Terms and conditions

Please read this; it is an agreement between the school and the student.

How to book a course

To secure a place on a course, please return the application form together with payment of a non-refundable deposit of 300 GBP.

Payment of fees

On receipt of the application form and deposit, a letter of confirmation is sent with a statement of fees which should be settled at least
4 weeks before you course starting date.
In the case of registration less than 6 weeks before the course starting date, the full amount of fees must be sent with the application form.
Students will not be allowed to start their course unless full payment has been received by the school. All bank charges must be paid by the student.

Accommodation address

Students who have requested the school to book host family accommodation will receive details of their host family address at least 5 days before the course starting date.

Conditions of cancelling or changing a course by the student

1. If cancellation is received before the course starting date, the school will retain the deposit.

2. After the course has started, a student must give 10 days’ written notice to the Principal of changes to or cancellation of a course. A cancellation fee equivalent to 1 week’s course fees will be charged. Refunds cannot be made for non-attendance, absence due to illness or any other cause.

3. If a student wishes to be absent from the course for 1 or 2 weeks for the purposes of taking holiday s/he must give the Principal at least 2 weeks’ notice in writing.

4. Students who choose to exchange their original choice of course for one of greater value must pay the difference between the two at the time of requesting the upgrade.

5. Any refund due when a course is changed or cancelled, or a holiday taken, will be paid to the person who paid for the student’s course at his/her home address at the end of the course. ‘End of the course’ here is defined as the last date of the course specified on the application form.

6. If a student is denied a student visa or a study permit and provides the school with a copy of the rejection letter on or before the first day of classes, the school will refund the course fee.

Change or cancellation of a course by the school

The school reserves the right to cancel a course, or make changes to course arrangements, without liability, if forced to do so for reasons beyond its control. If this happened, the school would seek to offer alternative arrangements, dates or venues.

If the school cancelled a course booked and paid for by a student in accordance with these terms other than for reasons beyond its control, and did nor offer an alternative acceptable to the student, the school would pay compensation as follows:

1. Where the cancellation is before the start of the course, compensation equal to the deposit paid by the student or

2. Where cancellation is after the start of the course, compensation equal to one week’s fees.

Liability and Insurance

Students should make sure that they organise their own travel insurance to cover medical costs and repatriation costs in the case of an illness or accident.

The school acts only as an intermediary between its students and travel organisations and between students and host families. Unless and to the extent caused by the school’s negligence, the school cannot be held responsible for any delay or accident during a journey nor for any incident which may happen during the student’s stay with the host family. The school will, however, endeavour to defend the student’s interests in the event of breach of contract on the part of the travel organisations or the host family.

The school reserves the right not to allow on the course a student suffering from any illness, medical condition, or mental or physical disability which has not been disclosed on the Application Form.

This brochure, issued by the school, gives the only terms and information that can be referred to in the event of a disagreement between the student and the school. These terms and conditions are governed by English law and do not affect your statutory rights under English law.

Personal information and photographs

We use the personal information that you give us, including information about your health and religious or dietary requirements, to perform our contract with you. We may also use it to ensure that we comply with UK law, for internal training, or to send you further information about our courses and services. We do not share your details with third parties other than as necessary to perform our contract with you. The information you give us is kept on our computer system. If you do not want to receive further information from us, please write to us at the address below. Please contact us if you want to see a copy of the information we hold, or have questions about our use of your information.

The school reserves the right to use photographs taken during courses to illustrate its promotional material. If a student wishes that his or her photo should not appear in this material, they should write to the school within one month of the photo-shoot. These photos have no
commercial or contractual value.

Information about the school

Please check the school’s calendar on www.eckersley.co.uk for school closing dates in 2011.

In these terms “the school” means Eckersley Oxford where you book your course.