Terms & Conditions

  Home Educators Educating Together (HEET) CIC

TERMS AND CONDITIONS 

1.1 Please read these Terms and Conditions carefully before registering on www.heet.org.uk and attending the classes and events arranged by Home Educators Educating Together CIC. (HEET) 

1.2 Your access to and use of the above is conditioned on your acceptance of and compliance with these Terms and Conditions. These Terms and Conditions apply to all visitors, users and others who access or use HEET CIC. 

1.3 Before attending HEET Face-to-Face classes please refer to the latest government guidance current government COVID 19 guidance. This will also apply to any other disease for which the Government has issued specific controls or guidance. Any person attending the venue must be prepared to have their temperature taken and answer questions regarding their general health upon request. HEET CIC Directors reserve the right to send anyone home who appears to be unwell, in order to safeguard everyone else. If any person refuses to comply with this and basic hygiene requirements, we reserve the right to remove them from classes/venue to protect the health of others. Please do not attend if you or your child is feeling unwell or displaying any Covid 19 symptoms. Get NHS advice about COVID-19, including symptoms, testing, vaccination and self-isolation: NHS guidance.

2 DISCLAIMERS

2.1 HEET cannot take responsibility for

2.1.1 individual children on an ‘in loco parentis‘ basis.

2.1.2 accidents or injuries which may occur while on site

2.1.3 accidents or injuries which may occur in the field and playground adjacent to the Scout Hut

2.1.4 accidents or injuries which may occur when walking between venues

2.1.5 any other occurrence where parents or guardians allow their charges to leave the premises

2.1.6 any property or possessions that are lost, damaged or stolen while attending activities. All property and possessions are left at the risk of the owner.

2.2 Limits of Liabilities

2.2.1 The terms and conditions place a limited liability on the ‘group’ relating to injuries and accidents that may occur at the facilities being hired. 

2.2.2 At no point does responsibility for a child pass to the group and the group shall not be deemed to be ‘in loco parentis‘ at any time. Parents remain responsible for their children; before, during and after any activities. Parents who allow their children to leave any of the hired premises do so at their own risk. They shall not hold the directors or any persons connected with HEET CIC liable.

2.2.3 At no point does HEET take responsibility for any property or possessions that are lost or damaged. All personal property is left and used at the owners’ risk.

2.2.3.1 By accessing or using HEET you agree to be bound by these terms and if you disagree with any parts of the terms you may not access the service.

2.2.3.2 It is the parent’s responsibility to ensure that they are aware of the Terms and Conditions and HEET does not take responsibility should there be a claim that a parent is not aware of such policies.

3 PARENTAL SUPERVISION

3.1 HEET CIC requires that parents stay on-site with their children for the duration of their time (on-site refers to being present at either the Scout Centre or Youth Centre). Where parents cannot be present – they must sign a Delegation of Parental Responsibility form delegating responsibility for their child to a responsible adult who is present on site. 

3.1.1 Parents of children aged 10 and under are expected to fully supervise their children at all times, during activities and free time.  Children must not play outside without an adult present.  If you are unable to watch your child directly you must designate another adult to take on parental responsibility in your absence, and you need to let the Welfare Officer in your building know.  Your child should be made aware of who this person is.

3.1.2 If you cannot be onsite for reasons of emergency you must fill in and hand in the Delegation of Parental Responsibility form to the designated Welfare Officer and appoint a responsible adult to supervise your child. The responsibility remains with the parent and not with HEET CIC.

3.1.3 Children over the age of 11 years of age may move independently from one site to another only if parents have signed the release from liability form and filled in a Delegation of Parental Responsibility form delegating a responsible adult to look after your child if you are not personally onsite.

3.1.4 Your child will not be allowed to attend the classes if you do not stay or fill in a Delegation of Parental Responsibility form. This is a required agreement upon registering and signing up for classes. This form can be obtained from the Welfare officers on site or downloaded from the policies and forms page on our website https://www.heet.org.uk/policies-and-forms. The Welfare officer is Safia Haque. Their email is: [email protected]

3.1.5 If parents are found to be in breach of their agreement to remain on site or having failed to sign a Delegation of Parental Responsibility form and delegating a responsible adult, Welfare Officer Jodie Tomkins will advise parents verbally that they are in breach of their agreement. In the event of a second breach, the Welfare Officer will issue a written warning to parents. In the event of a third breach, the Directors will advise you in writing that your child or children will no longer be able to attend the group, unless and until arrangements are made for supervising them in strict accordance with the policy of the group. If your child is unable to attend the group due to your non-compliance with the group policy, there will be no refunds of fees already paid. 

3.1.6 Whilst we allow parents to accompany their child during classes, please be respectful of the learning environment. This privilege is allowed at the discretion of the tutor at all times and can be revoked by the tutor (or by any of the Directors) either verbally or written at any time. We cannot offer refunds for classes not attended as a result of this action. 

3.1.7 Please be advised that the Welfare Officer is not obliged to accept responsibility for your children, should they agree to do so they are only allowed to care for an additional three children.

3.1.8 Should for whatever reason the lessons are cancelled at either venue. We may decide to close the venue early. Parents/children will have to leave the venue and the Scout Centre car park (as it will be locked). 

4 REGISTERING ON THE DAY

4.1.1 Parents for Under 11s must also sign in when they arrive and sign out at the end of their sessions.

4.1.2 If you (the parent) are moving from one site to another – you must sign out and delegate a responsible adult who will sign the sign-out sheet as well to confirm that they will supervise your under 11.

4.2 Parents with children in KS3 & KS4 may allow their children to sign in on their own behalf and move from site to site unaccompanied only if they have signed the Release from Liability form and filled in a Delegation of Parental Responsibility form delegating a responsible adult to look after your child if you are not personally onsite.

4.3 RELEASE FROM LIABILITY: Parents will be asked upon joining HEET for classes to sign a release from liability to ensure that HEET CIC cannot be held responsible for incidents, accidents and injury occurring during their time at HEET arising from activities or playtime in and around the site. 

5 EXAM CLASS AGE GUIDELINES

5.1 In consultation with the tutors, the recommended age is 14 years for all IGCSE or equivalent exam classes, as a degree of academic and emotional maturity is required for the intensity of these one year classes.

5.1.1 For A level classes, students should be 16-18 years old when the course begins. Younger children who fulfil the criteria for studying the A Levels may also be able to join the course (see 5.2)  The parent/guardian must be aware and accept that their children’s peers may be over 18 years old. 

5.2 However, recognising that the home educating community is diverse – if parents and children feel very strongly about wishing to begin their exam journey earlier – they may approach the Coordinators to help them arrange a discussion between themselves and the tutors as to their child’s suitability to join the exam classes. It must be noted that it is at the discretion of the tutor as to whether it is appropriate for the underage child to join the exam classes.

5.3 HEET may request a test / assessment to be completed prior to joining a particular class. In which case, this will have to be completed to a satisfactory standard to be eligible for the class as assessed by the tutor.

5.4 If it is agreed that the child may be ready despite their age to join the class then they will be allowed to join the class as per the other (I)GCSE or A Level students. During the course, parents and tutors will review the student’s progress and make a decision as to whether it is in the best interest of the student to continue. If it is agreed that the student cannot continue with the course, the student will have to stop attending the classes, No refund will be given for the fees paid but further subscriptions will be cancelled.

5.5 All examinations and any Access Arrangements for students need to be booked by the parents. This also includes any practical endorsements required for A Levels. 

5.6 Classes must be supplemented with thorough independent study of the course materials in order to be ready for examinations. Parents are responsible for making sure their children complete extra study, homework tasks and are ‘exam ready’ when the time comes. It is important that this responsibility rests with the parent because some students may choose to take the (I)GCSE and A Level classes without taking the exam.

5.7 It must be noted that attendance of these classes does not remove/replace your parental duty to provide a suitable education for your child, we are not a school.

6 PAYMENTS:

6.1 We have aimed to keep costs low and classes accessible to all families however in order to cover the cost of things such as, but not limited to: hall hire, tutors, refreshments and resources – we do need to charge and cannot offer refunds for classes once paid. Payments made only cover essential expenditure to keep the groups running. This is not a profit-making business, educational institution or childcare facility; it is a Community Interest Company and not for profit. For courses which run over more than one year, the costs and the payment plan will be detailed on the product description. Either the payment plan will be for the full two year course or the payment plan will be for individual years to be booked at the start of the academic year and may be subject to an hourly rate change. (Any hourly rate increase will be due to the viability of the class and implemented as the chosen option rather than course cancellation.)

6.1.1 ALL PAYMENT IS VIA WEBSITE BOOKING SYSTEM ONLY. IF YOU REQUIRE ASSISTANCE PLEASE APPROACH ONE OF THE DIRECTORS. 

6.2 We cannot refund classes that do not run due to extenuating circumstances, such as adverse weather, terrorist lockdowns etc.

6.3 You or your designated student may not attend classes that you have not pre-booked and paid for in advance. 

6.4 Students enrolled in classes must be those who attend. Parents/Guardians are not permitted to offer or sell their child’s place to another student or swap classes without prior consent.  Please contact [email protected]  to discuss options for transferring classes and students.

 

 

7 FEES:

7.1 You must add the Registration Fee of £25 to your shopping cart with your first order. This is payable for each academic year per (immediate) family. An automatic registration fee of £25 per family per annum will be added to subscriptions where it has not been added at the time of booking. Please note that the annual Registration Fee is non-refundable once the academic year has started. 

 

7.2. If you have contacted the Directors and requested to pay by invoice (and this has been accepted) there will be an extra cost for this service (priced at £5 per invoice). However, the Directors reserve the right to refuse to offer the option of paying by invoice. 

 

7.3 An Amendment fee of up to £25 may be charged each time changes are made to a customer booking depending upon the amount of administration time required.  

 

7.4 Late Payment Fees. If a payment is missed a Late Payment fee of £25 will be due. If you do not respond to emails and rectify this, further Late Payment fees of £25 each will be added on a monthly basis to your outstanding payment total as well as interest charges as outlined for Payment Arrears in this document, until the payment arrears have been settled. It is your responsibility to keep your contact email address up to date with us. See 8.2.1 for Arrears. 

 

7.5 Directors have the right to reduce and waive fees. However, this will be an exception and not a rule and will not set a precedent for further fees which may be applicable at a later date. 

 

 

8 PAYMENTS AND CANCELLATION POLICY

8.1 Upon booking, an automatic payment by subscription will be set up, with the first payment going out at the time of booking. Thereafter, it will be paid out as per the instalment plan advised at check out. 

 

8.1.1 Cancelling your class. HEET CIC offers a 14-day period for customers to assess the suitability of the service.  To cancel your contract with us you must notify us in writing by email to [email protected] at any time up to the end of the fourteenth day from the date on which the first lesson is taught following your initial payment. If cancelling all classes with HEET prior to the academic year starting, then the registration fee will also be refunded. If classes have begun, there will be no refund of the registration fee; a refund  will be given minus the £25 registration fee and the cost of any lessons which have taken place prior to HEET receiving your cancellation email (even if the student did not attend). Cancellations made in the 14 days cooling off period must not be for future dates outside of the cooling off period. These will be considered as outside of the cooling off period.

 

8.1.2 If a subscription (agreed payment plan) is cancelled by the customer outside of the 14 day period described in 8.1.1  or by any other method other than in writing then an amendment fee, any original remaining payment(s), interest payments and (if applicable) recovery costs may be pursued. Please see 8.4

 

8.1.3 In the case of an error in the product description, HEET CIC reserves the right to cancel bookings made and request customers to rebook their places on the web site. There will be, of course, no additional amendment fees for customers in these cases and customers are not obliged to re-book but if they do not then this will mean their child(ren) will no longer be attending the class. 

 

8.2 We are unable to offer refunds for classes paid for but not attended (or yet to be attended) for the course/year. Subscriptions to classes should be a commitment for the duration of the course. This is the only way we can continue to provide classes throughout the year and still pay our tutor fees, etc.  

 

8.2.1 Payment Arrears. Interest chargeable on account arrears for late payments are charged at Bank of England Base Rate plus 8% per annum, calculated monthly. If you are experiencing temporary financial difficulties please contact Zerka Butt [email protected] to discuss the options that may be available to you. We will endeavour to accommodate extenuating family circumstances but this is on an exceptional basis and reviewed on a case by case basis agreed by 3 members of the HEET Directors (one of whom will be the Finance Director).

 

8.3 If we have to cancel a lesson course we will offer refunds for any payments made for any future (cancelled) classes and cancel your subscription. In the event a tutor is unable to teach more than 2 classes and HEET cannot find substitute tutor cover and the tutor cannot provide work for the students, HEET will endeavour to provide refunds, however no guarantees or assurances are given in this regard. 

 

8.4 All refunds will only be issued if you contact us in writing to [email protected]If our terms and conditions mean your case does not fit the criteria for a refund, the Directors may be able to offer a discretionary refund. But please note that it will be considered on a case by case basis after a financial review. This is likely to be at the end of the academic year or even the end of the course if it is 2 years long. If it is decided that we have covered course costs and can offer a discretionary refund then please note that the refund amount is also discretionary. 

 

8.4.1 Should a chargeback be unfairly instigated against HEET CIC through banks, card issuers or payment processing companies, HEET CIC will seek to recover any sums unfairly refunded as well as any fees charged by third parties for processing these requests. Additionally, HEET CIC will charge an administration fee of £20 per transaction and pursuant to section 69 of the County Courts Act 1984, interest will be charged at 8% above Bank Of England base rate on any monies owed from the date of chargeback.

 

8.5 If you join a course after it begins, you will be charged for the entire half-term in which you join. If joining a course in the second or subsequent half-terms, where class recordings are not available on Google classroom you may make an appeal in writing for a discretionary refund for classes taught prior to booking to Catriona Herbert [email protected].uk . These will be considered on a case by case basis.

 

 

CANCELLATION                     POLICY                              SUMMARY

(To cancel, you must email

[email protected] )

Cancelling some of your classes Cancelling all of your classes

 

Cancelling before the academic year starts

 

Cost of cancelled classes refunded in full. 

 

Cost of cancelled classes and Registration Fee refunded

Cancelling at any time up to the end of the fourteenth day from the date on which the first lesson takes place following initial payment.

 

 If the academic year has begun, then a refund for classes will be given minus the cost of any lessons which have taken place within that period* (even if the student did not attend).                                                 *period between first payment and cancellation date

 

 If the academic year has begun, then a refund for classes will be given minus the cost of any lessons which have taken place within that period* (even if the student did not attend).                                                 *period between first payment and cancellation date

 

Cancelling at any other time

 

No refund due.                              Outstanding payments are still due.                                                     Customers can apply for a discretionary refund. 

 

No refund due.                              Outstanding payments are still due.                                                     Customers can apply for a discretionary refund. 

 

 

9 TERMINATION OF SERVICES:

9.1 We reserve the right to terminate a class if numbers fall beyond break-even point. While we will make all reasonable efforts to continue all exam based classes even if numbers fall to ensure continuity of teaching for students, we reserve the right to close any class if they become financially unsustainable.

10 SPECIAL NEEDS

10.1 While some of our classes are run by volunteer parents who are not trained teachers and professionals, we at HEET will make reasonable efforts to accommodate and support those with SEN. We will endeavour to support and partner with tutors and parents to help the student progress as far as is reasonably possible within our means by making any reasonable adjustments. Where appropriate, parents/assistants/support carers are welcome to participate in the classes alongside their child/student to assist them if required. 

11 EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY

11.1 We aim to be an organisation that values, recognises and responds to the diverse needs of our students and those we serve. We adhere to the Equality Act 2010 and will not discriminate against any person or other organisation with particular reference to the protected characteristics.

12 DATA PROTECTION AND PHOTOS

12.1 It is required that no photos are taken and put on a public website or social media without the consent of the child and their parents. 

12.2 No photos will be taken and circulated without the consent of parents. Please make sure that any location tagging is removed/turned off. 

12.3 Photo consent forms will be available onsite from the welfare officers.

12.4 ONLINE classes are recorded as part of the course. Recordings are made only by tutors and shared in a view only format in accordance with strict guidance. By registering for online classes, students and their parents have given consent for HEET to use the recordings for the duration of the entire course. Recordings are stored securely and are accessible only to students on the course. At the end of this course / after the exams these recordings will be deleted. See ‘Online Safeguarding Agreement for Parents’ for more information.

13 GENERAL GUIDELINES

13.1 Parents are expected to actively support and be involved with their child/children during the activities, unless the tutor specifies that parental involvement is not required.

13.2 Parents and children are asked to be respectful towards the person delivering the activity and model good listening skills. Respect must be shown to everyone and anyone within HEET, as well as to any outside agencies.

13.3 Children are expected to bring relevant material, notebooks, pencils etc required by the tutor, to be punctual to classes and to inform the tutors if they are going to be late or unable to attend. They should endeavour to participate and complete homework as required by the tutors.

13.4 We are a community of home educators and everyone is expected to contribute. It is not the responsibility of the tutor to tidy up at the end of a lesson; this is the responsibility of the class members and their parents. Parents are expected to help set up/put away the tables and chairs, sweep floors, hoover and mop as necessary and leave the buildings tidy at the end of sessions and at the end of the day

13.5 We are continually seeking to improve the Service. We reserve the right, at our absolute discretion, to make changes to any part of the Service provided it does not materially reduce its content or functionality.

13.6 Limited rights to use content. All materials displayed on the Service (“Content”) belong to us or our licensors. 

Students are permitted to:  

Retrieve and display the Content on a computer screen in order to use the Service for their own personal use. 

Unless you have our prior written permission you (or any Student) are not permitted to:

  1. Redistribute any of the Content (including by using it as part of any library, archive or similar service); Retrieve and display or print the Content for anyone;
  2. Remove copyright or trademark notices from any copies of the Content made under this Agreement;
  3. Create a database in electronic or structured manual form by systematically downloading and storing all or any of the Content; or except as expressly permitted above; modify, reproduce, publish or in any way commercially exploit any of the Content.
  4. Share their login / access with any other party.
  5. Use a subscription to provide tuition to other parties.
  6. Nor may you permit or enable a third party to do any of these acts on your behalf.

14 HEALTH AND SAFETY

14.1 You MUST:

14.1.1 Read and follow all signs at the venue

14.1.2 Accept and read the Health and Safety Policy – available on the website

14.1.3 Accept and read the Safeguarding Policy – available on the website

14.1.4 Accept and read the Anti Bullying Policy – available on the website

14.1.5 Accept and read the IT and Data Protection Policy – available on the website

15 ALLERGENS

15.1 While we cannot make the Scout Centre or Youth Centre allergen free, we will endeavour to be considerate towards families whose children are severely allergic. 

15.2 It is the responsibility of the parents to ensure their child is safe, has required medication and that they make tutors and volunteers aware of allergies. HEET cannot accept any liability in the event of an allergic incident.

15.3 It is requested that in consideration to other families that nuts are not brought into the premises. 

16 KITCHEN RULES

16.1 Children under 10 are NOT allowed into the kitchens without adult supervision.

16.2 Parents and older children are welcome to use the kitchen facilities. Parents are encouraged to direct their children to clean up after themselves but are ultimately responsible for ensuring that anything used by their family is washed, dried and put away, making sure that surfaces are wiped clean.

 

16.3 It is the  responsibility of all home educators attending HEET to tidy and restore the teaching rooms, communal areas, kitchen and outdoor area as we found them.

16.4 Please dispose of all litter, leaving areas clean and tidy.  Parents must ensure that their children do not litter or leave food waste either inside the building or in the grounds of the building. Parents are responsible for wiping tables used by their family and clearing up spillages.

17 DOGS AND PETS

17.1 We do not encourage students/parents to bring pets to the venue. But if you do, you are required to keep them on a leash and under the owner’s control outside the building. Owners/handlers of pets will be held responsible for their pets behaviour and must respect that they may be asked to leave at any time. Pets are NOT permitted inside the buildings or in the grounds outside ‘The Point’.

17.2 Please be considerate to the needs of other families who may have issues with animals due to allergies, phobias or other reasons.

18 ONLINE CLASSES

18.1 Please make sure you have read and follow our Online Safeguarding Agreement for Parents. By booking and agreeing to our Terms and Conditions you are also agreeing to The Online Safeguarding Agreement. Any breach of the Online Safeguarding Agreement will constitute a breach of our Terms and Conditions.  

19 CHANGES

19.1 The company reserves the right to change these conditions from time to time as it sees fit and your continued use of the services will signify your acceptance of any amendments to these terms. If there are any changes to our policies, we will announce them via email and on the Notice Board on the website and on any other key pages we update. If there are any changes in how we use our site, documentation or classes whereby it affects the users detrimentally we will endeavour to notify by email all those affected by the change. 

  1. BREACHES OF OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS

20.1 If you breach our Terms and Conditions and we ignore this, we will still be entitled to use our rights and remedies at a later date or in any other situation where you breach this Contract. 

20.2 If you or any of your family who are users of our service, breach our Terms and Conditions (even if we choose to ignore it), we reserve the right to refuse further bookings including those made in any other year and regardless of you or any of your family agreeing to our Terms and Conditions again before booking.

Your booking, your children’s booking or any other family member’s booking will be cancelled, and if you choose to ignore any email informing you of your family’s exclusion, an amendment fee will also be charged. This can be done at any time during the academic year. 

20.3 In the event of a conflict between these terms and conditions and our terms of use, privacy policy or any other legal terms or notices appearing on the service or our website these terms and conditions shall prevail.

20.4 If any part of this Contract is unenforceable, the enforceability of any other part of this Contract will not be affected.

 

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