By enrolling your child with Sparks, you accept these terms and conditions (“Terms & Conditions”) and sign your agreement to them as an ongoing agreement between you and Sparks (“Agreement”).
The Agreement is made between the parent/guardian (“Parent”, “you” or “your”) of each enrolled participant and Sparks Film and Media Arts Ltd (“Sparks”, “we”, “our”, “us”) including licensed bodies trading as Sparks under franchise agreements. It is is valid at all times whilst the Participant or Student is enrolled on any Sparks activity and until such time as written notice is given in accordance with these Terms & Conditions.
General:
These Terms & Conditions apply to all our Sparks film schools, courses, holiday camps, workshops and any additional products and/or services offered by Sparks and/or its group of companies (collectively “Sparks Activities”).
For participation in Sparks activities, all parents/guardians are required to consent to these Terms & Conditions either by signature or by ticking the acceptance box for these Terms & Conditions when submitting an electronic application form online.
Within the Agreement, Parents/Guardians agree to the release of the participants’s image, voice and likeness for photographic and/or video material for publication as explained within the Publishing Policy. Without this agreement, participants cannot appear within the films, however they can take part behind the camera. Consent can be given in loco parentis by a guardian.
Agreement and any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with it or its subject matter or formation (including non-contractual disputes or claims) shall be governed by and construed in accordance with English law. All parties irrevocably agree that the courts of England and Wales shall have exclusive jurisdiction to settle any dispute or claim that arises out of or in connection with this agreement or its subject matter or formation (including non-contractual disputes or claims).
Sparks may update these Terms & Conditions at any time. In the case of any updates, Sparks will notify existing customers in writing. Unless you contact within 14 calendar days of receipt, updates will supersede and replace all previous agreements. Your continued enrolment of a student in Sparks activities will signify acceptance of these Terms & Conditions.
Enrolment & Fees:
On registration, a parent or guardian must agree to these Terms & Conditions.
Each place is allocated on a ‘first come, first served’ basis, corresponding to availability on each activity.
Enrolment to weekly class programmes is based on a termly subscription, applicable to academic terms of approximately 10-12 weeks. Where notice of cancellation is not given, subject to the cancellation terms contained in the terms and conditions, enrolment will be automatically renewed at the end of each term (three times per year) and payment for the following term due.
Enrolment to holiday camps is on a per-event basis. Holiday camps may take place over single day events, or a series of days. These will be listed under the holiday camp details for each location.
Registrations must be made via the Sparks booking system and accompanied by the appropriate payment. Registrations will not be confirmed until payment has been received and places will not be guaranteed or held in reservation. In the event that Sparks is unable to accept the participant due to a lack of capacity, Sparks may place the participant on a reserve or waiting list, no payment will be due in this instance.
At the discretion of the management, Sparks may confirm a booking on receipt of a deposit and an agreed plan of instalments. Where instalment plans are in operation, full payment is required two weeks prior to the course start date and all deposits are non-refundable.
Each location has its own set of specific runnings costs. Fees for activities are set per location and may vary between different branches.
Fees are reviewed regularly and may be increased periodically.
Trial Classes & Periods:
Sparks offers complimentary trial classes on some of its programmes. Trials are offered at the discretion of the local management and not all locations offer trial classes.
Trials are subject to availability and are not guaranteed, for instance if a course or activity is fully booked.
Trials are available to new students only and can be booked in the same manner as other activities. Trials are subject to the same terms and conditions.
Where trial periods are offered to the weekly class programmes on a ‘money back guarantee’ basis, this trial constitutes a membership for two sessions. After two weeks, standard membership terms and conditions apply. Cancellation of a trial period membership must be cancelled within seven days of the trial period ending. In this event, a full refund will be processed.
Customer Cancellations:
For weekly class programmes, cancellations made within 14 days of registration will be eligible for a refund, reflecting a deduction for any classes that have taken place.
Parents/guardians must notify Sparks of membership cancellation with 5 weeks (a half term’s) notice of cancellation or make payment in lieu of notice. Any cancellations made after this point will be subject to fees for half a term’s membership.
Holiday camp cancellations: refunds will be processed in full to cancellations made 14 days prior to the course start date. No refunds will be given for cancellations made after this time, although credits to future projects or courses may be offered at the discretion of the management.
In the event that a participant is unable to attend a Sparks activity, due to sickness, holiday or a decision by the parent/guardian not to attend outside of the cancellation period, or once activities have begun, Sparks is unable to refund any fees that have been paid, however the management may offer a transfer or a credit at their discretion and Sparks will cooperate with any insurance claims. Where bookings have been insured through Sparks with Endsleigh Insurance, Sparks will refer you to the insurer to process cancellation cover. Sparks will also cooperate with any claims made through customer travel insurance policies.
Programme Cancellations & Changes to Schedules or Advertised Particulars:
Sparks reserves the right to make changes to the the advertised programme or the programme delivery format in the event of illness or other circumstances beyond our control. This may include changes to the venue, dates, programme content etc, within reason. This will only take place where absolutely necessary and we will always try to provide as much notice as possible. As much as possible, Sparks will do its best to keep class times, programme delivery formats and/or locations as similar as possible but unfortunately this cannot always be guaranteed.
Where Sparks may need cancel programmes we will attempt to reschedule projects or offer alternative courses where appropriate.Sparks will provide substitute lessons where possible either at an alternative time, venue or online. If no alternative can be offered, Sparks will provide refunds for lessons that are unable to be fulfilled. This excludes any programmes that are impacted by local legislation, e.g. those impacted by measures connected to Covid-19. In this event, programmes will be rescheduled to future dates authorised by local authorities. Please refer to the section on Covid-19 for details.
Where Sparks has to cancel or amend an activity, we will give as much notice as possible. You will be notified by email, text message, and by telephone call at the first opportunity. Parents/guardians are responsible for checking their voicemails.
Data & Copyright:
All terms and conditions act in accordance with the GDPR 2018 legislation and our GDPR policy.
Sparks holds sole copyright for all media and associated content produced on courses or events and reserves the right to reproduce or exhibit these articles in public including online. If any copyright does not lie with Sparks, you hereby assign reproduction and disclosure rights for the full period of copyright including any renewals and extensions. Sparks and its partners may also use media including photographs, video and sound recordings from workshops and screenings for promotional use including online.
Participation:
All participants must be collected at the specified time after a session. Sparks is unable to supervise Students after a session and consistent late collection will result in additional charges or removal from the programme. In the event of late collection, we will apply the measures detailed in our Safeguarding Policy.
Sparks operates a Behaviour Policy. Sparks will notify you of the policy as part of its activity communications. It is the responsibility of parents/guardians and participants to have read this prior to participation. All participants must adhere to this policy whilst taking part in Sparks activities. Sparks reserves the right to remove any students due to unacceptable behaviour.
Where participants take medication, they should only bring essential medication to activities and staff must be notified upon arrival.
Health & Safety:
Sparks will make every reasonable effort to ensure that the activities and the environment is safe, including undertaking individual activity risk assessments.
An emergency contact phone number must be provided on registration. It is the parent/guardian’s responsibility to ensure that this is up to date. If a participant is unwell, or requires medical attention, the parent/guardian will be contacted via the emergency contact details. Further guidance of this is contained within our Safeguarding Policy.
Parents must inform Sparks and its staff of any existing injuries, physical, sensory or learning disabilities or medical conditions. All registrations must have any known medical conditions stated and any changes to such information must be notified to Sparks prior to participation.
If you are unsure whether a participant should take part in any activity please consult with a GP or medical practitioner before enrolment. Sparks may request a certificate or a letter to confirm suitability to take part.
Any medication brought to activities must be clearly labelled and the participant should, unless Sparks has agreed otherwise, be able to administer it themselves.
Participants must wear suitable clothing at all times.
Covid-19:
Sparks will act in accordance with local legislation at all times. Sparks will follow the most up-to-date government guidelines to ensure safety standards are met, e.g. use of designated participant bubbles, use of PPE by staff and enhanced cleaning routines.
Participants and/or parents/guardians must not attend activities if experiencing any symptoms, if waiting for test results or if under quarantine orders in relation to recent travel.
If alerted to an outbreak, Sparks will notify all participants and parents/guardians within that bubble and communicate the necessary information relating to isolation and testing. Sparks will notify the Track and Trace service, who will contact parents directly. Parents should cooperate with their requests and provide the relevant data.
Sparks will also close in-person activities for that bubble, until such a safe time to resume. In the event of Covid-19 related cancellations, activities will be rescheduled or will be subject to a change of particulars, such as a move to online format. This clause supersedes all others relating to cancellation, if the result of Covid-19 outbreaks or regulations.
Personal Property
Sparks does not accept responsibility for items or valuables lost, damaged or stolen whilst attending courses. Personal items of value should be left at home, or kept safe on their person by participants during activities.
We do not permit the use of mobile phones during activities. These should be hidden from view, in pockets or bags.
Sparks will not include or involve any representatives in investigations relating to personal property, outside of compliance and cooperation with organisations such as the police or the local authority.
Complaints and Disputes
If wishing to raise a complaint, parents/guardians should follow the procedures outlined in the Complaints Policy.
Where a complaint relates to a local branch, complaints should be raised locally in the first instance but should be escalated to Head Office where a resolution has not been reached.
