No child should be left unattended before or after their class. If anyone other than yourself is collecting your child please let the teacher know.
Children in Pre-School, Pre-Primary or Primary classes must have a parent or guardian waiting outside the studio at all times for the duration of the class.
Parents are kindly asked to wait outside of the ballet studio during classes. This is ensure a productive learning environment and to avoid children becoming distracted. For very young children, one parent/guardian may be allowed to watch the first class if agreed with the teacher beforehand. There will occasionally be open classes at the end of term where all parents/guardians are very welcome to watch - you will be notified in advance.
Yorkshire Ballet Institute aims to provide all students with a thorough education in Classical Ballet – this includes necessary elements of classroom etiquette. We believe all students should have access to a fun, safe and caring learning environment and as such, disruptive behaviour of any kind will not be tolerated. If a student presents with disruptive behaviour they may be asked to leave the classroom.
Mobile phones should remain off for the duration of all classes.
Food, chewing gum and hot drinks are not permitted in the dance studio.
All personal property is the responsibility of the student.
Due to the physical nature of dance, it is often necessary for teachers to use physical contact when training young dancers and performers. Without this physical guidance pupils may never gain the correct posture and understanding of certain technical requirements. All teachers with YBI have undergone a Disclosure and Barring Service check in order to ensure the best care for all students.
Yorkshire Ballet Institute or the organisations who provide the facilities used for dance classes, are not under any liability in respect of personal injury, loss or damage whilst attending the school.
Uniform
After an initial period students are expected to wear the appropriate uniform for their class.
Hair should be tied back from the face and worn in a neat classical ballet bun from Grade 1 upwards.
Jewellery should not be worn in class.
There is no uniform requirement for Adult Ballet classes or Floor Barre, but we advise comfortable clothing that is easy to move in and appropriate footwear e.g. ballet shoes for Adult Ballet and socks or bare feet for Floor Barre.
Cancelled Classes
Very rarely due to unforeseen circumstances e.g. adverse weather conditions or teacher illness, classes may need to be cancelled. If this situation arises you will be notified as soon as possible and classes will be rescheduled at the earliest convenience.
Timetable
The school timetable is subject to change from time to time. Please ensure that your contact details remain up to date in order for us to inform you of any changes in schedule.
Fees
Fees are payable half termly in advance. For those with larger invoices of £60 and above, there is the option to pay your invoice in two equal instalments - the first within a week of receipt and the second by the date on your invoice.
Fees not received by the date on your invoice are liable to a 10% surcharge.
The number of weeks in a half term can vary slightly from term to term and fees will be adjusted accordingly.
School fees may be paid via debit or credit card directly from your invoice, via bank transfer or by cash (if selecting this option, please include the correct amount in a sealed envelope marked with the student's name and hand it to the teacher at the start of the lesson).
You will receive your invoices via email, so please inform us of any changes in email address.
All lessons in a half term must be paid for and there will be no refunds for missed lessons. Wherever possible, missed classes may be made up by attending another class of a similar level.
Fees may be subject to change between terms. You will be informed of any such change in advance.
It is assumed that classes will be continued from term to term unless at least two weeks of notice is given in writing to the school principal. If your notice is not received in this time, the next half term of fees may be charged.
Those attending adult lessons have the option to pay half termly or on a drop in/pay as you go basis at a slightly higher rate (currently drop in classes will need to be paid for in cash). Please inform us at the start of the half term of your preference.
Examinations
We follow the Royal Academy of Dance training syllabus and offer the option of examinations for any students who wish to participate. Entry into these exams is entirely optional.
The teacher will advise if they believe a student is ready to take an exam, leaving the final decision of whether or not to enter with the student and their parents/guardians.
A student may not enter for an examination without the approval of their ballet teacher.
All students entering for exams will be required to attend extra coaching classes in addition to their regular ballet classes. Further information on this and a more detailed breakdown of the exam process will be provided in the lead up to exams.
Photography
Occasionally photographs may be taken in ballet class to be used for promotional purposes. These promotional platforms include the Yorkshire Ballet Institute website and social media pages such as the YBI Facebook page and Instagram account.
Inclusion in any such photographs is entirely optional.
For pupils under the age of 18, consent must be provided by a parent or guardian.
Photographs are used solely for the promotional purposes detailed above.
Online Lessons Via Zoom
Any child participating must have a suitable parent/guardian present, or have their consent to participate in this activity.
Given the nature of these activities, you participate at your own risk and should only do those activities that you consider safe for your own body and the space that you are working in.
Before participating, please consider if you have enough clear space, that is free of obstacles, and suitable to work in safely; that the floor surface is suitable to work on; and that you have footwear appropriate for that surface.
As we are working remotely, we are unable to give you the same amount of personal feedback as when we are in the studio. Please warm-up and cool-down appropriately (before and after the session) and do feel free to stop and/or modify activities at any time as necessary.
We request that student's include camera access for their Zoom lessons so that teachers can provide corrections and feedback, but this is not obligatory should the student prefer not to.
You may not share, give or sell the online class login details to any other person or entity. When you book an online class you agree to take all actions possible to protect the class login details for any fraudulent use. We reserve the right to cancel your participation in any online classes without a refund if we believe our classes have been compromised, or our class logins are being used fraudulently.
After booking onto one of our online lessons, you will receive your Zoom invitation link. If you haven't received your Zoom link before 4pm on the day of your lesson, please check your spam and junk folders. If the email is still not there, please contact us so we can resend the link. Please ensure you have received the link ahead of the class as we don't have access to emails right before or during a class.