Terms & Conditions

Terms and Conditions

Here For The Drama Academy

By enrolling your child with Here For The Drama Academy (HFTD), you agree to these Terms and Conditions. The parent/legal guardian entering into the membership agreement is responsible for payments properly due.

1. Enrolment and Participation

a. Enrolment information: Parents/legal guardians must provide accurate and up-to-date information, including relevant medical conditions, allergies, additional needs and emergency contact details.

b. Participation: Participants must follow HFTD’s reasonable rules, policies and instructions during sessions.

c. Membership information: Applicable fees, payment dates, class arrangements and scheduled teaching dates will be made available before enrolment.

2. Membership Fees and Payments

a. Annual teaching programme: HFTD currently schedules 36 teaching sessions across the academic year. The total for each forthcoming academic year will be confirmed in the summer term-date email. Changes are subject to section 12.

b. Monthly fees: The annual membership price is spread across 12 equal monthly instalments, providing consistent payments rather than charging separately for each session. Membership continues until cancelled under these terms; members are not required to complete a full year.

c. School holidays: Monthly fees do not correspond to the number of sessions in a particular month. Payments continue during scheduled school holidays and non-teaching periods while membership remains active, except during an agreed payment-free pause.

d. Joining part-way through a month: Any initial pro-rata payment will be explained before enrolment is completed.

e. Participant absence: Absence does not automatically cancel or pause membership, reduce fees or entitle a member to replacement sessions. This includes absence for acting work, auditions, illness, holidays, school commitments or family emergencies. Agreed pauses are addressed in section 4, and statutory rights remain unaffected.

f. Refunds: Fees for membership already provided are normally non-refundable. Refunds or adjustments apply where provided for in these terms or required by law.

g. Outstanding payments: Ending or pausing membership does not remove responsibility for fees already properly due.

3. Cancelling Membership

a. Required notice: 30 calendar days’ written notice is required to cancel membership. This is the standard requirement regardless of the reason for leaving, including acting work, illness, family emergencies, other commitments or a participant no longer wishing to attend. It remains subject to the rights in section 12 and applicable statutory rights.

b. Giving notice: Cancellation must be sent to HFTD’s published contact email address and identify the participant.

c. Notice received: The notice period is calculated from the date HFTD receives the written cancellation, not the date it is acknowledged or processed.

d. Membership end date: Membership ends 30 calendar days after notice is received. For example, notice received on 6 October means the final membership day is 5 November.

e. Holidays count: Weekends, bank holidays, school holidays and half-term count towards notice. The requirement is 30 calendar days, not 30 teaching days or a specified number of sessions.

f. Fees during notice: Fees remain payable up to and including the final membership day, subject to any agreed payment-free pause and applicable legal rights. A further payment may fall due, but no membership fees will be charged for days after membership ends.

g. Final payment calculation: Where membership ends part-way through a calendar month, the final charge is:

Usual monthly fee ÷ number of calendar days in that month × number of chargeable membership days in that month.

The final membership day is included. The total is rounded to the nearest penny.

For example, membership ending on 5 November results in a November charge of 5/30 of the usual monthly fee. At £56 per month, this is £9.33.

h. Payments already collected: Any payment covering days after membership ends will be refunded within 14 calendar days of the membership end date, or sooner where required by law.

i. Attendance: Participants may attend scheduled sessions during their active notice period. Attendance is optional; choosing not to attend does not remove responsibility for fees properly due.

j. Confirmation: HFTD will confirm the membership end date and final payment or refund in writing.

k. Cancelling payment instructions: Cancelling a Direct Debit, removing card details or stopping attendance does not itself cancel membership or remove responsibility for fees properly due.

l. Legal rights: Nothing in this section prevents a member from exercising a statutory right to cancel, end the agreement or receive a refund.

4. Exceptional Membership Pauses

a. Exceptional circumstances only: A temporary pause may be considered for exceptional circumstances, including acting work, illness or a family emergency. A pause is not an automatic entitlement and must be requested in writing.

b. Availability: Pauses are subject to class capacity and availability. A discretionary pause will not be offered where the participant’s group has a waiting list. This does not restrict any adjustment HFTD is required to make by law.

c. Written agreement: A pause is only effective once confirmed by HFTD in writing. The confirmation will state the start date, end date, return arrangements and when payments will resume.

d. During an agreed pause: The participant does not attend and membership fees are suspended for the agreed paused days. Part-month adjustments use the calendar-day calculation in section 3. Fees properly due before the pause remain payable.

e. Return to membership: Unless cancellation notice has been given, active membership and payments resume on the agreed return date. Not attending on that date does not extend the pause or cancel membership.

f. Requests to extend: Any extension must be requested and agreed in writing before the existing pause ends. Extensions remain subject to availability and the waiting-list restriction.

g. Pausing does not cancel membership: An approved pause does not remove the 30-calendar-day cancellation requirement. Members leaving after they return must give notice in accordance with section 3.

h. Cancellation during a pause: A parent/legal guardian may give cancellation notice during an agreed pause. The 30-calendar-day period runs from receipt of that notice; it is not deferred until the participant physically returns. Agreed payment-free paused days remain payment-free. If the pause ends before the cancellation date, normal fees resume for the remaining notice days and the participant may attend during that period.

i. Where a pause is unavailable: The parent/legal guardian may continue membership or cancel using the notice procedure in section 3, subject to applicable legal rights.

5. HFTD Cancellations, Changes and Membership Termination

a. Cancelled sessions: If HFTD cancels a scheduled session, we will offer a suitable replacement where reasonably possible. If a suitable replacement cannot be agreed, we will provide a proportionate refund or, if the parent/legal guardian prefers, a credit.

b. Session changes: Reasonable changes to teachers, venues or session arrangements may be necessary because of staff illness, venue unavailability or similar operational circumstances.

c. Notification: Significant changes will be communicated as soon as reasonably possible. Material changes affecting ongoing membership are subject to section 12.

d. Extended disruption: Where classes cannot be provided for an extended period, HFTD will explain the arrangements, including appropriate refunds and cancellation options.

e. Behaviour: Participants and accompanying adults must behave respectfully. Unsafe behaviour, serious disruption or repeated breaches of reasonable Academy rules may result in disciplinary action.

f. Addressing concerns: Where appropriate, HFTD will discuss concerns with parents/legal guardians and seek a reasonable solution, taking account of the participant’s age and additional needs. Immediate suspension or termination may be necessary for serious safety or safeguarding reasons.

g. HFTD termination: If HFTD ends membership, no membership fees will be charged beyond the termination date. Advance payments covering later periods will be refunded. Any separate claim for loss must have a lawful basis; no automatic penalty applies.

6. Safeguarding

a. Commitment: HFTD is committed to a safe and inclusive environment and follows its safeguarding policies and procedures.

b. Reporting concerns: Concerns should be reported to HFTD’s Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) or Deputy DSL.

c. Information sharing: Relevant information may be shared with appropriate authorities or agencies where necessary to protect a child or young person or where required by law.

7. Medical Information and Emergencies

a. Relevant information: Parents/legal guardians must disclose medical conditions, allergies, injuries, additional needs or other circumstances relevant to safe participation.

b. Updates: Medical information and emergency contact details must be kept up to date.

c. Emergencies: HFTD staff will take reasonable steps to contact a parent/legal guardian and may contact emergency services where necessary.

8. Photography, Video and Promotional Use

a. Consent during enrolment: If you consent to your child appearing on HFTD’s social media during enrolment, this includes permission for HFTD to use photographs and videos featuring your child to promote the Academy on its social media accounts. We will not request separate permission for each promotional post.

b. Where consent is not given: If you do not provide this consent, HFTD will not use identifiable photographs or videos of your child on its social media accounts.

c. Other promotional channels: Consent to social media use does not automatically include use on websites, printed materials or other channels unless these are also expressly covered by the consent wording presented during enrolment.

d. Withdrawing consent: You may withdraw consent at any time by contacting HFTD. This will not affect your child’s membership. HFTD will stop new uses and take reasonable steps to remove relevant content from accounts it controls. Withdrawal does not affect the lawfulness of use before consent was withdrawn.

9. Liability and Personal Belongings

a. Reasonable care: HFTD will provide its services with reasonable care and skill and take reasonable steps to maintain a safe environment.

b. Responsibility: HFTD remains responsible for loss or damage where legally liable, including where caused by negligence or breach of contract.

c. Personal injury: Nothing in these terms excludes or limits liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud or any other liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited.

d. Belongings: Participants should avoid bringing unnecessary valuables and clearly label belongings. HFTD is not responsible for loss or damage unless it results from a failure for which HFTD is legally responsible.

10. Communication and Complaints

a. Contact details: Parents/legal guardians must keep their contact details accurate and up to date.

b. Academy messages: Parents/legal guardians should check communications about payments, term dates, cancellations and class arrangements.

c. Current terms: The latest Terms and Conditions will be available through the membership system. Material changes will also be communicated directly by email.

d. Queries and complaints: Questions, complaints and payment disputes should be sent to HFTD’s published contact email address. HFTD will investigate and respond within a reasonable time. This process does not restrict legal remedies.

11. Data Protection and Privacy

a. Personal information: HFTD handles personal information in accordance with applicable UK data protection legislation and its Privacy Policy.

b. Sharing information: Information is shared only where there is a lawful basis, including where necessary to deliver services safely or meet legal obligations, as explained in the Privacy Policy.

12. Term Dates, Fees and Changes to These Terms

a. Teaching calendar: HFTD’s programme broadly follows school terms. Academy dates may differ from individual school calendars.

b. Summer communication: Each summer, HFTD will email parents/legal guardians the term dates, annual session total and any changes to monthly fees for the forthcoming academic year.

c. Fee reviews: Fees may be reasonably adjusted for the forthcoming academic year to reflect changes in staffing, venue hire, insurance, materials and other direct delivery costs. The reason, amount and effective date will be explained.

d. Session totals: Annual session numbers may change between academic years to reflect school calendars and venue availability. Changes will be identified in the summer communication. Cancellations during an existing academic year remain subject to section 5.

e. Updating terms: HFTD may make reasonable and proportionate changes to reflect legislation, safeguarding requirements or necessary service arrangements arising from venue or timetable availability. The reason and effect will be explained.

f. Advance notice: HFTD will give at least 30 calendar days’ written notice of fee increases, reductions in annual session numbers or other material changes affecting existing memberships.

g. Cancellation following a change: A parent/legal guardian who does not accept a material change may cancel in writing before it takes effect. The usual 30-day notice requirement will not apply, and there will be no cancellation penalty.

h. End date and refunds: Cancellation under this section may take effect immediately or on a chosen date before the change takes effect. Fees are payable only for chargeable membership days up to and including that date. Advance payments for later periods will be refunded using the calculation in section 3.

i. Minor corrections: Administrative corrections or clarifications that do not materially affect membership rights, fees or services do not trigger this special cancellation arrangement.

j. Existing rights: Changes will not apply retrospectively or remove rights already accrued.

13. Unpaid Fees and Recovery Action

a. Responsibility: The parent/legal guardian entering into the agreement is responsible for fees properly due, including applicable notice-period fees.

b. Reminders and disputes: HFTD will notify the responsible adult of overdue payments and provide an opportunity to pay or raise a dispute. Disputes will be considered before further recovery action.

c. Recovery: If a valid debt remains unpaid, HFTD may take proportionate recovery steps, including using a debt recovery service or bringing a court claim. Applicable pre-action requirements will be followed.

d. Costs and interest: Interest, court fees or recovery costs will only be sought where legally recoverable and, where necessary, awarded by a court. No automatic penalty or blanket legal-cost charge applies.

e. Rights: This section does not make an otherwise unenforceable charge payable or restrict the right to dispute a payment.

Acceptance

By enrolling your child with Here For The Drama Academy, you confirm that you have read, understood and agreed to these Terms and Conditions.

Nothing in these Terms and Conditions affects your statutory rights.