Terms & Conditions

I Agree to the Terms and Conditions listed below:

• All class fees must be paid in full either per class or per term at the start of the class or term.

• Unfortunately, if payment is not made by one of the methods mentioned below your child will not gain admittance to the class.

• No refunds are given unless a class is cancelled by The Stage Door.

• Attendance at a class assumes acceptance of these terms and conditions.

• Registration forms must be filled in and submitted prior to attendance at a class.

• You must notify us of any changes to contact or medical information to enable us to keep up-to-date information for the safety of your child.

• Term dates for the following term will be made known at the end of each term via our various modes of contact (Facebook page and Email mailing list)

• The Stage Door ask that all participants abide by the health and safety requirements of the venue.

• The Stage Door accept no responsibility for any loss of property or personal injury during class times.

• The Stage Door reserves the right to refuse entry to classes at their discretion.

• The Stage Door reserves the right to substitute teachers without notice.

• Correct footwear and clothing must be worn to all classes at all times.

• No jewellery is to be worn in class.

• Hair must be tied up in a bun and back off the students face.

• Students must refrain from eating or chewing gum during classes.

• All students must attend class with a suitable drink.

• All students must arrive 5 minutes prior to class start time.

• We are only responsible for your child during their class time.

• You must sign your child in upon arrival inside the venue.

• Students should not bring toys/games into class.

Children and adults will adhere to all COVID-19 Policies put in place.

Holiday and Absence Policy.

Holidays and absences must be booked in advance via a holiday form.

Each student is allocated 10 planned holidays where class fees do not need to be paid per year on top of school closure dates.

Any other absences where a holiday form has not been submitted or your holiday allowance has run out need to be paid for in order to hold your child’s place in the class.

Examinations and Competitions.

Examination timetable and class information will be posted upon scheduling.

Entries for competitions are made at the teacher’s discretion, The Stage Door enforce a 3-month training period from your child’s start date before they can be considered and entered into any competition.

Safeguarding Policy.

An overall approach to child safeguarding is rooted in understanding the risks to children from the organisation, (its staff, programmes and operations) and addressing those risks with measures that create child-safe organisations. Acknowledging risks and implementing measures to address them is fundamental to organisations’ strategies and governance. The more this is recognised, the more risks can be prevented.

Miss Steph also takes part in annual training courses to support her knowledge in Child Protection and E-Safety.

If you would like to see our full safeguarding policy alongside Miss Steph’s certifications, please speak to Jan who can produce these documents.

GDPR Policy and Privacy Notice.

We are committed to the principles inherent in the GDPR and guidance issued by the ICO. We aim to ensure that

- Transparency with regards to the use of data

- Any processing of data is lawful, fair, transparent, and necessary for a specific purpose

- That data is accurate, kept up to date and removed when no longer necessary

- That data is kept safely and securely

All of our data collected via Google forms is stored within the EU. We take care to only use reputable organisations who comply with all aspects of the GDPR to ensure your data remains safe and secure.

Your data will only be viewed and available to Miss Steph and can be deleted at any time upon your request. If anyone has any questions or concerns regarding GDPR, data protection including the right to be forgotten then you should email sdaperformingarts@gmail.com

COVID-19 Policies.

Here at the stage door we will be striving to continue delivering safe classes for your children. In order to do this, we have introduced the following measures.

Social Distancing.

Early Years (Age 2-4) it has been stated in current guidelines that early years students no longer have to social distance from the 20th July. However, social distancing will be encouraged with this age group in order to keep everyone safe and well. Due to this age specification some of our class age groups have been changed. This is based on all other COVID-19 secure procedure being in place: Included (but not limited to):

i. Ensuring no one at the setting (or a part of anyone’s household) is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms

ii. Promoting regular handwashing in both staff and students

iii. Introduce good hygiene by promoting the ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ approach

iv. introduce enhanced cleaning such as high-contact points.

v. minimise contact between groups where possible

All classes over the age of 5 must be socially distanced. This will be enforced by each child having their own designated 2m squared space on the floor.

Your child must be dropped off and collected by one parent only.

Your child should arrive ready to dance and should change into their dance shoes (if required) whilst queueing (socially distanced) to pay class fees.

Your child may bring a drink only into the studio. All other items must stay with their parents.

You must take your child to the toilet before class begins. It is imperative that you both wash your hands after doing so.

Our social distancing measures are conditional, and we will endeavour to reduce these measures as classes slowly return to normal. Stephanie will be closely following government updates and guidelines to ensure any easing of restrictions is carried out in line with everyone’s safety.

As a school we MUST also adhere to any measures put in place by the venue. These measures will be included in our behaviour addendum (see below) whereby anyone not complying with measures set out by The Stage Door will be asked to leave.

Waiting Area.

As you are all aware, we do have a small waiting area next to our studio space. Unfortunately, this waiting area is out of bounds. I will however be making a priority list of people who may wait when guidance allows me to do so. This list will be subject to how many people the building can accommodate per square footage as per guidelines for the amount of people within a building.

The priority list will be for the following people.

- Parents of children with special educational or developmental needs.

- Parents of children with specialist healthcare needs.

If I can allow more people to wait priority of the waiting area will then go to the following people.

- Parents with multiple children who are across two age groups.

The remaining parents will unfortunately have to wait outside of the building or in their cars until their child has finished class.

45 Minute Classes.

All classes are now reduced to 45-minute classes. This is to ensure our spaces can be cleaned and classes can be changed without any unnecessary crossover of people/students.

Please note – Class fees will remain at £4:50 for general classes and £5 for Acrobatics. The increase in fees for acrobatics is to supply each student with their own floor mat and to ensure these mats are well cleaned after each use. 

Bubbles. 

All classes will be kept to a consistent safe number based on the space we have available. If a class is oversubscribed significantly a second class will be arranged to accommodate all children.

Current guidance for children attending multiple classes states that children can still attend multiple classes providing they are socially distanced and adhere to all other guidelines. Your teacher will also be ensuring that all other forms of risk are mitigated by reducing the amount of people your child may encounter.

Bubbles also assist with Track and Trace. Should a child become unwell with COVID-19, advice from Track and Trace is that the child should isolate for 14 days and anyone who has been within 2 metres of this child for longer than 15 minutes should also isolate. The need for surrounding children to isolate should not be necessary as each child will be in their own designated ventilation required space.

Please also note that if you are told to isolate either by your child’s school, due to a positive test in your household or from your child contracting Covid-19 then your class fees must be paid in order to keep your child place in class.

Risk Assessment.

Our risk assessment will be regularly reviewed as guidance changes over the coming months. If you would like to see our Risk Assessment, Jan will gladly produce this document for you. 

Track and Trace.

We kindly ask each of you to comply with NHS Track and Trace. This means if anyone in your household presents symptoms of coronavirus you must contact track and trace immediately and take a test. We ask that you also contact Miss Steph to advise of your child’s isolation and household test results ASAP so risk can be assessed, and other families contacted if necessary. Please refer to our GDPR Statement for information on storing your details.

BEHAVIOUR POLICY (STUDENTS) ADDENDUM.

At the Stage Door Academy, we aim to maintain a secure, caring and stimulating environment in which children are encouraged to have respect for themselves and each other. Whilst expectations in our Behaviour Policy remain pertinent, it is necessary, in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, to make some adjustments for the safety of all pupils and staff.

This document should be read alongside the Student Behaviour Policy.

Arrivals, Departures and Moving Around.

Children will be dropped off at our reception desk by one parent only. There is no need for any other parent/carer to enter site. Please wait in your car to avoid unnecessary waiting outside of the building. Please be aware that a small element of waiting outside cannot be avoided. Our arrival, departures and moving around policy ensures the upmost safety of you children whilst in class.

Age 2-4 Classes.

Age 2-4 Classes should arrive between 3:45pm and 3:55pm this will allow time for children to enter the class without the need for excessive queuing outside of the building. Children may bring their coats, drinks and shoes into class with them. Once in the building a member of staff will help them change their shoes and use the toilet if required. Staff will be in full PPE to minimise contact with your children whilst doing this. A member of staff will also assist your child changing back into their outdoor shoes and coats before leaving class. Your child will have a designated area on the side bench to keep his/her belongings during class time.

All other classes.

All other classes should arrive 10-5 minutes before class. Children in these classes are also permitted to bring their coats, shoes and drink into class and a member of staff will assist them with shoe changes and toilets if needed, again wearing the necessary PPE. A member of staff will also assist your child changing back into their outdoor shoes and coats before leaving class if needed. Your child will have a designated area on the side bench to keep his/her belongings during class time.

Leaving Class.

At their designated home time, children will leave the building again through their designated exit. Again, there should be no reasons for parents/carers to enter the site other than the one parent collecting their child.

Movement around the site will be limited. They will always keep 2m apart when moving around. Children will follow an adult from their bubble on their designated route.

Children will be expected to tell a member of staff if they are unwell and are exhibiting signs of Coronavirus.

Parents/Guardians. 

All parent and guardians must either wait in their cars or go home and return for their child later once their child is in class. You must not gather outside of the building. Please wait in your car or return for your child's designated pick up time.

Handwashing and Hygiene.

Children will be expected to follow all hand washing and hygiene routines. Children will wash hands/use antibacterial hand gel before entering, after returning from outside, before and after eating and at regular intervals during the day.

We ask the children to follow the catch it, bin it, kill it mantra. If they need to cough or sneeze, they should use a tissue or the crook of their arm (and therefore ‘dab’). Children will be reminded not to touch their face, mouth, nose or eyes while at The Stage Door.

Should a child refuse to follow these routines, disciplinary procedures and sanctions will be used (see below).

Social Distancing.

Children who are old enough will be expected to socially distance from their peers and adults inside and while outside. They will have their own designated space inside any space used which they will be expected to go straight to and nowhere else in the room. Children will put their hand up if they need adult support rather than come up to them.

Teachers will ensure that pupils, wherever possible, adhere to social distancing measures. Where older pupils do not comply, the usual disciplinary procedures and sanctions will be used (see below).

We understand socially distancing may be difficult for younger children, they will be encouraged wherever possible to keep their distance from peers and adults, however, we understand this may not always be possible.

Toilets.

Children will be supervised and encouraged to use toilets one at a time. When a child has finished in the toilet, they must wash their hands. 

Rewards.

We encourage teachers to praise individuals for their good work, attitude and good behaviour and show recognition if this is bought to their attention. Above all praise and encouragement should be used as much as possible and can be used to show children model behaviours etc. Unlike usual, we will not be using rewards like Anna the Bear or Darcey Ballerina in the future. Our stars of the week will however have the opportunity to have their photo taken and posted up with a special mention on our social media platforms if parents allow it. 

Behaviour at The Stage Door.

If a child’s behaviour is deemed high risk (for example, refusing to adhere to safety measure such as hand washing, social distancing, remaining in their bubbles or deliberate behaviours that put themselves or others at risk, such as spitting or deliberately coughing at people) the following sanctions and disciplinary procedures could be used:

- Conversation(s) with pupil(s) which could include a verbal warning and other behaviour management strategies in line with our current behaviour policy. Ideas for these conversations can be found in the Supporting Conversations with Children document.

- Once all appropriate behaviour management strategies have been exhausted, contact should be made with the pupil’s parent/carer.

- If the health and safety of other pupils and staff members are put at risk by the pupils not adhering to social distancing measures, then the parent/carer will be expected to collect the pupil and their membership to The Stage Door may be revoked.

Children with Special Educational Needs.

The Stage Door acknowledges that children will have had a range of different experiences during the lockdown period which may have an impact on their behaviour presentation.

As a result of these varied experiences children may present with behaviour that is not usual:

- Anxiety; lack of confidence

- Challenging behaviour, fight or flight response

- Anger; shouting or crying

- Hyperactivity and difficulties maintaining attention

For some children, including those with attachment concerns or SEN, and especially those with autism, the change in routines and lack of familiarity will require additional adjustment.

The Stage Door Academy recognises that behaviour could be a sign that for some individuals there is an unfulfilled need and that the behaviour is communicating that there is a problem. The Stage Door Academy will use reasonable endeavours to make the necessary adjustments to reduce the stimulus that may be triggering the challenging response. Children with known SEN may have to attend The Stage Door Academy on a trial basis so that staff can evaluate their behaviour in line with our safety measures.