FILM ACADEMY EDINBURGH TERMS & CONDITIONS OF MEMBERSHIP
By enrolling your child at The Film Academy Edinburgh (FAE), you accept these terms and conditions (“Terms & Conditions”) and sign your agreement to them as an ongoing agreement between you and The Film Academy Edinburgh (“Agreement”).
The Agreement is made between the parent/guardian (“Parent”, “you” or “your”) of each enrolled student (“Student”) by a Parent and The Film Academy Edinburgh Ltd (“Film Academy”, “FAE”, “we”, “our”, “us”) and is valid at all times whilst the Student is enrolled and until such time as written notice is given in accordance with these Terms & Conditions.
Any one session free trial is strictly at the approval of the Academy Principal, subject to availability, restricted to a maximum of 1 week and does not guarantee a place at FAE. A free trial may not be claimed in retrospect and is not applicable to 5-day holiday period courses.
One membership fee of FAE entitles you to apply to send one child to FAE.
These Terms & Conditions apply to all our Courses, Holiday Workshops/Camps, Workshops and any additional products and/or services offered by FAE and/or its group of companies in the future for any Student (collectively “FAE Activities”)
For participation of a Student in a Film Academy Activity all Parents are required to consent to these Terms & Conditions by signature or by ticking the acceptance box for these Terms & Conditions when submitting an electronic application/payment form online. We may update these Terms & Conditions from time to time, and FAE reserves the right to amend the Terms & Conditions at any time without notice.
If you are an existing Parent/guardian of a student of FAE, please read these Terms & Conditions carefully. Unless you contact us within fourteen (14) calendar days of receipt of these new Terms & Conditions, they shall supersede and extinguish all previous agreements between us and shall govern the contractual relationship between us going forwards. Your continued enrollment of a Student in FAE Activities shall be deemed as acceptance of these Terms & Conditions and willingness to be bound by the same.
THE VIRTUAL FILM ACADEMY
Every effort has been made to ensure security and safety. Participation is at the sole discretion of the parent, and by participating you are agreeing to these Terms & Conditions.
The Virtual Film Academy is for currently enrolled students only and no other third party is allowed to participate, with the exception of parents or appointed guardian.
THE USE OF ZOOM
The live segment of the Virtual Film Academy takes place on the Zoom online platform.
Signing up to Zoom is for 16+, and so students younger than this will have to participate with their parents Zoom account.
Only parents will receive the meeting link and it will be password protected. This will change each week.
Once everyone has entered the Zoom chat room, the room will be locked to prevent any third party from entering.
Unless asked and given permission, no student is allowed to screen share.
All participants must be appropriately clothed and in an environment that is safe. Parents are advised that it is best policy to have another adult present while their child is in the live session.
Where possible, we advise that live sessions on Zoom are not conducted in their bedrooms.
The meeting is controlled by the host, a staff member of The Film Academy, and as such will have control over all participants mics and video.
All students must be courteous at all times, and not overwhelm the meeting, listen to the instructions given, and abide by all rules.
Students can be ejected from any live meeting should their behaviour be inappropriate. This could result in not being able to participate further.
The live Zoom sessions will be recorded by the host and may be used in part for publicity purposes, which is covered by the release form signed at enrolment. However, you can opt out of this at any time by emailing the academy at admin@filmacademyedinburgh.com. Students are not permitted to record the live sessions.
You can view Zooms privacy and legal policies here: https://zoom.us/privacy-and-legal
Films are transferred using WeTransfer. Please familiarise yourself with their legal terms: https://wetransfer.com/legal/terms
ENROLLMENT
To enroll a new Student on an FAE Activity, the Parent must agree to these Terms & Conditions, submit payment online and provide the requested details which are sent out following receipt of payment.
For the weekly Academy, on approval, new students are welcome to attend a free taster day on the next available Academy day. This minimises disruption to the ongoing classes and projects.
If applicable, a pro rata payment is taken for the period after the free taster up to and including the 15th of the following month. Full monthly memberships are then paid automatically from that point via GoCardless.
MEMBERSHIP & PAYMENTS
Weekly Academy:
The minimum period of membership is 2 months. 1 months notice in writing to the Principal is required for any student wishing to leave the Academy. If you cancel your membership your child can attend the academy up to the last Friday prior to the 15th of the month in the last billing period. The cost of attending The Film Academy is spread over the 10 months up to and including June (with the Academy running ’til mid June. This includes December, even though we do not meet between mid December and mid January. This spreads the cost of providing the services to your child over a longer period thus making monthly payments more manageable.
Memberships fees are set in mid August for the year ahead and are payable in advance on the 15th of each month.
Monthly payments thereafter are taken on the 15th of each month for a minimum of 2 months, and a maximum of 10 payments per annum or until cancelled by either party (for 2023/24, two payment plans are available; £90 for 10 monthly payments, or £100 for 9 monthly payment).
Membership fees are handled securely by GoCardless and The Film Academy Edinburgh does not have access to or hold any of your financial information. For information on GoCardless security and how they store and use your information, please visit https://gocardless.com/security/ and their Privacy notice here https://gocardless.com/legal/privacy/.
If you have two or more children enrolled and one child leaves, the Direct debit will be cancelled and a new one issued for the remaining child/children. Once issued by GoCardless it must be approved as soon as possible.
Advance Enrolment:
In order to ensure a place, existing students who wish to continue their membership of the Film Academy Edinburgh the following year after summer, starting in September, must pay the registration fee using the PayPal portal on the Advance Enrolment page in the Members Area of the website, by the 30 June.
This is the only way to guarantee a place the following year. Following this date available spaces are opened up to the waiting list. The Film Academy Edinburgh accept no responsibility for any student missing the deadline.
Holiday 5-day programmes including Summer Schools:
Booking a place is made by paying the deposit. The balance of the course will be advised and must be paid in full no later than 14 days prior to the first day of the course. The students place is not guaranteed until the balance has been paid in full.
An information form is sent out which requests details of the attending student. This form is kept securely and is required as part of our safeguarding procedures and also to help us design the holiday course. It also forms part of the booking process, and if not returned by the set date will be deemed as cancellation by the parent/guardian of the student attending, and the place will be offered to those on the waiting list.
The deposit is returnable in the event of cancellation subject to: YOUR RIGHT TO CANCEL & CANCELLATION BY THE FILM ACADEMY EDINBURGH.
As of May 2022 there is no longer a requirement to test for covid if under the age of 18. However, we ask you to consider that an outbreak at The Film Academy could result in the cancelation of all courses for everyone for a period of time, and we want to make every effort to avoid this if at all possible. Your cooperation is appreciated.
A temperature check of every student will be carried out on arrival every day. If a student returns a high temperature, indicative of covid, the student may be asked to return home and seek advice from a health care professional in relation to taking a lateral flow test. Parents will be contacted if this should occur. The wearing of masks is advised but is entirely at the discretion of attending students, unless government guidelines change. Again, your cooperation is appreciated.
Should we be required to close by government decree, a pro rata refund for any whole days not run by The Film Academy will be issued, minus administrations costs.
GENERAL
FAE assumes the role of loco parentis of all students while attending any workshop or course of workshops. As part of becoming a member of The Film academy Edinburgh, an email requesting more information on your child will be sent out to the correspondence email address provided at initial sign up, and should be returned as soon as possible in order to complete the process. This information is governed by our Data Protection and Privacy Policy.
If there are any questions regarding subscriptions prior to joining, please make contact by email to admin@filmacademyedinburgh.com
For the weekly academy, you must pay the monthly membership subscription for the minimum membership period unless your membership is terminated without liability, suspended or transferred in accordance with these terms. FAE reserves the right to change the day, time and location of the sessions. Should the venue be changed and it is deemed to be restrictive to attendance the minimum notice period will be waived.
All payments/fees are administered through either Paypal (for one-off payments such as holiday camps, trips etc), or Go Cardless (membership fees), unless otherwise arranged. Weekly Academy fees are by monthly subscription in advance to reach FAE by midnight on the 15th, unless affected by weekends or bank holidays, each month. Holidays courses, typically five days in length, are paid in full no less than 14 days in advance of the course starting.
From the date the first payment is paid, deposit or subscription, you have a fourteen (14) calendar day cancellation period (“Cancellation Period”) to change your mind and cancel the Student’s place on the FAE Activity, subject to the following clause:
If the start date of an FAE Activity falls “within” the Cancellation Period, then the payment is not cancelable or refundable.
In the event that you do not make the membership fee payments when due, the right to send the child to attend FAE will be withdrawn until payment is received and brought up to date. If your account falls into arrears on more than three occasions during any one Academy year we reserve the right to terminate your membership with immediate effect. All overdue and outstanding amounts are still due after termination of the students place. All reasonable effort will be made to recover the amount due through the issue of an invoice and reminders by emails, texts etc, until such time that if they remain unpaid for one further month from the termination of membership, legal proceedings will be undertaken to recover the due amount plus legal costs.
At the end of the minimum membership period (2 months), your membership will automatically continue unless either party cancels by giving the other at least one month’s notice. This only applies to those paying monthly. Those paying in full in advance are responsible for ensuring payment for the following term/period reaches FAE under the conditions set out above.
We may terminate your membership and discontinue the child’s entitlement to attend the Academy in the event of serious or repeated breach of these Membership rules. No part-month refunds are due when a child is withdrawn/asked to leave from the Academy (by either party) for whatever reason, once the student has attended the minimum period of 2 months.
Times, current Term Dates, fees and all relevant course details for booked FAE Activities will be confirmed in the Acceptance Letter (welcome email), which also serves as the receipt of payment.
Subscription fees include all tuition, use of Academy equipment, and covers the periods of activity in the dates available on the members page of the website, or by request. Any additional costs, such as, but not limited to, additional learning needs support, must be met by the parent/guardian in full (this is on top of normal Academy fees). This may take the form of an outside additional support person, who may or may not be officially qualified in the area required, but The Film Academy will have made every effort to ensure they have adequate experience to deal with the situation prescribed. The Academy will incur the costs for no more than one month on a trial basis, but if the additional is deemed necessary to continue, Parents/guardians must cover the full cost. The Film Academy runs at minimum costs and is not funded for such additional needs. If this cost cannot be met then consideration will be given to the viability of the student to continue on a case by case basis.
Payment does not guarantee acceptance into The Film Academy Edinburgh. Confirmation of membership or otherwise will be sent by email once the payment and supplied information has been processed. If in the unlikely event membership is declined, a full refund will be made.
CANCELLATION OF COURSES
Minimum numbers are required for courses/classes to run. FAE reserves the right to cancel any courses or workshops that it deems are not reasonably viable, or for conditions outwith its control such as, but not limited to; covid, adverse weather, college closures etc.
If a weekly/summer school class is cancelled for any reason other than for low numbers, a replacement class of the same duration will be organised when possible. This will be deemed and accepted by the parent/guardian as sufficient compensation for the cancelled class/course, irrespective of attendance.
Cancellation/withdrawl, by FAE, of all or part of any 5-day holiday courses may not be rescheduled and if so will attract and be limited to a pro rata refund (see below) of fees paid.
This does not apply to any course/class that has been withdrawn from a student by FAE due to breach of these Terms & Conditions or due to covid absence/self isolation, and in such circumstances no refund is payable.
YOUR RIGHT TO CANCEL & CANCELLATION BY THE FILM ACADEMY EDINBURGH
Including the event of cancellation of summer school due to COVID19
Should we be required to close summer schools by government decree due to new covid regulations, a pro rata refund for any whole days not run by The Film Academy will be issued, minus administration costs.
Where possible, in the event of the Film Academy Edinburgh having to close weekly classes or summer schools for any length of period due to unforeseen circumstances, The Film Academy Edinburgh will attempt to provide an alternative series of workshops, either at a different location or online for no additional fee unless costs incurred are substantially higher than running the regular Film Academy. This will be deemed and accepted by the parent/guardian as sufficient compensation for any cancelled workshop or series of workshops/summer school. If this arises, where possible, advance notice will be given.
If any closure and/or curtailment of the activities of The Film Academy, including alternative workshops/venues, extends beyond one month, all direct debit subscriptions will be suspended from that day on until such time as the service resumes.
For any summer school deposit or weekly academy deposit paid, you have the right to cancel within fourteen (14) calendar days of making the deposit payment for a full refund. Outwith this 14 day period it will be deemed your child is attending the workshop/course.
If you cancel a Student’s place on a Holiday Workshop/Camp or Course outwith this initial 14 day period of paying the deposit, or “within” fourteen (14) calendar days of the commencement of the Holiday Workshop/Camp or Course, 50% of the balance is payable, including all monies paid so far, will be retained by FAE.
If you cancel a Student’s place on a Holiday Workshop/Camp or Course, or withdraw for any reason, within seven (7) calendar days before or after the commencement of the Holiday Workshop/Camp or Course, the full balance of the course is payable and all other fees paid nonrefundable. Every attempt will be made to make contact by FAE to establish if you wish your child to still attend the summer school, however, non reply within 7 days of the start of the summer school week will be deemed as a “cancellation” by you, and the full amount will be payable.
Parents should satisfy themselves prior to booking that any course provided by The Film Academy Edinburgh is suitable for their child as no refund is available after commencement of any 5-day holiday camp. Withdrawing and cancelling any membership of the Weekly classes requires a minimum one month notice period.
Where a session of an FAE Activity has to be cancelled by FAE, FAE will give as much notice as possible. In the event of a last minute session cancellation, you will be notified by email, text message, a call to your mobile phone or through a designated Film Academy Edinburgh social media site. Parents must ensure that they provide The Film Academy with up-to-date contact details at all times.
HEALTH AND INJURIES
Coronavirus advice update: As of May 2022 there is no longer a requirement to test for covid if under the age of 18. However, you may be asked to do so by The Film Academy Edinburgh or by a health care professional. It is not mandatory for attendance at this point, but more of a common sense approach. We can regularly have students with respiratory conditions and we strive to help protect them from covid infection in as far as we can. We also ask you to consider that an outbreak at The Film Academy could result in the cancelation of all courses for everyone in its entirety or for a period of time, and we want to make every effort avoid this if at all possible. As such: a temperature check of every student will be carried out on arrival every day. If a student returns a high temperature, indicative of covid, they may be asked to return home as per the latest NHS Scotland guidance. Parents will be contacted if this should occur.
NHS Scotland advises that testing (LFD) for under 18s is not recommended unless advised to by a health care professional, but if they do test and it is positive they should stay at home. The wearing of masks is advised but is entirely at the discretion of attending students, unless government guidelines change. Scottish Government guidelines state that those under 18 are to follow self isolation guidelines as those for adults: “Any student falling ill with more than mild symptoms of covid should stay at home and self isolate (and thus must not attend any Film Academy workshop or series of workshops) for a period of 5-days including the date of the positive test or day the symptoms started, whichever is earlier”. Please check NHS Scotland advice for schools for the latest information on symptoms: https://www.nhslothian.scot/Coronavirus/Parents/Schools/Pages/default.aspx.
Students under 18 who are a close contact of someone with covid currently do not need to self isolate and can attend as normal but should consider wearing a mask. Your cooperation is appreciated.
This applies to all courses run by The Film Academy Edinburgh, Weekly classes and Summer Schools.
For reasons of child protection, and to ensure all students are safe and accounted for, if a student is more than 5 minutes late to their usual workshop, unless advised in advance, the parent/guardian will be contacted by phone by a representative of The Film Academy Edinburgh. All effort will be made to the limit of being able to make contact, and no liability will be taken by The Film Academy Edinburgh for the whereabouts of any child if contact is unable to be made. No refund is available for non attendance.
Students participate at their own risk and are obliged to inform FAE and its staff of any existing injuries or medical condition in writing. All application forms must have any known medical conditions stated and any changes to such information must be notified to FAE immediately in writing. All of this is governed by our our data protection and privacy policy
If you are unsure whether a Student should participate in any activity please consult the Student’s GP before enrolling the Student on an FAE Activity.
Any medication left on the FAE premises must be clearly labelled and the Student should, unless FAE has agreed in writing otherwise, be able to administer it themselves.
Students must wear suitable footwear and clothing at all times, including any future FAE branded clothing for all Courses.
If a Student is unwell or has an accident requiring emergency treatment, the Parent will be contacted via the emergency contact details provided below or on the enrolment form. This number must always be contactable whilst the Student is attending the FAE Activity.
Parents are solely responsible for ensuring that the emergency contact details on FAE’s records are up to date.
PERSONAL PROPERTY
Students are obliged to take care of their own belongings. FAE can accept no liability for lost or damaged belongings.
You acknowledge that the maximum aggregate liability of FAE to a Student or Parent under these Terms & Conditions shall not exceed the FAE Activity fee to which a claim relates.
The liability of FAE and that of its staff is restricted to class time only and then only to gross negligence.
MISCELLANEOUS
FAE may, at its own discretion, refuse a Student entry to an FAE Activity or session if it is felt that the Student’s behaviour is unacceptable, of if their temperature or state of help is indicative of covid symptoms.
FAE reserves the right to make changes to the timetable and to the teaching staff from the advertised programme in the event of illness or other circumstances beyond our control.
FAE operates a maximum class size in order to provide the best possible experience. If FAE is unable to accept the Student due to capacity reasons, the Student may, at the Parent’s discretion, be placed on a reserve list. This should be done by applying in writing to the Principal.
In order to avoid disturbing classes, you and your child are requested to arrive in good time. Entrance to classes may be barred to anyone arriving more than 15 minutes late.
We reserve the right to use any individual or group photographs or movie shots of your child for press or promotional purposes. Where reasonably possible we will ask you to sign a use of image rights form to consent to this usage.
Bullying, harassment, abuse or other inappropriate behaviour by you, your child or guests is strictly forbidden and will result in expulsion and such other legal remedies as may be available.
To the extent permitted by law, our liability to you, save in respect of death or personal injury caused by our negligence shall be limited to the total amount you have paid for your membership.
FAE will not issue any refund if you withdraw your child part way through any calendar month (we require a full one months notice in writing of leaving) once they have been enrolled for the minimum period of 2 months.
You and your child must treat all FAE members, children, staff and teachers with respect and consideration. FAE has a zero tolerance attitude to rude, offensive or aggressive remarks and behaviour in any way. You must make yourself and your child aware of the health and safety rules of the venue and comply with the recommendations at all times.
When on visits or filming at external locations from the Film Academy’s normal premises, students are to conduct themselves in a manner befitting of the high reputation of The Film Academy Edinburgh.
A Student Conduct document will be sent to all parents, and subsequently a copy will be given to each student that they will be required to sign. It will be assumed that this is acceptable as binding by all parents/guardians, unless raised specifically by the parent/guardian with The Film Academy directly email or phone.
Smoking and the bringing or consumption of alcohol and the use or being under the influence of illegal substances is not permitted anywhere in our Academies, either indoors at our usual premises, or whilst on visits externally, or on off-campus filming locations. Such behaviour will normally lead to immediate dismissal from the Film Academy Edinburgh and the cancellation of membership.
This agreement is governed by the laws of Scotland.
