Privacy Policy

Student and Tutor Agreement 2021                    

Preparation for the lesson:

I like the children to have an A4 lever-arch folder, to be brought to every lesson. This helps students have a sense of ownership and responsibility for their work and it helps me keep track of your child’s progress from week to week. If you have been recommended workbooks, it is also helpful for me to see these on a weekly basis. All other equipment can be supplied but you may bring a pencil case if you prefer to use your own.

I may set some homework, if appropriate, to consolidate what we have done in the session, but I appreciate that school homework should take precedence. Younger students will usually have a spelling word to learn and a reading challenge. Year 5 students will need to complete tasks in their workbooks every week. Aim for three 30 minute sessions a week and read to an adult on a daily basis, for a minimum of 15 minutes. Homework tasks are most effective if children have interest and support from an adult at home. This is particularly the case with reading and completing reading records.  

Bear in mind that tutoring is most successful when students are keen and motivated to improve in their school studies, homework and revision efforts. I encourage my students to work independently and take ownership of their success. Tutoring sessions will support, but not substitute, good working practices or revision at home.

After-school lessons start at 3:30, are 45 minutes long with a few minutes between lessons for a change-over. Lessons run consecutively throughout the evening. Please be on time, rather than early. If you would like feedback on your child’s progress, you are welcome and encouraged to come in at the end of the lesson for a chat.

Parking and Dropping Off:

Please don’t, under any circumstances, park on my neighbours’ drives or the private road, even for dropping off. If there is no space on my drive there are 2 laybys near the property or Newlyn’s Meadow that are not too far to walk. Make sure everyone who might be responsible for picking up and dropping off your child is aware of this. I would appreciate your consideration in this matter. Please think how you would feel if 30-40 cars used your drive to visit a neighbour every week!

Take care when crossing the road. Traffic tends to speed up outside the house as they approach the change in speed limit. I am part of the Community Speedwatch Programme (volunteers are always welcome if you can spare an hour a month) and the police have recognised there is a speeding problem on this road and are making monthly visits with a traffic enforcement team.

Any potential traffic problems with roadworks, flooding, snow days or delays will be posted on my Facebook pagePrince Tutoring. Please follow my page to keep up to date with notifications about changes to lessons and also any events that may be coming up.

Food & Drink:

Students may bring a bottle of drink to the lesson, but no food please. I can provide a biscuit and drink if the student has come straight from school.

Lesson Types:

I offer different style lessons to suit your budget and requirements.

Individual lessons are best suited for finding and targeting problems areas and building confidence.   

Group sessions tend to be more active, with a buzz of camaraderie and competitiveness. There are prizes and incentives to help students improve each week. Most face-to-face group sessions take place during the holidays and are a cost-effective way of helping your child prepare for exams. There are weekly online group sessions for GCSE and the Kent Test during term time.

Paired lessons are a good way to keep the cost of a lesson down, particularly if you have more than one child. I recommend paired lessons for GCSE or A-level school friends, or similarly aged siblings. I will advise you after 1 or 2 sessions if I don’t think the pairing is working.

School Holidays:

I continue to teach throughout all of the school holidays, but I take the opportunity to do daytime appointments rather than evenings. Lessons can be booked on a first-come-first-served basis. The one-week cancellation policy still applies, so please check your availability before you commit to a time. I will be strict about late cancellations in the holidays because no-shows happen more often and I am giving up my own holiday time to help your children succeed.

Continuing Students:

As with all academic institutions, September is by nature, a very dynamic time of the year; with students leaving, changing timetables and new social commitments, my timetable is also likely to change. Please prompt me around May/June if you are considering continuing with tutoring into the following academic year and book your session early to avoid disappointment.

Fees, Absence and Cancellation Policy:

Most people like to book their lessons in advance and keep the same slot each week. With the busy schedules that children have these days you can understand how difficult it is for me to reschedule appointments at short notice. Even students waiting for cancellations will rarely be able to make arrangements to come at short notice. For this reason, as with any other club or class you attend, I ask for a commitment to a full term with no refunds or fee waivers for any lessons missed, unless a full 7 days’ notice are given.

Absence – Lesson fees are not refundable or transferable if a session is missed for any reason.

There will be no charge for any sessions where sufficient notice of absence has been given (1 week or more). If you have already made an advanced payment, payment for that lesson will be carried over to the next term. You will only pay for the lessons you attend, as long as I have the opportunity to offer the sessions you don’t want to someone else. (I always have a list of customers waiting for cancellations or regular places).   

Sickness – If your child does not attend the session for any reason the lesson fees are not refundable or transferable. However, please contact me as soon as you know that you will not be able to make a session and if I can be flexible and change the time, I will try to fit you in somewhere else, but this is not guaranteed.

3 late cancellations or missed appointments (not necessarily consecutively) could result in termination of our agreement and your place being offered to another student.  

Payment – advance payment is required to secure your future sessions. You can pay for either 4 weeks or one term in advance. As terms and months vary in length, I will notify you when the next payment is due and how much it will be. Payments must be made before the day of the lesson. Your lesson times are not secured until payment has been made. I appreciate loyalty and reliability and will hold places for customers who attend regularly and pay in a timely fashion.

Late payments – your regular lesson time may be offered to someone else on a temporary or permanent basis if payment is not received to secure that term.

Refunds – a refund can be requested if you decide to cancel future sessions part way through the term. Any lessons after the applicable 1 week’ ‘notice will be refunded.

Extenuating or Unforeseeable Circumstances – In the event of further restrictions brought about by the current pandemic or government guidelines, lessons will be immediately transferred to online sessions. You may cancel any future paid sessions, with the usual one weeks’ notice if you prefer not to attend online but you will be liable for that weeks’ lesson. You will then have the choice whether to book further sessions in a virtual setting or discontinue your sessions.

You will not be liable for any lesson fees when the lesson has been cancelled by me or the ability to hold the lesson is limited by circumstances that I am responsible for e.g. fire, damage to my property, illness in myself or my family or utility failure.

In the case of unforeseeable circumstances that affect you, such as accidents, illness, transport issues, fire, flood and faulty utility services, the lesson fee for that week will not be waived, but further sessions can be cancelled and a refund sought with the appropriate period of notice.  

In the case of natural unforeseeable circumstances, such as flooding to the Alkham Valley, snow and road closures that prevent access to the property, you will not be liable for the lesson fee and I will make arrangements to reschedule sessions at a time that suits both parties.

Payment Methods:

I accept most payment methods, but I do not have a card machine. If you prefer to pay by bank transfer, please use the students name and the date of the lesson as the reference E.g. JSMITH 6/11.

Infection Control Precautions:

The wearing of face-coverings is not required during educational classes by either the teacher or the student. Communication, verbal and non-verbal, is key during tutoring sessions and face-coverings would impede teaching and learning. It is not possible to socially distance in the Prince Tutoring office. The use of hand sanitiser is encouraged upon entry and exit. I would ask that students go to the toilet before they come to the office wherever possible. However, toilets will be available if required. The room will be sprayed with disinfectant between students. Please wait outside for the previous student to leave before you come in. If you or anyone in your family are unwell, please do not come to your lesson. Let me know if you have a confirmed positive test for Covid 19 in your family. There are vulnerable people in the household. Please let me know if you have had contact with anyone with measles recently.