policies

FEES POLICY

All fees published exclude GST. GST is added to family invoices.

Enrolment Fee

1. Upon enrolment, a fee of $35 is applicable. This confirms your child's place in class for the year. This fee covers administration, music licences and Public Liability. When a student enrols mid-year, the fee is reduced accordingly.

Class Fees & Trial Classes

2. Class fees are due, in full, in advance on the first day of each term and invoices are sent via email 2 weeks prior to the start of term.

3. One free trial class is offered to new students, after which class fees are charged on a pro-rata basis for the remainder of the term and the enrolment fee is charged.

4. We are unable to refund/credit term fees, or part thereof, due to absence.

5. Families will be provided with at leat one term’s notice, should there be any changes to fees and/or discounts.

6. The person listed as the main account holder in Class Manager is responsible for all fee payments.

Costume Fees

7. Costume Fees apply in Term 3 to all school-aged students who perform in the end-of-year Concert. Families keep their costume once the performances are over. Costume fees are non-refundable. If a student is attending more than one style/class per week, a second costume may be required but every effort is made to keep the costs down.

Exam Fees

8. Exams are offered at various times to certain ballet levels. The exam fee is invoiced during Term 2, ahead of the exam session in Term 3. The exam fees are published by the examination organisation (The Royal Ballet School or the Royal Academy of Dance) includes the entry fee, as published on their website. The exam fee also includes a small amount per student to cover venue hire, examiner expenses and other costs involved in running the exam day. Parents will be fully informed in advance of these costs.

Withdrawing from a class

9. Should a parent/guardian wish to withdraw a child from the school mid-year, 2 weeks notice must be provided, in writing, via email by the end of their current term. An administrative charge of 2 weeks of the students’ enrolled classes will be charged where notice has not been provided.

HEALTH AND SAFETY POLICY

Drop off and collection

1. Parents and carers are responsible for their children at drop-off in all waiting areas/changing areas until the studio doors open and the teacher welcomes the group inside the studio.

2. At collection, SKBS adopts a ‘see and release’ policy - teachers will only ‘release’ students from their care once a parent or carer has been seen.

3. Should older students (secondary school-aged) be making their own way home, parents must notify us of any new arrangement in advance to confirm that they are happy for us to let the student leave the premises unaccompanied.

Health

4. All SKBS Teachers have current First Aid Training.

5. In the case of a medical emergency, teachers will decide on the best course of action based on the situation. If the situation allows, teachers will attempt to contact the parent/guardian twice. If teachers are unable to reach the parent/guardian, an ambulance will be called. Payment of any fees charged by Ambulance Victoria will be the responsibility of the parent/guardian of the child.

6. Parents/carers must provide details of any relevant medical conditions and/or allergies as requested upon enrolment.

Code of Conduct

7. Courteous and respectful behaviour is expected from all participants within the SKBS community, including students, parents and other family members. SKBS reserves the right to decline service should the above expectations not be met.

8. SKBS believes that it is in the best interests of the students and staff to attend one dance school, for consistency of training. If a student wishes to study a style which SKBS does not offer, parents are asked to inform Helen Guscott as a matter of courtesy. Ballet training is to be undertaken solely at SKBS should students wish to enter any form of examination or assessment under the school’s name.

PHOTOGRAPHY AND VIDEOGRAPHY POLICY

All parents/guardians are asked to review and agree or disagree to the following policy upon enrolment:

1.Teachers may photograph and/or take short video clips of class content from time-to-time. These may be used as a helpful teaching tool to provide visual feedback to the class.

2. Teachers are not permitted to use any photograph or footage of SKBS students on their personal social media accounts.

3. Parents are permitted to photograph and/or film ONLY their child, during the end of term ‘watching week’. If sharing on social media platforms, parents are asked to ensure that any other children who have been captured accidentally (ie. in the background) be blurred out, unless permission has been granted from the child’s parent directly.

4. Photography and videography by parents of their child only, IS permitted during the mid-year Choreography Showcase.

5. Photography and videography by parents is strictly NOT permitted during the end of year Concert.

6. Should a parent/guardian prefer that an image and/or film of their child NOT be used for promotional purposes by SKBS, whether it be on the website or social media (Facebook), parents have the option to ‘opt out’ at any time by providing written notice to the Principal. If an image or footage of a SKBS student is used for promotional purposes, the child’s name is never made public. Helen Guscott has sole charge of all images/video footage and has sole access to the SKBS Facebook and Instagram accounts.

CHILD PROTECTION POLICY

We have a responsibility to safeguard the welfare of the children we teach and to ensure that appropriate policies and procedures are in place so that any child or young person in our care may take part in classes and performances within a safe and secure environment.

This policy applies to all our staff and volunteers and covers children under the age of 18 and/or vulnerable adults in our care.

1. We will promote and maintain the welfare of every child and young person we teach and seek to protect them from harm, regardless of cultural background, age, disability, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief or any other form of identity or creed. We will create a safe and welcoming environment for all.

2. We believe that no child or young person should be the subject of neglectful or abusive behaviour.

3. To protect children and young people in our care, St Kilda Ballet School will:

i. Provide safe and age-appropriate dance classes which will allow each child to develop at their own pace.

ii. Ensure all required checks are made when hiring staff, including holding a current Working with Children check and First Aid Training.

iii. Provide appropriate training and support to all staff.

iv. Ensure that all volunteers helping at SKBS events, whether backstage, front of house, etc, hold a Volunteer Working With Children Check.

v. Lease venues which provide a safe environment in which to dance.

vi. Hold a register on site of every child enrolled in the school and retain a contact name and number close at hand in all venues in case of emergencies.
vii. Ensure parents have given permission before any pictures or videos of students are used for promotional purposes (ie. website, social media).

viii. Report suspected neglect or abuse to a relevant organisation or to the police.

ix. Ensure that this policy is reviewed annually.

4. To protect children and young people in their care, St Kilda Ballet School Teachers will:

i. Take responsibility for children and young people’s safety when in their care.

ii. Treat all children equally and with respect.

iii. Provide professional and constructive feedback, rather than negative criticism.

iv. Teach age-appropriate choreography and choose music for children, without any explicit language or connotations.

v. Ensure that bullying in any form will not be accepted or condoned.

5. Appropriate Physical Contact in Dance Policy

Teaching dance is a physical activity and a teacher will sometimes need to make physical contact with a student to show an idea, to correct a student’s position to ensure safe practice or to help students move into a certain position in the space (for example; encouraging preschool children to hold hands to make a circle).

An example of physical correction is:

Adjusting foot positions for correct alignment or offering to hold a student’s hands to assist with balance.

We will say why and how we will be correcting the student’s position before making any contact and will always respect the student’s wishes, should they not wish to be touched.

6. Toilet/Bathroom Policy

SKBS Teachers and teaching assistants may need to help a preschool student aged 3 year or 4 years when they need to go to the toilet in the middle of a class. Teachers and teaching assistants will follow this procedure:

i. Ask the child if they need help.

ii. If the child responds with "yes", the teacher or teaching assistant will assist with clothing only and will not make physical contact with the child's body.

iii. The teacher or teaching assistant will ensure that the toilet cubicle door is closed for privacy but not locked (for safety reasons) stand outside the cubicle and make regular checks verbally to see how the child is progressing.

iv. If the child asks for help getting dressed, the teacher or teaching assistant will help the child with their clothing without making physical contact with the child's body and ask the child to wash their hands.

v. If the child does not need any help, teachers and teaching assistants will not enter the toilet cubicle/bathroom area.

This Privacy Policy explains how St Kilda Ballet School (SKBS) uses personal information collected when a parent or guardian enrols a child in the school.

1. Upon enrolment, SKBS collects contact information and any relevant medical information regarding the child that a parent or guardian may choose to provide.

2. When a parent or guardian provides personal details to SKBS, it is only used for legitimate business interests in carrying out work to provide dance classes, workshops and produce performance events shows for enrolled students.

3. SKBS only collects personal information to communicate with families, manage accounts, comply with Child Protection Legislation to ensure every child’s health and safety whilst they are in our care .

4. SKBS will not disclose or sell personal data to third parties unless we are required to do so by law.

5. SKBS will ask for permission from parents prior to providing the Royal Academy of Dance details including a child’s first name, surname, date of birth and the gender of the syllabus studied as part of the application process when entering students for RAD examinations.

6. SKBS uses personal data collected to send invoices and email important information via our email Newsletters. Occasionally, SKBS may contact a parent or guardian by telephone to discuss a specific matter.

7. It is important that personal information is kept current and that a child’s information, particularly any medical needs are accurate and up to date. Parents are asked to update these details if and when any circumstances change, via the Parent Portal.

8. Parents have the right to request a copy of the information that SKBS holds and SKBS will immediately correct or remove information when asked.

9. SKBS will automatically delete all personal information when a child leaves the school, unless otherwise directed by the parent/guardian.

10. Access to the Class Manager software, SKBS’s email account, website, personal data, social media accounts, newsletters and examination details are all password protected. Access is not available to any other external parties including SKBS teachers. The Principal has sole access to all data.

Policies updated on 27 January 2023