Terms & Conditions

This is part of your agreement when joining Procter Dance Academy. Places are open to all subject to the following conditions:

• Procter Dance Academy accepts no responsibility for loss or damage of personal belongings while on the premises.
• Procter Dance Academy accepts no liability for any injuries sustained whilst participating in a class or on the premises.
• Procter Dance Academy Staff must be notified of any changes to the information provided on the Enrolment Form.

Staff/teachers:

All staff, including cover teachers (who may be brought in at short notice), are qualified, experienced and DBS checked. There is always a first aider on site.

Supervision while on site:

Students must ensure they always get full permission from staff prior to leaving class. Toilet breaks will be supervised by either a member of staff or class facilitator if of primary school age and students will always be supervised whilst on site.

Behaviour:

Racist, sexist and other offensive language and behaviour is not tolerated, and we reserve the right to terminate membership without notice, the final decision being undertaken by the principal (Anna Kavanagh). Behaviour of staff, parents and students must always follow our code-of-conduct. Please note that under no circumstances are pets allowed on school premises due to Health and Safety reasons.

Food:

Chewing gum/ fizzy drinks are strictly forbidden on the premises. No food is to be eaten on the dance floor.

[IF APPLICABLE]: Please pack a quick, light snack and drink (not lunch) if a child has more than 2 consecutive classes. Water is always permitted in class.

Uniform:

This is essential and gives the students a sense of belonging, a sense of ritual and sense of dressing for something important – their class. It is designed to be safe and practical and eliminates distractions. It allows the teacher to see a dancer’s alignment and posture to make corrections and prevent injury.

Hair should always be tied back neatly and securely, and a bun should always be worn for ballet.

The uniform for Procter Dance Academy can be found on the website’s online shop - https://prd.mydancestore.co.uk

Attendance:

Children must arrive and be collected promptly. It is very important that children arrive in time for their classes, preferably 5 minutes before the start. This allows the group time to settle from the moment the class starts. Latecomers will have to wait outside until an appropriate time to join the class. Children arriving after 15 minutes may be refused admission, as the group will already be safely warm and will be undertaking sequences that would not be appropriate to a student entering without a warmup and this may disrupt the professional attitude to classes we aim to foster.

Where possible Procter Dance Academy will aim to let people know of any changes in venue or class time at least one week ahead of schedule.

If a pupil wishes to drop one of their classes, 4 weeks’ notice must be given to the principal (Anna Kavanagh) so the place can be filled by the next in line on the waiting list.

Illness/Injury:

Parents are not to allow their child to attend Procter Dance Academy if they are feeling unwell or have a known injury which would prevent a student from fully taking part.

This includes presenting any contagious illness including (but not limited to): Chicken Pox, Head Lice, Common Cold, Flu and, as of March 2020, symptoms of COVID-19.

Child Collection:

Teachers will ensure that each child has left a session with an adult or older child (agreed in advance with parent). It is the parent/guardian’s responsibility to ensure the child is collected punctually at the end of the class or session. Should a parent/guardian not turn up to collect a child on time – this is the procedure to follow:

• Inform the principal (Anna Kavanagh) who will contact the parent/guardian 10 minutes after their class has finished.
• If the parent/carer is not reachable, the emergency contacts will be called to arrange collection.
• The pupil will wait at reception until collected, if there is nobody manning reception, the pupil will stay in class with the teacher.

Booking:

Procter Dance Academy does not provide drop-in classes for children and young people. All pupils’ classes must be booked in advance via email/phone/message. New students may join during the term subject to availability and authorisation of the principal (Anna Kavanagh). If there are no spaces for a requested class when booking, then Procter Dance Academy will aim to provide an alternative option where possible.

Waiting List:

Members on the waiting list will be contacted in order of the list. If members do not reply, the next member will be contacted.

Payments:

Students starting classes will be given a three-week trial period, with fees payable at the start of each week.

• At the end of the trial period, students are required to commit to their courses until the end of the current term.
• Fees are calculated on a term-by-term basis and, even though the number of weeks in each term may vary, the same fees will be charged for each term. Fees should be paid within the first four weeks of the new term. If fees are not paid in full by the end of term invoices will be issued and may be subject to late payment fee.
• Fees are subject to annual reviews.
• There will be no refunds if a student is absent from a class and no reductions for part-term attendance. Make-up classes will be added for any classes that have to be cancelled.
• For those students who enrol in PDA Perform and Musical Theatre classes, fees are calculated on a week-by-week basis and added onto the termly invoice.
• Details of fees charged per course/discipline are listed on the Pricing and Fees page.
• Fees can be paid by bank transfer, cash, cheque, or card at reception. All monies paid by cash or cheque must be paid in a sealed envelope with the student’s name clearly written on it. (Cheques must have the student’s name written on the back).

Non-payment:

Failure to make payment within the given time frame (4 weeks after the invoice is received) may result in no place being available. If this happens, Procter Dance Academy will make every attempt to offer an alternative course or arrangement. If this is not possible, then your name will be added to a waiting list.

If payment is outstanding, Procter Dance Academy reserves the right to withhold services. Procter Dance Academy may share data with debt collection agencies to recoup monies owed.

Cancellations:

If a pupil wishes to leave Procter Dance Academy, the Principal (Anna Kavanagh) must be notified, and 4 weeks’ notice should be given. Customers must pay this last month’s fees.

Occasionally some classes may be cancelled due to circumstances beyond Procter Dance Academy’s control. The company will endeavour to contact paid customers and will either offer an alternative class or, in rare cases of a cancellation, a refund will be given for the class.

Notification of attendance at other dance schools or academies and previous school attendance:

Written permission will be required from the principal in the following cases:

• Where students want to attend classes elsewhere.
• Where students want to take part in external dance performances.
• If students have been attending classes at a different school prior to applying to join Procter Dance Academy, the Principal (Anna Kavanagh) would ask you to confirm in writing that, to show compliance with that school’s leaving policy, you have given the appropriate notice.

This will help to build a consistent and structured teaching-different dance studios may have different teaching methods, curricula, and expectations which can confuse or hinder progress. It allows us to focus on improving skills and technique without being distracted by other factors such as adapting to new teachers, facilities, or styles. Procter Dance Academy teachers provide personalized feedback and guidance which cannot be monitored when additional training is being done without notification.

Examinations:

Procter Dance Academy offers a variety of classes for students. For our syllabus classes, we follow the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance (ISTD), and Royal Academy of Dance (RAD). A registered teacher will always lead these classes. We follow the guided learning hours to ensure safe and efficient learning before an examination takes place.

Localized Lockdowns and Pandemics:

If Procter Dance Academy cannot deliver classes due to force majeure or government directive, we shall implement online classes via video conferencing