14) Engage in rough, physical or sexually provocative games.
15) Share a room alone with a child.
16) Allow or engage in any form of inappropriate touching.
17) Allow children to use inappropriate language unchallenged.
18) Make sexually suggestive comments to a child, even in fun.
19) Reduce a child to tears as a form of control.
20) Allow allegations made by a child to go unchallenged, unrecorded or not acted upon.
21) Guidelines for use of photographic filming.
22) If any kind of photographic material or video of your child is required e.g. DVD of a performance or for advertisement material then parental permission will be requested. Students/parents/careers are not allowed to record or take photos during classes.
23) Responding to suspicions or allegations.
24) It is not the responsibility of anyone working for Flamenco Dance Academy in a paid or unpaid capacity to take responsibility or to decide whether or not child abuse has taken place. However, there is a responsibility to act on any concerns through contact with the appropriate authorities.
Toileting Policy
At Flamenco Dance Academy we ensure that children attending are safe whilst using the toilet facilities. The following procedure describes the process for children to go to the toilet.
We ensure children have access at all times and we recognise that toilet needs are highly individual and do not conform to regimental timetables.
It is Flamenco Dance Academy aim that the children remain as independent as possible, whilst having supervised access to the toilets.

Toileting Procedure

1) A teacher will always check before starting the class if children need the toilet.
2) Children will be encouraged to ask the teacher, when they need to go to the toilet.
3) Children seen jiggling/holding themselves, will be encouraged to go to the toilet.
4) Once a child has asked, a teacher will quickly ask if any other children need the toilet.
5) A teacher will escort children out of the studio and out towards the toilet.
6) Children will be supervised and assisted as needed.
7) Children will then be asked to wash their hands thoroughly and dry them on the hand dryer before returning together to the studio.