Short Course Terms & Conditions
Disclaimer
Please note that the Academy cannot be held responsible for the content of external internet sites which may be reached by links from Art Academy’s website.
All information is correct at time of publication. While every effort is made to offer the courses set out in the Academy Prospectus and on this website, the Academy reserves the right to withdraw particular courses and to change both the content and the pricing of a course when need arises, without prior warning. Participants who have already paid in full for a course will not be subject to any such price increase. Minor changes of course content will not be considered to affect our cancellation policy, as set out in our Refund & Transfer Policy.
Please Note
The following T&Cs, regulations and policies are applicable to students of ‘Short Courses’ only. Short courses are defined as those courses which require less than 180 hours of study per academic year; including evening, weekend, Easter and Summer courses.
Whilst those studying less than 180 hours on Short courses are valued members of Art Academy’s community and therefore afforded the same rights to equality of experience, with regard to quality of provision, safeguarding and expectations of treatment as laid out in our Equality and Diversity principles, public course students DO NOT fall under the same pastoral duty of care afforded to students on ‘Academic’ programme of at least 180 hours per academic year.
For policies and regulations concerning Academic Students, please see Academic Regulations & Policies
General Information
Age of Participants
All participants MUST BE 18 OR OVER, except for those on Young Artist courses. Participants on Young Artist courses MUST be within the advertised age brackets. All course overview pages state age ranges. Safeguarding is of the upmost importance at AAL and NO EXCEPTIONS WILL BE MADE.
Bookings that contravene our policy on age will be canceled. Where this information becomes apparent within the standard 14 day cancellation period, a full refund will be issued. Where this information becomes apparent after the standard cancellation period, no refund will be made.
Where it becomes apparent that a participant is under age (or, in the case of Young Artist courses, not within the advertised age-bracket) upon commencement of, or during, the course, they will be removed from the course and no refund will be issued.
Overseas Applications
It is essential we have your email address prior to your course commencing, and a UK phone number in case we need to advise you of any changes. We recommend sharing the address of your accommodation in the UK with us too. The Art Academy does not offer refunds for accommodation or travel costs associated with any courses.
Student Visa
The Art Academy is not able to sponsor any visas. All course participants must have secured the correct visa to enter the UK prior to booking.
Language
All classes are taught in English. Participants on short courses should have a working knowledge of English.
Bank Holidays
Courses often run on Bank Holiday Mondays – please check the course document carefully.
Certification
On completion of your course and having attended the minimum number of hours required, the Art Academy may provide you with a Certificate of Attendance if requested to do so.
Up-to-Date Information
Our website is the source of the most up-to-date information concerning dates and content. Applicants are advised to check details on the website to avoid any disappointment.
Photography
From time to time, we may photograph our evening, weekend and short course classes for use in marketing and promotional material (including on our website and social media channels). We’ll always get in touch with you before the class to let you know that a photographer will be present, and you’ll be asked for your permission to have your photo taken and used in publicity materials.
Personal Electrical Equipment
Course participants are not allowed to plug in personal (non Academy) electrical equipment in any Art Academy building; items that have not been PAT tested may invalidate the Academy’s insurance policy if an electrical fire should occur.
Uncollected Work
Artworks and materials should be collected as soon as possible after the end of your course. We will not be able to keep items for more than one term after the end of your course. After this period, all unclaimed items will become the property of Art Academy, who reserve the right to recycle or dispose of items (which may include sale for charitable fundraising purposes).
Giving Feedback
We want to know about your experience at Art Academy. This will help us to continue improving. Get in touch by emailing us at [email protected].
Liability
We will be liable to you for any direct loss or damage you suffer if we either fail to carry out our obligations under these terms and conditions to a reasonable standard; or breach any relevant duties that we owe to you that are imposed on us by law (including if we cause death or personal injury to you by our negligence), but not to the extent that such failure is attributable to your own fault or the fault of a third party.
Limitations
Other than as described above, The Art Academy shall not be liable for any losses or damages suffered by you, however caused.
We will not be liable to you for events outside our control which we could not have foreseen or prevented even if we had taken reasonable care. Events outside our control include industrial action, over or under demand from students, staff illness, severe weather, civil disorder, political unrest, government restrictions and concern with regard to the transmission of serious illness, war, threat of war, civil commotion or strife, hostilities, strikes or other industrial dispute, natural disaster, fire, act of God, terrorist activities, technical problems with transportation, closures of airports, ports and/or ferries, government action. In such circumstances, we reserve the right to change or cancel parts, or all, of your course.
Lockdown
In the event of a Government imposed lockdown (resulting from a pandemic or other significant event), The Art Academy reserves the right to change to distance learning (online) for the duration of the lockdown/ remainder of the course (where a lockdown has been imposed after the course starts). Where this is not feasible (due to the technical requirements of the course), credit vouchers will be issued to the value of the remaining sessions. For courses due to start after the commencement of the lockdown, our cancellation terms apply.
Excluded Liability
The Art Academy cannot accept responsibility, and expressly excludes liability to the fullest extent permissible by law, for:
- all damage to your property (including to personal I.T. equipment and bicycles) unless it is directly caused by the negligence or fault of the college or its staff;
- the non-return of work;
- personal injuries or death except in so far as it is caused by the negligence of
the college or its staff;
- all indirect and consequential losses, however arising; and
- loss of opportunity and loss of income or profit, however arising.
Financial Liability
Save for any liability in negligence for personal injury or death, any remaining liability of Art Academy whether in contract, breach of statutory duty, misrepresentation or any other cause of action, however occurring, is limited to the value of course fees paid by or on behalf of the prospective student or student to the Academy or the amount, if any, the Academy receives from its insurers in respect of that particular loss, whichever is the greater.
Data Protections
Personal Data
By purchasing a short course you give The Art Academy permission to process your personal data (as defined in the Data Protection Act 2018 and General Data Protection Regulation 2018) for the purposes of administration of Art Academy’s short courses. Data will be stored securely, treated confidentially and will not be disclosed to external organisations (other than contractually engaged data processors who undertake activities on our behalf). The data will be used, unless you tell us otherwise, for statistical and course quality monitoring processes and will be retained by the Academy for a period of 3 years after you complete your course, unless you have opted to receive business and marketing information from us.
Managing your Data
Refund and Transfer Policy
Cancellations by us
If a course is cancelled by The Art Academy, participants will be notified and given the opportunity to transfer to another course. Otherwise the full cost of fees will be refunded within three weeks, under normal conditions. We shall not be liable for any other consequential loss.
Where individual bookings contravene our age policy, they will be cancelled as detailed in the ‘Age of Participants’ clause of these Terms & Conditions.
Cancellations by you
Cancellations on the part of the participant made less than 14 days before the start of the course are non-refundable. Cancellations or refunds made before that time will incur a £20 administration charge.
Transfers
Transferrals from one course to another may be made up to two weeks prior to the course start date, subject to availability. Please note transferrals cannot be accepted once the course has started.
Individual lessons cannot be transferred to another course at any time.
Class Postponement due to tutor illness
In the event of tutor illness, we will appoint a substitute tutor (except for masterclasses, which will be rescheduled with the original tutor). If a suitable substitute tutor is not available, the class will be postponed. Classes will normally be rescheduled at the end of the course. Alternatively, the missed hours may be added to the remaining classes.
We will endeavour to notify participants of class cancellations due to tutor sickness as soon as practicable. In some instances this may not be until shortly before the start of the class. As per the ‘Limitations’ section of these Terms & Conditions, where it is necessary to cancel classes due to tutor illness, Art Academy London cannot accept liability for any associated cost incurred by you (i.e. travel, accommodation, etc).
Class Postponement
Where it is necessary to cancel and reschedule classes for reasons other than tutor illness, participants will be notified as soon as practicable. In some instances this may not be until shortly before the start of the session. As per the ‘Limitations’ section of these Terms & Conditions, where it is necessary to cancel classes, The Art Academy cannot accept liability for any associated cost incurred by you (i.e. travel, accommodation etc).
Strikes and Security Alerts
In the event of a public transport strike, security closure or severe weather conditions, we may have to cancel or close a class early for reasons beyond our control. Unfortunately in these situations we cannot accept liability, provide an alternative session or offer a refund.
Non-Attendance
Non-attendance of classes due to illness, or for personal or professional reasons does not provide the right to refunds, extra tuition or transfer to another class.
Gift Vouchers
Vouchers are valid for a period of 24 months from the date of purchase. Cannot be redeemed after expiry date. Only one gift voucher can be used per course booking. Promotional codes cannot be used in conjunction with gift vouchers. Vouchers are non-refundable other than within the 14 day cancellation period as per the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013. No change or credit given in the event that the voucher value exceeds the total cost of the course – for example where a £100 voucher is used to purchase a £95 course. The Art Academy does not guarantee that spaces will be available on courses. Spaces are only secured once a course has been booked, so it is recommended that you book as early as possible to avoid disappointment.
Refund Policy for pre-recorded online courses
- No modules have been marked as complete
Student Conduct
Course participants are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and to recognise that other participants also require support and assistance. Any behaviour which fails to meet the Art Academy’s stated expectations (below) in respect of participant behaviour, or which interferes with the proper functioning or activities of the Art Academy or those who work, study in, or visit the Academy, or which otherwise damages the Academy or its reputation can be considered a breach of this code of conduct. We reserve the right to issue a verbal warning where appropriate, and if this does not resolve the situation, the participant may be asked to leave the course.
ALL are asked:
- To be considerate and respectful of the needs of others on the course.
- To be considerate and respectful to tutors, staff, models and visitors to the Art Academy (or those of our partners or other institutions where the course is delivered at locations other than the Academy premises).
- To respect the Art Academy’s property and that of others.
- To comply with reasonable requests or instructions from members of the Art Academy tutors and staff (or those of our partners or other institutions where the course is delivered at locations other than Academy premises).
- Not to engage in any conduct which is intended or is likely to disrupt teaching, learning or any other activities undertaken by or within theArt Academy.
- Not to damage Art Academy property (or that of our partners or other institutions where the course is delivered at locations other than Academy premises) or use it for unapproved purposes.
- Not to engage in any harassment or intimidating behaviour.
- Not to engage in any other anti-social behaviour, including causing excessive noise.
- Not to drink alcohol or be intoxicated (by any substance) on Art Academy premises or any others being used as part of the delivery of the course.
- Not to photograph models without consent.
- Not to put the health and safety of yourself or others at significant risk.
- Not to access internet sites containing pornographic, offensive or obscene material on Art Academy IT equipment and networks (or those of our partners or other institutions where the course is delivered at locations other than Academy premises).
In some cases failure to meet the above stated expectations of behaviour may result in the immediate removal from the course and permanent exclusion from The Art Academy. The following (non-exhaustive) list will result in immediate removal and permanent exclusion from the Academy:
- Physical violence.
- Aggressive and/or intimidating behaviour towards any member of Art Academy’s community ( or of our partners or other institutions where the course is delivered at locations other than Academy premises).
- Possessing, supplying or using, any illegal substances or offensive weapons (including replica weapons) on Art Academy premises (or those of our partners or other institutions where the course is delivered at locations other than Academy premises).
- Sexual harassment, sexual assault, sexual violence.
- Hate crime.
- Theft or unauthorised possession of any property or facilities belonging to a student, member of staff, visitor or Art Academy (or those of our partners or other institutions where the course is delivered at locations other than Academy premises).
- Incidences requiring police involvement.
- Non-accidental damage to property, whether owned by the Art Academy or otherwise
Where an individual has been asked to leave a course or excluded from the Art Academy due to breach of this code of conduct, course fees will NOT be refunded.
Concerns & Complaints
We hope you enjoy your course and have no recourse for complaint. If you do have concerns about any aspect of your experience at the Art Academy, we’re here to help. Your feedback is integral to making the Art Academy the best it can be and to this end, you will be asked to complete a short feedback survey at the end of your course. Should you have immediate concerns about any aspect of your experience, please contact [email protected] and we will aim to resolve such concerns in a manner which is as fair and expeditious as possible.
Concerns and complaints should be raised as soon as practicable. The earlier matters are raised, the easier resolution tends to be.
All complaints MUST be made in writing (via email) and within ten (10) days of the class (during which the issue became apparent).
Our short course team may, depending on the nature of the concern or complaint, request a detailed written report/ statement so that further investigation can be conducted (this may include collating similar reports/statements from class-mates and other witnesses or relevant parties. In such instances, all reports will remain confidential and not shared with the complainant). Investigations will be conducted by a senior member of Art Academy staff and will only be undertaken upon receipt of the requested written report/ statement (or recorded statement, where appropriate) within the timescale detailed above. A meeting with the complainant (and/ or other relevant parties) may be requested where further information or clarification is required, but will not routinely form part of the process.
Conclusions will be made in consultation with other, relevant, senior members of staff and relayed by email. Where a complaint is found to be substantiated in whole or part, a course action will be detailed.
All decisions are final and complaints have no recourse to appeal.