Terms & Conditions

Updated 31st January 2022

Holiday Camps

1. Terminology

In these Terms the following definitions apply:
  1. Holiday Camp means a childcare programme for Customers taking place outside of school term time. 
  2. Customer means a customer of The Strings Club who purchases a childcare service such as a Holiday Camp. 
  3. Agreement means a legally enforceable understanding between two or more legally competent parties.

Bookings

  • All bookings will be confirmed by email via a Booking System called Complete Education Solutions (iPAL).
  • To ensure all emails from The Strings Club arrive in your inbox and not your junk folder, please ensure you regularly check for any emails from Complete Education Solutions.
  • Part or full payment is regarded as acceptance of our booking conditions.  
  • All deposits are non-refundable.
  • The Strings Club accepts payment by credit or debit card and childcare vouchers.

International Bookings

  • Children booked from overseas are required to have a good level of spoken English so that they can follow the instructions from our Course Leaders, Holiday Camp Assistants and Holiday Camp Manager, and are able to communicate with the other children.
  • Unfortunately we do not teach English at our Holiday Camps.  
  • We require a local telephone contact number once you are in the UK, in case of an emergency.

Pricing Discounts  

  • The best discount will always be offered to you at the time of booking.
  • Any offers including our Early Bird and Seasonal offers will be found on our website and this includes the specific deadline dates that we have for each offer.

Booking Fees

  • To help us keep our administration costs low, there is a booking fee of £1 per transaction on all bookings. This includes both online and telephone bookings. 

Availability

  • Places are subject to availability – our booking system is regularly updated online and will show as a “Waiting List” if there are no spaces for the allocated session. 
  • We highly recommend you sign up to the “Waiting List” and should any spaces come available, we will contact you immediately via email.

Changing your Booking  

  • If you give us 14 days’ notice you will be able to change your dates within the same holiday season (e.g Summer, October Half Term), subject to availability, free of charge.  
  • If you give us less than 14 days’ notice we will endeavour to change your dates within the same week for free on a “like-for-like basis”, subject to availability. 
  • If you give us less than 14 days’ notice we will endeavour to change your dates within a different week on a “like-for-like basis”, subject to availability however this may be subject to a £10 fee. 
  • We are unable to make any changes with less than 24 hours’ notice and no refund can be issued.

Cancelling your Booking  

  • If you give us at least 48 hours’ notice before the date(s) you would like to cancel, we will refund all monies paid and there will be no fee.
  • If you give us less than 48 hours’ notice before the date(s) you would like to cancel, we regret that no refund is available except in the case of illness/injury. All claims should be supported by a doctor’s note in order to obtain a refund.

Standard Payment

  • The whole cost of the Holiday Camp is taken by credit or debit card when booking by phone or via our website.

Childcare Vouchers 

  • We accept all types of vouchers as full or part payment for bookings made in England.
  • For more information on the Childcare Voucher providers we are registered with, please refer to our “Paying with Childcare Vouchers” document found on our website FAQs. ‍

Paying via Childcare Vouchers with more than 4 weeks to go

  • We ask that payment is received by us four weeks prior to the start of the Holiday Camp. A deposit of £1 will be taken from a credit/debit card at the time of booking and the balance will be deferred to 4 weeks prior to the start of a Holiday Camp. 
  • At the time of booking you will be given your deadline date(s). 
  • Any outstanding fees at the deadline will be charged to the credit/debit card provided at the time of booking. 
  • Childcare Vouchers can still be sent to us and will be refunded retrospectively.

Paying with less than 4 weeks to go

  • Payment via childcare vouchers, with less than 4 weeks prior to the start of a Holiday Camp, is not available unless full payment is made by credit/debit card first. 
  • Once full payment is received via childcare vouchers, we will reimburse fully. 

Available Dates and Activities  

  • All the information in our literature is correct at time of printing.  
  • Changes may occur and, if so, The Strings Club will inform parents via our website as quickly as possible.  
  • Not every activity pictured in our literature is available at every venue.  
  • Please check venue-specific details using the Holiday Camp finder on our website to find what’s available and where.  
  • Activity programmes are subject to change in the event of unsuitable weather or other circumstances beyond our control. 

Venue Cancellation  

  • In exceptional circumstances we may have to cancel particular dates. 
  • In this event, we will try to give those booked onto the programme at least 14 days’ notice and will offer a suitable alternative if one is available, or refund all monies paid for the dates cancelled, if preferred. 

Extended Care and Late Pick-up  

  • Our Standard Hours for all Holiday Camps are 9.30am to 4pm.  
  • Our Extended Hours are 8am - 5:30pm* (this is dependent on venue)
  • If you have not purchased extended care and arrive outside of the Standard Hours, The Strings Club will charge you the extended care rate.  
  • All children MUST be collected by 5.30pm.  
  • If for any reason you are detained and unable to collect by 5.30pm, we ask that you call us as soon as possible.  
  • Two Team Members will wait with your child until they are collected.  
  • You will be charged a late pick-up fee of £5 for every 15 minutes after 5.30pm to cover this staffing cost.  
  • If we have no contact from a parent/guardian by 6.30pm, we will contact the Local Authority to advise them we have an uncollected child.  
  • We reserve the right to refuse future bookings from parents who continually pick up late.

Insurance 

  •  All children in our care are covered by our Public Liability Insurance

Health Policy 

  • The Strings Club requires that all children who are ill or infectious be kept home for the full duration of their ailment, and for 48 hours after the last symptom occurs. 
  • The Strings Club will only administer medication if it has been prescribed by a doctor or other health professional.

First Aid  

  • In the event of an accident, first aid will be administered to children in our care, and the emergency services will be called if necessary.  
  • Essential prescribed medication must be handed in to each child’s Holiday Camp Manager for safe-keeping, in accordance with Ofsted recommendations.  
  • We suggest that all parents whose children carry Epipens arrange for a qualified medical practitioner to demonstrate use of the Epipen to our first aider and Holiday Camp Manager on their first day at our Holiday Camp. If this is not possible then we will accept a demonstration given by a parent/guardian instead.

Photography and Video  

  • Please be aware that we occasionally take photographs/videos of children at a Holiday Camp for our promotional material.  
  • Children may also like to take photographs of each other to remember their time at camp, although we do not accept mobile phones as a device to do this.  
  • If we are filming a notice will be put up in the reception area of Holiday Camp for you to view on arrival.  

Mobile Phones and Electronic Devices  

  • All electronic devices including mobile phones (e.g. I Phones, IPADS, Nintendo DS) are prohibited at our Holiday Camps. 
  • Should you need your child to take their mobile with them to a Holiday Camp, please inform us at the Head Office immediately.

Equal Opportunities and Child Protection  

  • The Strings Club is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes all children, regardless of their gender, ability, race or religion.  
  • Each child attending a Holiday Camp is of equal value and is entitled to equal access of opportunity.  
  • We operate a zero tolerance policy on discrimination or bullying of any kind.  
  • The Strings Club has legal obligations in relation to Child Protection.  
  • As a caring organisation, any suggestion of child abuse or neglect will be investigated and reported to our regulator, Ofsted, or other official agencies. 

Specific Needs  

  • It is our policy not to exclude any child due to specific needs, wherever possible.  
  • The needs of each child vary, so decisions are made on a case-by-case basis, depending on the level of support each individual child requires to enable them to fully participate in and enjoy activities at any of our Holiday Camps camps and Term Time Courses.  
  • We request that parents of children with specific needs contact the Head Office and specifically our SENCO, to discuss how we can best accommodate their child, and consider whether any special arrangements need to be made.  
  • We are happy to accommodate the child on a trial basis and reserve the right to review further bookings

Exclusions

  • We reserve the right to exclude or refuse any person at any time prior to and during the Holiday Camp if, in our opinion, that person is incompatible with the general well being of the Holiday Camp.
  • On rare occasions, if a child proves incompatible with the general well-being of the Holiday Camp, e.g. they are involved in bullying or are engaged in disruptive or aggressive behaviour, we reserve the right to exclude them. 
  • No refund will be made for any remaining days booked, and any costs associated with the exclusion, including transport home, will be the parents’ responsibility. 
  • To give the very best experience, we have a number of policies and procedures in place regarding the safety and welfare of the children in our care.

Data Protection  

  • We will use your details to contact you via email/mail or text with future information about our services.  
  • You may opt out of our mailing list when booking or afterwards at any stage.  
  • The Strings Club is registered under the Data Protection Act. 

Parent Feedback  

  • We aim to provide the best possible care for all children at all times.  
  • Please tell other parents if you are happy with your experience.  
  • If you have concerns or suggestions, please tell us; we value your feedback and use it to develop and improve our services.  
  • Copies of parent feedback are held at each site for viewing.  
  • Concerns should be raised initially with your child’s Holiday Camp Manager. 
  • The relevant team member at Head Office will be advised, and will attempt to resolve the issue to your satisfaction.  
  • Failing that you can contact Ofsted, our regulator, quoting the relevant site’s registration number (as displayed at a Holiday Camp).

Changes to Terms and Conditions

  • From time to time we may update these terms and conditions by sending you either an updated version or notification of minor changes. 
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  • You are free to not accept these changes but we would ask you to notify us in writing of your non-acceptance within 14 days of receipt, failing which we will be entitled to treat our agreement with you as being subject to the updated version.