TERMS & CONDITIONS
Payment Terms & Conditions
Danceforce Club Fees Policy This policy outlines payment conditions, payment terms, modes of payment, procedure for late payments, invoice and fee disputes, cancellations, forced closures and payment difficulties. Payment conditions 1.1 Normal fees The current fees can be found on the monthly invoices that are emailed before the month commences. Fees will be reviewed for the beginning of each financial year. Parents will be informed of any changes in writing • Fees are payable for all pupils booked into the club, who attend on a weekly basis. • Fee information will be sent in advance through email and paper copies are available from reception. 1.2 Joining / Trial fees for new clients When registering for a new trial, you must sign up and register on our system. You should pre pay the £5 trial fee before attending a class. Payments are due by the 5th of every month. To cancel your subscription or to change how you pay, you can contact us via email. 1.3. Invoices and payment terms Fees do not include Bank Holidays (unless stated) or dates we are closed for events Fees are due by/on the 5th of every month You must pay for the whole of the month to keep your space in class. You will still need to pay for class even if you are away. For exceptional circumstances, please see 5., Monthly Fee 1.4 Modes of payment You may choose from the following modes of payment to settle your invoices. Paying by cash or card at reception Paying by Stripe Paying by Bank Transfer. Please refer to your invoice / payment advice. Late payments 2.1 You are encouraged to talk to the Club Manager if you think you will have difficulties in paying your invoice. The sooner we hear, the easier it is to find a solution. Please contact us as soon as possible. This is in everyone’s interest. 2.2 In the eventuality that payments are not received as outlined in paragraph 1.2., 2.3 Danceforce will engage the following procedure to secure payments: • Stage 1: A reminder letter will be sent asking for a payment to be made within one week of receipt of the notice. A late fee will be applied. • Stage 2: If no response has been received one week following the receipt of the reminder letter, a warning letter will be sent to you asking for payment to be made within one week of receipt of the warning letter. • Stage 3: The pupil will be refused entry to class until the payment is settled. We hope that cases do not escalate to this stage and would prefer to discuss any issues held. Invoice Disputes 3.1 Should you not agree with the amount on the invoice, please speak in the first instance to the Manager. If you do not feel your query has been addressed you may speak to the Club treasurer Mrs Emma Norton, with a copy of the invoice, outlining the disputed amount and the reason for the dispute. 3.2 On receipt of such a dispute letter, the Club Treasurer will investigate the situation and provide a prompt response, including supporting information as appropriate. 3.3 In the eventuality that the invoice is confirmed to be incorrect, a revised invoice will be sent. Monthly fee Disputes 4.1 In certain circumstances such as shared parental control, looked after children or guardianship issues, fees can be altered according to what is best for the pupil/child. If this is the case, you must speak to the Club Manager immediately. 4.2 In the case of a family wedding or family funeral, we are able to cancel that week’s fees if you inform the Club Manager. 4.3 Booked sessions, cancelled due to illness or injury, will be charged at the full rate. In the case of extended illness over a four week period, please contact the Club manager to discuss transferring your payment into the following months fees. 4.4 We are not able to refund fees for classes missed during Covid isolations. You are paying for the space and will lose the space if the fee is not received. Forced closure of the Danceforce classes 5.1 In some extreme circumstances, Danceforce may be forced to close unexpectedly at short notice.If Danceforce closes for any reason, fees will be reimbursed to the following month. Please ensure that the contact details we have for you are up-to-date. We do not want to be in a situation where we cannot contact you. 5.2 In case of another lockdown due to Covid. Fees will be fully reimbursed or transferred over to the following month. Payment difficulties 6.1 If you experience problems in meeting the payments, you must contact the Club Manager to avoid your child’s place being withdrawn. The matter will be dealt with confidentially. Danceforce@hotmail.co.uk
Complaints Procedure
Danceforce aims to provide a high quality and efficient service and therefore takes all complaints about its service seriously. The Director or Dance Development Manager responds to all complaints and ensures that they are managed efficiently and as quickly as possible. If the reply is to be dealt with swiftly, it is important that full details are given. You should not continue to attend classes once a complaint has been made. (Anonymous complaints cannot be processed). Complaints against Danceforce: In the event of an individual being dissatisfied with the service being offered by any department, the complaint should be detailed in writing to the Director or Dance Development Manager either by letter or email to the at the address below. The complaint will be logged and acknowledge the complaint and we will reply directly to the complainant within 40 days. Complaints against Data Protection: In the event of an individual being dissatisfied with the level of protection being offered, the complaint should be detailed in writing to the Director or Dance Development Manager either by letter or email to the at the address below. The complaint will be logged and acknowledge the complaint and we will reply directly to the complainant within 40 days. Complaints against the teacher: The Director is responsible for the Programme of Study and examination of them, not the actual process of teaching. All syllabus teachers are expected to conform to the rules of professional etiquette as laid down by the Board in their Code of Conduct. However, the administration of Danceforce is a matter between the student, or their representative, and the teacher. In the first instance, a complaint should be made direct to them. However, if a parent/pupil wishes to make a serious complaint to us against a teacher, it should be made in writing, and signed by the complainant, with full details of the teacher's name and class. The Director or Dance Development Manager will log and acknowledge the complaint within 7 working days and a report will, if appropriate, be referred to the Board of Danceforce. The findings of the Board will be reported to the team and if an allegation is proved to the satisfaction of all, they may keep them instated as a teacher or reprimand the member or expel them from the company, and the complainant will be informed within 7 days of that decision. If a complaint does not reach a decision with 15 days, a negotiation should be discussed with options on how to proceed. Once a complaint has been received, you must not continue with classes unless agreed upon and your account will be put on hold. Email danceforce@hotmail.co.uk
Crew Contract
This contract is a contract between Danceforce and the crew member. You must read it carefully and keep a copy for yourself. “Being in a crew takes a lot of commitment, motivation, financial commitment and dedication. The rewards are life changing and it teaches you respect for others, determination and gives you friends for life. To make the most of this experience it is important you follow our crew rules.” The Teachers: The teacher will dedicate weekly training times to pupils and will notify parents in advance of closures The teacher should notify parents in advance regarding competition dates The teacher should notify parents in advance regarding any costs/ payments that are due The teacher will include dancers in any extra training and provide opportunities to improve and expand the dancers knowledge The teacher must keep up to date with new styles & choreography to create high quality training for pupils. The Parent: A crew parent must support the pupil by bringing them every week to class and on time. A crew parent should prepare the pupil for competition days and arrange transport to and from. A crew parent should be prepared to pay fees, uniform costs & competition costs and pay on time. A crew parent should keep up to date with all correspondence including emails and group chats to ensure they know dates & times of events. Crew parents should support all dancers in the crew and should not have reason to approach another child with a problem. Crew parents should make new parents welcome and help out when needed. The Pupil: The pupil should show commitment and motivation at all rehearsals and try their best. The pupil will have excellent attendance (holiday times must be reported at least 2 weeks before) The pupil will be motivated to stay healthy and will try to adapt a healthy lifestyle and keep fitness levels the best they can be. Pupils must not isolate or make any other crew member feel uncomfortable or intimidated. This includes any bullying / cyber bullying which would result in an immediate dismissal. Pupils should support other crew members in and outside of the dance school. Unnecessary Arguments are frowned upon and will lead to warnings or dismissal Pupils will not dance for another crew or dance school. Any publicity/ social media should credit the dance school. Choreography is strictly for crews and the dance school and should not be shown or taught else where Pupils - If any of the rules above are broken, you will receive a warning. Each crew member has three warnings.
Child Protection Statement
I / We recognise that we have an explicit duty to safeguard and protect children from abuse as defined in the Children Act 2004, the Education Act 2002 and the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006. Everyone at our organisation shares an objective to help keep children, young people and vulnerable adults safe by: Providing a safe environment to learn in Identifying and responding to children, young people and vulnerable adults in need or support and / or protection Supporting children and young people’s development in ways which will foster a sense of self esteem and independence Fostering a learning environment in which every pupil feels valued and able to articulate their wishes and feelings in their preferred method of communication in an atmosphere of acceptance and trust. I / We will endeavour to ensure that children and vulnerable adults are protected from harm while they visit or are attending classes on our property. We will do this by: Making sure our staff are recruited with integrity Providing appropriate training for staff in issues of child and vulnerable adult protection Carrying out checks and monitoring of all staff (including teaching staff, administrators and ancillary staff) which may require them to undergo an Enhanced Criminal Records Bureau disclosure To establish and maintain an ethos where children and young people feel secure and are encourage to talk, and are listed to Taking all reasonable steps to ensure the health, safety and welfare of any child or vulnerable adult in contact with us Not physically, emotionally or sexually abusing any child or vulnerable adult in contact with us Taking all reasonable steps to prevent any staff member, persons working for us or member of the public from putting any child or vulnerable adult in a situation in which there is an unreasonable risk to their health and safety Taking all reasonable steps to prevent any staff member, persons working for us or member of the public from physically, emotionally or sexually abusing any child or vulnerable adult Reporting to the Principal, Manager or other designated officer any evidence or reasonable suspicion that a child or vulnerable adult has been physically, emotionally or sexually abused in contact with us or anyone in our organisation Referring to statutory authorities all incidents reported to the Principal, Manager or Designated Safety Officers Implementing this policy in conjunction with our Health and Safety guidelines already in place Everyone working or applying to work for this organisation is to be made aware of our policy for children’s welfare. Furthermore, this document should be issued to all staff and other people who are likely to have contact with children as part of their work with us. Copies of the policy will be held by the Principal or Manager of the organisation.