Studio Policies

  • Text messages preferred. Please use email only for non-urgent matters. 

    During school terms, I will respond asap within the following hours: 

    • Monday: Midday to 7:30pm 

    • Tuesday-Thursday: 7:00am to 7:30pm 

    • Friday: Midday to 7:30pm 

    • Saturday: 9:00am to 2:00pm 

    I will attend to your matter at my next available opportunity if you have contacted me: 

    • Outside of the hours listed above (note, my phone will automatically switch to Do Not Disturb mode, so you may text or leave a voicemail at a time that is convenient for you);  or

    • While I am teaching, driving (Geraldton/Mount Magnet), or otherwise occupied. 

  • Payments are due at the beginning of each school term, or 7 days from receipt of your invoice (whichever date occurs later). 

    Please kindly pay by bank transfer (details on invoice), or by clicking the link on your invoice to use Stripe or Paypal (a processing fee will be applied to credit card payments made via Stripe). 

    In-person payments are longer accepted.

    If you are unable to pay in full: 

    • You may request a direct debit to be set up (weekly, fortnightly, or monthly) by clicking the link on your invoice and selecting the option for direct debit. 

    • You may request an alternative payment plan by contacting me directly to advise the dates and amounts that you intend to pay towards your total invoice for the term. 

    • The above options are discretionary and will not be agreed to where there is a history of payments being dishonoured or not being made in accordance with stated plans. 

  • If a lesson is missed/cancelled by me for any reason (with the exception of your child being too unwell to continue): 

    • Catch up time will be offered if/when available, at your discretion. 

    • Credit will be given if no suitable catch up time can be arranged. 

    If a lesson is missed/cancelled by you for any reason: 

    • Catch up time will be offered at my discretion, subject to availability. 

    • Credit will not be given.

    Also see “Illness”, “Public Holidays”, and “Scheduling” below. 

  • If your child is feverish, contagious, reports being in too much pain, or is otherwise and obviously too unwell to be learning effectively: 

    • I will end the lesson. 

    • You will be asked to take them home to rest. 

    • You will not be offered catch up time. You will not be given a credit. 

    • Please show courtesy to other families and myself by not attending the studio if you or your child are contagious. 

  • Lessons that fall on public holidays will not be charged for. 

    Lessons that fall adjacent to public holidays will be charged for. 

    • For example, if a public holiday falls on a Friday or Monday, lessons will available and charged as normal on the Saturday. 

    If you plan to go away for a long weekend and your lesson falls on a non-public holiday, please give as much notice as possible. It may be possible to extend your child’s lesson the week before and/or after a long weekend in order to make up the time, or a catch up may be offered on an alternative day. Note, both of these options are dependent upon availability and are not guaranteed. 

  • If your child will be quitting lessons, it is greatly appreciated if notice is given prior to the school holiday period wherever possible. 

    • If notice is not received prior to the commencement of a school term (see Important Dates document), you may still be billed for that term. 

    • If your child quits partway through a school term, no refund will be given for the remaining lessons. 

  • Unless a prior arrangement has been made and agreed to in writing: 

    • Time missed due to late arrival will not be made up or credited, and the lesson will still finish at the scheduled time. 

    Please endeavour to arrive no more than 5min before the scheduled start of your child’s lesson. 

    Please endeavour to pick your child up on time, or within 5min of the scheduled end of their lesson. 

    • If your child is repeatedly picked up late (e.g. 15min or more) without a prior arrangement in place, you may be billed for this time at standard lesson rates. 

  • The studio is located on a busy road, and in an area where antisocial behaviour and incidents have occurred, even in daylight hours. In the interest of safety, and in order to fulfil my duty of care to your child: 

    • The studio door will remain locked at all times. Please knock gently when you arrive. 

    • Please inform me if your child will be arriving unaccompanied. I will then know to notify you immediately if they do not arrive when expected. 

    • Children under the age of 10 will not be allowed to leave the premises unaccompanied under any circumstances. 

    • Children between the ages of 10 and 12 will be allowed to leave the premises unaccompanied only if you have notified me in writing that this will occur. 

    • For ongoing arrangements, please email or text. 

    • For once-off arrangements, please text. 

  • Lessons are scheduled at a mutually agreed time each term/year. 

    Your fees pay to reserve a particular time slot for your child for the entire term, regardless of whether your child attends every week. 

    When allocating time slots, I endeavour to strike a balance between meeting the needs of individual students/families, catering to convenience and personal preferences, and maintaining healthy boundaries for myself. This means that it will not always be possible to accommodate everybody’s preferences. 

    If a clash arises during the term, it may be possible to reschedule a lesson, subject to mutual availability: 

    • If no suitable time can be agreed upon, the lesson is forfeit and no credit will be offered. 

    • When a space becomes available for a catch up, it will be offered first to families who have clearly indicated their availability at that time. If you are hoping to receive a catch up placement, please assist me by being proactive and clear in communicating your availability. 

    • Providing advance notice of absences wherever possible is appreciated, as it maximises opportunities for catch ups to be scheduled as needed. 

    • Catch up lessons may occasionally be offered during school holiday periods at my discretion. When this happens, I will endeavour to provide at least one week’s notice of my availability to enable to you plan accordingly if you wish to receive a school holiday catch up. 

    If you wish to change your child’s lesson time from one term to the next, or after the commencement of a school term: 

    • Such changes are subject to availability and cannot be guaranteed. 

    • Please be mindful that such changes typically require one (or more) other families to agree to a swap. As a courtesy, I ask that you give as much notice as possible when requesting a change in order to minimise inconvenience to other families.