Babel School of Dance

These Terms and Conditions are designed to ensure that Babel School of Dance operates safely, fairly and effectively for all of our students, families and staff.

By registering a student with Babel School of Dance, parents/guardians agree to these Terms and Conditions.

We appreciate you taking the time to read them carefully.

1. Registration & Enrolment

All students must be registered with Babel School of Dance before attending regular classes.

Parents/guardians are responsible for ensuring that the information provided to us is accurate and kept up to date.

Please tell us about any relevant medical, educational, additional support or pastoral needs that may affect your child’s participation in class or help us to support them appropriately.

This information will be treated sensitively and confidentially and handled in accordance with our Data Protection and Privacy policies.

If any important information changes during your child’s time at Babel, please let us know as soon as possible.

2. Trial Classes

Where appropriate, new students may be offered a trial class before joining.

A trial allows your child to experience the class and gives our teachers an opportunity to assess whether the class is appropriate for their age, experience and current level.

Following the trial, we will be happy to advise you about the most suitable class.

3. Class Placement

Students are placed in classes according to a combination of factors, which may include:

age
previous experience
technical ability
maturity
examination level
individual learning needs

Age alone does not necessarily determine the most appropriate class.

Class placement and progression are determined by Babel School of Dance teaching staff in the best interests of the student.

4. Fees

Dance class fees are calculated as an annual tuition fee divided into 12 monthly payments.

Monthly payments are therefore instalments towards the annual cost of tuition and are not calculated according to the exact number of lessons taking place within an individual calendar month.

Fees are payable through our Class Manager system.

Invoices are issued electronically.

Payment is required for a student’s place in a class regardless of individual attendance.

Full details of our current fees can be found on our Dance Class Fees page.

5. Payment of Fees

Parents/guardians are responsible for ensuring that fees are paid by the required date.

Where there is a genuine difficulty with payment, please contact us as soon as possible.

We would always prefer parents to communicate with us rather than allow an outstanding balance to build up.

Continued non-payment may result in a student’s place being withdrawn.

Where fees remain outstanding after reasonable attempts to resolve the matter, Babel School of Dance reserves the right to take appropriate steps to recover the debt.

6. Late Payments

A 5% late-payment charge may be applied to overdue fees.

If you believe there is an error with your account or there is a genuine reason why payment will be delayed, please contact us promptly.

Communication is important and we will always try to resolve genuine issues reasonably.

7. Illness & Injury

Regular class fees are normally payable regardless of individual attendance.

Where a student is unable to participate because of a significant illness or injury lasting four consecutive weeks or longer, please contact the Principal.

We may request appropriate medical evidence before agreeing to suspend or adjust fees.

Short-term illness, holidays and other individual absences do not normally qualify for a reduction or refund.

8. Attendance

Regular attendance is important for your child’s progress and for the smooth running of classes.

If your child is going to be absent, please let us know.

Where a student is absent for three consecutive weeks without any communication from a parent/guardian, we may contact you to establish whether the student intends to continue.

Where classes have waiting lists or restricted numbers, prolonged unexplained absence may result in the place being offered to another student.

Simply not attending classes does not constitute notice of leaving.

9. Leave of Absence

We understand that occasionally families have other commitments.

However, we cannot normally hold a student’s place without payment during a voluntary leave of absence.

Where fees are not maintained, the place may be offered to another student, particularly where a class has a waiting list.

Please speak to us if there are exceptional circumstances.

10. Leaving Babel

We are always sorry to see a student leave, but we understand that circumstances and interests change.

If you wish to withdraw your child from Babel School of Dance, we require:

Four weeks’ written notice.

Notice should be provided by a parent/guardian.

Fees remain payable throughout the four-week notice period, whether or not the student attends classes.

Non-attendance does not constitute notice.

Any outstanding balance must be settled when a student leaves.

11. Uniform & Appearance

Students are expected to wear the appropriate Babel uniform for their class.

New students should obtain the required uniform within approximately one month of joining, unless otherwise agreed with us.

Correct dancewear allows teachers to see alignment and technique properly and helps students feel part of their class.

For Ballet, long hair should normally be worn in a secure bun.

Where this is not possible, hair should be secured appropriately and kept away from the face.

For other classes, long hair should be tied securely away from the face.

Jewellery should not be worn where it could create a safety risk.

12. Behaviour & Respect

We want Babel to be a positive, welcoming and respectful environment.

Students are expected to behave appropriately towards:

other students
teachers
visiting teachers
assistants
volunteers
parents
venue staff

Bullying, intimidation, discrimination, deliberately disruptive behaviour or persistent disrespect will not be accepted.

Where concerns arise, we will normally work with the student and parent/guardian to resolve the situation.

Serious or persistent breaches of behaviour expectations may result in a student’s place being reviewed or withdrawn.

13. Respect for Teachers

Students are expected to show the same courtesy and respect to cover teachers, guest teachers and assistants as they would to their regular teacher.

From time to time, a regular teacher may be unavailable.

Where possible, we will arrange an appropriate replacement so that classes can continue.

14. Parents & Guardians During Classes

To protect the learning environment and minimise disruption, parents/guardians should not enter a class while teaching is taking place unless invited to do so.

If you need to speak with a teacher, please let us know and we will arrange an appropriate opportunity.

We are always happy to discuss genuine questions or concerns.

15. Safeguarding

The welfare and safety of our students are extremely important to us.

Babel School of Dance operates safeguarding and child-protection procedures, and relevant staff are subject to appropriate DBS checks.

Parents/guardians are expected to follow any safeguarding arrangements in place at our venues, performances and events.

Any safeguarding concern should be reported promptly to the appropriate member of staff.

16. Photography, Video & Filming

Babel School of Dance may photograph or film classes, examinations, rehearsals, performances and other school activities where appropriate.

Images and recordings may be used for purposes including:

teaching and assessment
examination preparation
celebrating student achievements
the Babel website
Babel’s official social-media channels
legitimate promotional materials

The use of children’s images will be managed in accordance with our Photography & Filming Protocol, Privacy Notice and applicable consent arrangements.

Parents/guardians should ensure that their photography and filming preferences are kept up to date.

Where a parent/guardian does not consent to promotional use of their child’s image, we will respect that decision.

17. Photography & Filming by Parents

Photography and filming by parents/guardians may be restricted during classes, performances, examinations or events for safeguarding, privacy, licensing or venue-related reasons.

Where photography or filming is permitted, images containing other children should not be posted publicly without appropriate consideration for their privacy and consent.

Any instructions given by Babel staff regarding photography or filming must be followed.

18. Examinations & Assessments

Students may be offered opportunities to participate in dance examinations and assessments.

Entry for an examination is determined by the teacher and will take into consideration the student’s:

technical readiness
attendance
knowledge of the syllabus
confidence
maturity
preparation

Students will not automatically be entered for an examination simply because others in their class are taking one.

Teachers will make decisions based upon what they believe is appropriate for each individual student.

Examination fees are charged separately.

19. Performances, Shows & Events

Students may have opportunities to participate in shows, demonstrations, workshops, competitions and other events.

Participation may involve additional rehearsals, commitments and costs.

Information will be provided to parents before participation is confirmed wherever reasonably possible.

20. Private Lessons

Private tuition may be offered or recommended where appropriate.

Private lessons are charged separately from regular class fees and are subject to teacher and studio availability.

21. Communication

Important information may be communicated through Class Manager, email, text message or other official Babel communication channels.

Parents/guardians are responsible for ensuring that their contact details remain current and for checking communications regularly.

Please let us know promptly if your email address, telephone number or other important details change.

22. Social Media

Students and parents/guardians are expected to use social media responsibly when referring to Babel School of Dance, its students or staff.

Concerns or complaints should be raised directly with us rather than discussed publicly on social media.

Please also respect the privacy of other children and families when sharing photographs or recordings.

Further information can be found in our Social Media Policy.

23. Data Protection & Privacy

Personal information is collected and processed in accordance with UK data-protection requirements and our Privacy Notices and Data Protection policies.

We collect only the information reasonably required to operate the school, communicate with families, safeguard students and provide our services.

Please refer to our Privacy Notice for further information about how personal information is used and protected.

24. Changes to Classes

Occasionally, circumstances outside our reasonable control may require us to:

change a teacher
combine or reorganise classes
change a studio or venue
alter a timetable
provide an alternative form of tuition
cancel a class

We will provide as much notice as reasonably possible where changes are necessary.

25. Class Cancellation

Where Babel School of Dance has to cancel a class unexpectedly, we will make reasonable efforts to provide an alternative arrangement where appropriate.

This may include a replacement teacher, rescheduled class, alternative lesson or another reasonable solution depending upon the circumstances.

26. Personal Belongings

Students are responsible for their own personal belongings while attending classes, rehearsals, performances and events.

Please clearly label dancewear, shoes and other belongings.

Valuable items should not be brought to class unless necessary.

27. Health & Safety

Students and parents/guardians must follow reasonable health and safety instructions given by Babel staff or venue staff.

Students should not participate in an activity where they have an injury or medical condition that could make participation unsafe without first informing the teacher.

Parents/guardians must ensure that relevant medical information and emergency contact details are kept up to date.

28. Concerns & Complaints

If you have a concern, please talk to us.

We believe most issues can be resolved quickly when they are raised openly and respectfully.

Where appropriate, concerns should initially be raised with the relevant teacher or Sara Ridley, Principal of Babel School of Dance.

Formal complaints will be dealt with in accordance with our complaints procedure.

29. Changes to These Terms & Conditions

Babel School of Dance may update these Terms and Conditions periodically to reflect changes to our classes, administration, policies or legal requirements.

Parents/guardians will be informed of significant changes where appropriate.

The current version will be available through our website.

Terms and Conditions