Theatre School Terms & Conditions

COVID-19 Updated T&C’s for Theatre School, Workshops and Clubs

We have put together stringent measures in place to ensure your children can continue to enjoy our workshops and theatre school in a safe environment. We believe these measures should give parents the comfort and assurances you need to continue at BTS and participating in our workshops.

By attending Berkshire Theatre School or by booking any course with BTC – Berkshire Theatre Company, you explicitly agree to the following terms, conditions and procedures, together with our general terms and conditions.

PLEASE TAKE A THE TIME TO READ AND UNDERSTAND THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS.

We have implemented the following special measures in response to the Coronavirus outbreak

Attendance

Attendance at any session is subject to your child being virus-free, as far as it is practicable to be sure. We urge everyone to err on the side of caution. You must NOT bring your child if they:

show any symptoms of COVID-19 on the day; or

show any symptoms of COVID-19 within 7 days prior to any session: or

are living with an individual who has shown symptoms within 14 days before the date of their attendance (in which case, they and you should be self-isolating as per government guidelines).

Children who attend with a cough or who are accompanied by an adult or sibling with a cough – or who are otherwise obviously unwell will not be accepted. The leader’s decision on this matter is final.

Please be responsible when making a decision about bringing your child – bringing a child who is mildly ill, even if you are sure they are well enough to attend, could threaten the health of other children, and our staff. Our staff are required to self-isolate at the first sign of any symptoms, so if you send a poorly child – even if you are convinced that they do not have COVID-19 – you risk us having to cancel future sessions because our staff will be unable to work.

If there is a confirmed case of COVID-19 in your household during the course of your child’s time with us please call us immediately on 07785233282. We will then contact the local authorities in the venue area and Public Health England and follow their advice.

Hand Sanitiser

We provide hand washing facilities but we will ask children to use hand gel on entering the building each day. We will be using a 70%(min) Alcohol Hand Sanitiser Gel. Please let us know prior to attendance if your child has an allergy to any hand sanitisers. All children are also welcome to bring their own hand sanitiser gel for their personal use.

Disposable tissues

We adhere to the government’s “catch it, bin it, kill it” advice. All children must bring a packet of disposable tissues to each session so they can catch and bin their coughs and sneezes.

Masks

Please DO NOT send your child in a mask, or ask us to make sure they wear one, for the following reasons:

Wearing a mask can give your child a false sense of security, and encourage risky behaviour, such as avoiding hand washing or touching their face or other children;

Unless it is very strictly and regularly cleaned (or brand new and unused) a mask can act as a reservoir of virus/bacteria, which can transfer to your child’s hands when they touch the outside of the mask;

It is difficult to put on and take off a mask safely and hygienically, and this is something that young children will not be able to do; and

We strongly believe that mask wearing whilst undertaking drama and movement activities can restrict the flow of air into the lungs and cause respiratory issues and possible loss of consciousness.

On the day

Transport

Please avoid public transport, if possible. If you must use public transport, please follow the government guidelines on safe travelling.

Shielded and clinically vulnerable children and adults

Children and adults in these categories should not attend BTC, and we make it clear in our communications with parents that if their children or any member of their household is shielding or clinically vulnerable, then they should not attend.

Group size

The government’s recommendation for our sector is to limit groups to a maximum of 15 children. We have undertaken a risk assessment to ascertain how many children can be spaced safely in our venues, so some groups may be slightly smaller.

Registration

Please maintain social distance while queuing to sign in and out.

Please stay 2 metres away from the staff member conducting registration. Only one family should approach the registration station at a time; please wait to be called forward.

Please only have one adult attend per household, and please remain with your child until they have been accepted into the venue.

A visual guide will indicate where to queue – please respect that and do not crowd around our staff, or fellow students.

We may ask you to drop off and pick up in slightly different places to normal so please await instructions on this.

We will seek verbal confirmation from parents/carers before each session that the child does not have any symptoms of COVID-19.

Temperature checks

We will be using an infrared thermometer to check the temperature of each child as they enter the building. By booking with us, you consent to your child’s temperature being taken. Any child with a raised temperature will NOT be permitted to enter.

Snacks

Please pack a snack, and drink each day for your child.

Please remember we are a nut-free school.

Please ensure your child can open their snack independently as staff members will not be able to assist with this.

Only if you are attending one a full day then please ensure you pack lunch also.

Personal items

Children are permitted to bring ONE small bag with their drink and snack inside. Please do not bring coats or any other items to class to minimise risk.

NO phones, fitbits or jewellery.

Hygiene procedures

We will:

• professionally clean the venue at the end of each day;
• clean the touch points, common surfaces and toilets between sessions;
• ensure frequent hand-washing of both staff and students;
• ensure toilets do not become crowded;
• ensure staff members adhere to strict hygiene measures; and
• increase ventilation, wherever possible, in our venues.

Distance

The venues will be marked out with tape to assist in keeping children and staff at a safe 2m distance as much as possible.

Static social activities, where children are sitting together, will be arranged to maintain a 2m distance between seated or standing children and adults, as far as is practicable.

Toilet breaks will be in groups of no more than 3 to maintain safe distances there too.

If children are upset or worried we will of course reassure and comfort them as much as we can from a distance.

First Aid

Staff will wear PPE when attending to any first aid that needs administering.

What we will do if someone develops symptoms:

If anyone becomes unwell or develops any symptoms of COVID-19 during the day, in our setting they will be sent home and advised to follow the staying at home guidance.

If a child is awaiting collection, they will be moved, if possible and if appropriate, to a room where they can be isolated behind a closed door. We will be mindful of individual children’s needs – for example, it would not be appropriate for younger children to be alone without adult supervision. Ideally, a window will be opened for ventilation. If it is not possible to isolate them, we will move them to an area which is at least 2 metres away from other people. The member of staff supervising the child will wear PPE and the area will be deep cleaned once the child has been collected.

If they need to go to the bathroom while waiting to be collected. The bathroom will be cleaned and disinfected using standard cleaning products before being used by anyone else.

If they need clinical advice, they (staff member, parent or guardian) should go online to NHS 111 or call 111 if they don’t have internet access. In an emergency, call 999 if they are seriously ill or injured or their life is at risk. Do not visit the GP, pharmacy, urgent care centre or a hospital.

If a member of staff has helped someone who was taken unwell COVID-19 symptoms, they do not need to go home unless they develop symptoms themselves. They should wash their hands thoroughly for 20 seconds after any contact with someone who is unwell and remove and dispose of their PPE.

In most cases, closure of our workshops will not be needed but this will be ours, along with advice from authorities, decision based on various factors such as establishment size and risk of further spread.

This is a fast-evolving situation and we will monitor and share any new advice at the earliest opportunity.

Whilst we understand that the current situation is causing concern, there is no need for alarm. You do not need to keep your children away from a setting unless they have been to, or have been in contact with someone who has been infected.

If a confirmed case is identified with links to a school or setting, specific advice would be given on a case by case basis and parents and students would be updated appropriately.

Behaviour

There will be talks with the children at registration about hand washing and sanitising including the importance of using and disposing of tissues.

We are very lucky to have children who behave very well. There will however be COVID-19 specific rules, and we ask that your children to observe the following:
arrival and departure routines;

instructions regarding hygiene;

instructions regarding the venue site e.g. areas out of bounds, one-way systems;

expectations around sneezing, coughing, tissues and disposal (catch it, bin it, kill it) / if no tissue available to use crook of elbow;

telling an adult if they feel ill;

rules about not sharing equipment/possessions; and

NO SPITTING.

Cancellations

As we now live in a COVID era, you understand that is it likely that our training may be a combination of face to face and online classes. We reserve the right to move our classes online or face to face at short notice as a response to COVID-19, for the safety of our staff, pupils and their families. In either instance, no refunds will be due for the reasons stated below.

If your child is unable to attend Theatre School due to illness we are unable to offer a refund.

If you have to cancel a Workshop due to your child being unwell we are unable to offer a refund.

If your child is unable to attend a Workshop due to testing positive for COVID-19 or in isolation, we are unable to offer a refund. However, we are happy to transfer the fee paid to an alternative future workshop at our discretion. We will aim to give you a choice of workshop where possible, but where spaces are limited we do reserve the right to specify a particular workshop course to transfer to. Please contact us should you wish to further discuss.

If you have to cancel a workshop due to your child being generally unwell we are unable to offer a refund or course transfer.

If your child or any member of their family group/household develops symptoms of COVID-19 within 2 weeks of their visit to us please ensure you contact us as soon as possible.

Thank you for your co-operation, patience and understanding in this matter. I am sure you can appreciate, this difficult situation is a lot to cope with. As you have no doubt discovered for yourselves during these unprecedented times, we have to do things in a different way which can be very difficult, but we hope with these safety measures in place we can offer a much-needed break for both you and your children. We will continue to monitor the situation closely.

Safeguarding the health and wellbeing of all children and staff at BTC will remain our utmost priority at all times.

Theatre School Terms & Conditions

This rolling agreement is made between the parent/guardian of each student and Berkshire Theatre School, and is valid at all times whilst the student is enrolled at the school and until such time as written notice (see section 3) is given. By enroling your child at Berkshire Theatre School, you accept the following terms and conditions of enrolment.

1. Termly Fees are due two weeks before the start of term, and must be paid in full for each term in advance. If fees are not paid in advance, the student may be denied tuition at Berkshire Theatre School. A term will be between 10 weeks in length depending on the location and availability of the venue.

Where a customer has been granted a weekly payment agreement, a full term’s fees will remain payable even when a term varies in length.

Where a discount is given this will only stand where payment is received, in full, two weeks before the start of term.

Late Fee Payment Charge – Where an invoice has been issued and payment is not received two weeks before term starts, an administrative charge of £30 may be added to your account. This is because chasing late payments takes up a considerable amount of time. To ensure people who pay promptly do not unfairly have to pay for this, we have introduced the late payment charge so that only late payers have to pay for the time it takes to chase their payment. We feel it is the fairest solution. Please pay promptly.

Where failure to make payment on your account occurs, after reasonable reminders and requests for payment, our policy is to pass the debt to another agency to collect the debt on our behalf and you will incur further collection costs.

2. Berkshire Theatre School aims to provide the services advertised on all Saturdays falling within the advertised term dates. We retain the right to change the advertised programme of classes in the event of illness or other circumstances beyond our control.

3. Notice, in writing, of one complete term must be given if leaving the school in order to terminate this agreement. Notice of half a term (or 6 weeks) must be given should you wish to change the programme of classes being taken. Even if the student is unable to attend BTS until the completion of either notice periods, the fees remain due. Failure to provide written notice will mean that your fees for that term will remain due, despite a pupils absence.

4. No refunds can be given for days when the student does not attend or for classes or dates that are cancelled due to events or circumstances beyond our control.

5. Uniform must be worn by all students whenever they attend. Details of the current uniform can be found on our website here.

6. The parent/guardian gives permission to use images of the student in publicity materials. Should the parent/guardian wish the student to be excluded from publicity materials, this must be put in writing to Berkshire Theatre School.

It is the responsibility of the parent/carer to inform us of any medical conditions and special educational needs or disabilities, so we can discuss how best to accommodate the child and consider whether any reasonable adjustments can be made to ensure they are able to fully participate within the staffing ratios provided by BTC.

The needs of each child vary so decisions are made on a case-by-case basis and depend upon the level of support each individual child may require. We are not able to provide one-to-one support to a child.

We are happy to accommodate a child with specific needs on a paid trial basis and reserve the right to review further bookings.

7. By bringing your child/self to BTS you understand that there are risks of physical injury associated with the activity of dance and performing arts. As you recognise the risk of injury you knowingly and voluntary waive all rights and causes of any kind, including but not limited to, injury and negligence while attending a BTS class/event. This includes all BTS staff, coaches, chaperones, volunteers and any other affiliated entities. You hereby agree to release BTS and hold BTS harmless of all liability and you acknowledge that you knowingly and voluntarily assume full responsibility of all physical injury arising out of physical injury arising out of active participation in BTS activities regardless of location (on site, online, or in your home). You have agreed to this release of liability freely and of your own free will.