Below you will find important information that all parents are requested to read carefully before confirming their understanding of our policies and acceptance of our terms and conditions when paying for their child’s classes.
Please share and discuss the relevant sections with your children where appropriate.
We will make classes available to book online at bourn-to-dance.class4kids.co.uk soon after half term of the previous term. You should book the next term’s classes and pay for them no later than the end of the previous term.
If you wish to book for the coming term but you will miss the deadline to pay, please email Oonagh to request an extension to the payment deadline and to ensure your slot in the class is not given to someone else.
Class fees are fixed. Termly fees vary based on how many classes will be held in each term. Any increase in class fees will be notified to you by email at least one term in advance of any increased fee being implemented.
Payment can be made:
• By credit or debit card via Class4Kids, in which case a very small fee is added by Class4Kids to cover this.
• If you prefer to pay by bank transfer directly to the Bourn to Dance bank account, you avoid the additional Class4Kids processing fee. To find our bank details click “Further Payment Methods”. If you cannot see our bank details shown at the Class4Kids site, simply contact Oonagh to request these.
No refunds will be given due to your child not being able to attend class, except under exceptional circumstances and at Oonagh’s discretion.
If we have to cancel a class that you have paid for, we aim to offer another class instead (this is usually done by extending the term by one further week). Otherwise, we will credit you with a class for the following term’s fees.
When you book and pay for your first term of classes, you are committing to booking and paying for future terms on an ongoing basis.
If you plan to give up a class, please note that we require half a term’s notice in writing (by email), or 50% of the following term’s fee in lieu of notice.
We aim to keep class times constant for all pupils, but sometimes changing a class time and/or venue is unavoidable.
We aim to give one term’s notice of such changes. If, however, we have to change a class time or venue at short notice and your child has to leave the class because of this, the rule for notice period (Section 3 above) will be waived as appropriate.
We do take photos and video footage of the children from time to time and use it to help with marketing for the school.
Please indicate clearly when booking your child’s class if you do not allow us to take such photos or videos of your child.
Children should arrive promptly, correctly dressed and attend classes regularly. If hair is long enough to do so, it should be tied back in a bun, ponytail or similar. Even short hair should always be back off the face using clips, an Alice band or similar.
Children should wear the correct Bourn to Dance uniform for class. New pupils may attend no more than their first three classes with incorrect uniform. Our uniform can be ordered at brn.mydancestore.co.uk.
Students participate at their own risk and are obliged to inform the staff of any existing injuries or medical conditions.
During class, children are expected to listen and focus, and we discourage a noisy atmosphere in the room. If a child is causing disruption, they may be asked to leave the lesson. Please ensure you wait outside the class for at least the first two to three classes your child attends, to be sure they have settled in (depending on your child’s age, of course).
You and your children are responsible for your belongings and your children’s belongings. We recommend naming items of uniform, especially cardigans that are only worn for part of class. Although we will store any lost property that we find after class, we cannot be liable for lost or damaged property.
Our teachers are responsible for your children’s safety while in class, for the duration of the class itself.
Please ensure you are waiting for your child when they leave the hall at the end of their class. You should make sure your child understands that if for any reason you are not there when they finish class, they must come back into the hall and wait for you while watching the next class.
Please also get a message to the teacher if you are delayed for more than 15 minutes.
If your child is under 10 years old and they are being collected by someone else, you must inform Oonagh or your class teacher in advance.
If your child is 10 years or older and they inform us that they are going home with a friend who we know, we will trust your child. Please inform us if you are not happy with this policy.
Bourn to Dance will promote and maintain the welfare of every child in our care and seeks to protect them from harm regardless of race, age, disability, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief or any other form of identity or creed.
We will create a safe and welcoming environment for all.
To protect children in our care, we will:
– Value and respect children and listen to what they have to say.
– Ensure all required checks are made when hiring staff and ensure that those in regular contact with children hold a current DBS check. Staff will also have appropriate training in First Aid.
– Ensure staff have appropriate training for the work they do at Bourn to Dance.
– Take responsibility for children’s safety when in our care.
– Seek permission from parents before taking photographs or film of students and before sharing the images in any way.
– Share our policy with all staff, parents and students.
The school takes the long-term physical wellbeing of students very seriously and strives to ensure that ballet training strengthens and improves physical health and is never harmful to children’s growing bodies.
Teaching dance is a physical activity and a teacher will sometimes need to make physical contact with a student to demonstrate an idea or correct the student’s position.
This can include:
• Adjusting arms, legs, rib cage, hips, feet and hands.
• Moving one student in relation to another (when they are very young).
Where contact is needed, we will remain sensitive to the child or student’s wishes and put their welfare first.
In all cases, we will explain why and how we will be correcting the student’s position before making any contact.
We encourage parents, children and students to report any concerns.
We do not disclose or sell personal data to third parties.
We do not disclose personal data to other members of the school and their families.
The school uses contact numbers and email addresses for newsletters, updates, whole-school and individual communication, invoices and general information.
Emergency parent contact numbers are given to teachers purely for emergency contact purposes.
Personal data is stored in a password-encrypted database through the Class4Kids system.
Email addresses are stored on the school computer, which is password protected and accessible only by the Principal.
We do not keep any school registers or personal data on paper. Everything is stored digitally.
We collect personal data from people making enquiries about our school and those on the waiting list to join. These records are stored digitally on the Class4Kids system and on the school computer, both of which are password protected.
Digitally stored data is deleted one year after a pupil leaves our school, or one year after the last contact from someone interested in joining.
With parental agreement, Bourn to Dance stores images of pupils as photographs or video clips. No names are stored alongside images on our computer, social media channels or website.
Bourn to Dance is registered with the ISTD and is therefore required to collect and manage certain data.
The school collects parents’ and guardians’ names, addresses, emergency telephone numbers and email addresses. We also collect children’s full names, addresses, dates of birth and any SEN requirements. This information is stored via the secure Class4Kids electronic system and, in some cases, on the school computer.
As an employer of self-employed practitioners, Bourn to Dance is also required to hold data relating to teachers, including names, addresses, email addresses, telephone numbers, bank details, DBS information, public liability insurance details, first aid certificates, membership details and qualifications.
This information is stored securely on the school’s password-protected computer and is only accessible by the Principal.
At any point, an individual can make a request relating to their personal data, and Bourn to Dance will provide a response within one month.
You have the right to request deletion of your personal data where there is no compelling reason for its continued use.
However, Bourn to Dance has a legal duty to keep student and parent details for 12 months.
Self-employed teaching records will be erased when the teacher leaves their position.
Parents, visitors and staff can object to Bourn to Dance processing their data.
This means records may be stored but not used for newsletters, general emails, school updates or similar communications.
In such circumstances, the school has no obligation to refund classes missed or cancelled due to a lack of communication. It will be the responsibility of parents to ensure they remain informed about school events, timetable changes and cancellations.
Bourn to Dance will transfer data such as students’ dates of birth and examination PIN numbers to the ISTD in order to enter students for examinations.
The ISTD uses secure file transfer systems and maintains its own GDPR policies and procedures.
Student data may also be transferred to chaperoning staff working with us during performances in theatres or similar venues.
This is the only occasion when children’s names and emergency contact details may be held on paper.
These records will be stored securely by trained and registered chaperones for the duration of the rehearsal or performance period only.
Bourn to Dance will ensure that all paper copies are securely shredded afterwards.
Parents, visitors and staff may object to their data being used for activities such as marketing or research.
Automated decision-making and profiling are commonly used by marketing organisations.
Bourn to Dance does not use personal data for these purposes.
Issued by: Oonagh Phelan, Principal and Owner, Bourn to Dance
Original Issue Date: July 2020
Last Reviewed: June 2024
Next Policy Review Date: January 2025
