General Information for EMPAS

• Code of Conduct
• Complaints procedure
• Disciplinary procedure

In addition to the above please take note of the following regarding the use of any “Social Media”. As advised by the IDTA Septempter 2015.

EMPAS would recommend pupils and parents do not respond to any postings and should not post anything that could be considered inappropriate or detrimental to “EMPAS” pupils,  EMPAS staff and members. 

• Please take extra care with the use of social networking sites. Incidents are regularly occurring surrounding postings on Facebook, Twitter and other sites which are causing concern and complaints. EMPAS would further remind you that any such material could be used in disciplinary action. I advise all EMPAS members and anyone connected in any way to behave respectfully and responsibly on these sites.
• You should also consider the possibility of legal proceedings. Libel laws apply to written comments on these sites.
• EMPAS does have a private Facebook group and an open Facebook page to give updates and information to members, these can also be used for messaging the school. Under no circumstances should teachers be contacted on their personal Facebook accounts or via text, when it can be discussed via e-mail to EMPAS.
• Personal issues between pupils or parents who attend EMPAS is not our business. We cannot control what anyone puts on Facebook but if it effects myself and my business action will be taken.

Other points and EMPAS Terms and conditions:

1. 1. All term fees should be paid by the dates specified on the EMPAS yearly planner and or invoice. Cheques for term fees should be made out to Elaine Milbourne or EMPAS and cheques under £5.00 will not be accepted. Invoices not paid by the “Final Date” will result in pupils being excluded form classes AND any fees overdue by 7 days will incur a 10% late fee with further charges for every week late after that. Please get in touch if you are unable to pay on time. Payments can also be made by BACS to the account stated on the invoice or use the Go Cardless facility on the invoice.  Receipts will only be provided upon request. Fees are subject to change and EMPAS will notify you in advance of any increase in fees. Fees are currently exempt of VAT (2021). 
   2. ALL Membership fees should be paid after attending EMPAS for 1 month. This will then enable us to add your child to our database for insurance purposes and Health and safety issues. This fee is a one off lifetime fee of £20 (as at 2019). If you leave and return after a 6 month period this then needs to be re-paid. We need the student Info part of the form handed in immediately so we have all contact details and any relevant medial info. All students must be registered for the classes they attend. Unregistered children will not be allowed to participate in the class.
   3. Please ensure that EMPAS receives any changes to pupil’s contact details in writing and any medical updates. All details will be held in strict confidentiality (Data Protection Act 1998) and will not be passed on to outside parties except to the IDTA for children doing dancing exams.
   4. Refunds will not be given for non- attendance of lessons, this can be discussed with Elaine Milbourne but the final outcome is at Elaine’s discretion. Absences for more than 3 weeks may result in the loss of placement in the school. Beginners will receive an invoice but may pay weekly for the first 4 weeks via the bank (details will be given), and after 4 weeks they will need to settle the invoice in full and the rules above will apply. PLEASE inform us in writing/email regarding long absences. admin@empas.co.uk 
   5. 4 weeks written notice to Elaine Milbourne is required for any pupil wishing to discontinue any class or leave the school.  If the required notice is not received, the full payment of the pupil’s fees for the following term will be due. 
   6. Parents who book private lessons, whether for festivals, competitions, exam coaching or otherwise, must pay in advance of or on the day of these classes. Refunds will not be given in the event of the pupil not attending pre-booked private lessons, if there is a circumstantial reason why your child could not attend, this will still be at the discretion of Elaine Milbourne.
   7. Pupils of EMPAS MUST NOT ATTEND CLASSES AT OTHER DANCE SCHOOLS UNLESS WE DO NOT OFFER THAT SUBJECT AND THIS MUST BE APPROVED BY ELAINE MILBOURNE IN ADVANCE.
   8. Prior permission must be sought from any pupil wishing to participate in any external vocational classes, amateur or professional productions and festivals and competitions. Involvement by audition in other Summer Schools/Intensive training programmes (e.g. Northern Ballet)/Pantomimes/Theatre groups AND any other external events that may have some impact MUST be discussed with Elaine Milbourne in advance, please note fees for classes missed due to any clashes cannot be refunded, however alternative classes may be attended in the short term. EMPAS events should always be given priority. 
   9. Pupils who wish to be involved in EMPAS events such as shows/competition should be available at all times outside of normal class times for 4 weeks prior to the event and in the case of the Gateshead Spring Dance Competition they should be available in the Easter break (however not the actual Easter weekend)
   10. Pupils auditioning for vocational school should discuss their intentions with Elaine Milbourne.
   11. EMPAS will work towards IDTA exams.  Pupils will only be entered when they have reached the required standard decided by the teacher.  Pupils taking exams may be required to attend extra rehearsals in preparation for these exams at an additional cost.  Parents will be notified at the appropriate time of these rehearsals. EMPAS has the right to withdraw any pupil from an examination at any stage if they feel they have not reached the standard we require them to be for that specific exam. The teachers at EMPAS will encourage pupils to take exams when the level of technique, understanding, appreciation and level of performance has been reached to the best of their ability. Classwork assessment exams/Rosettes and/or Medal tests may be offered to pupils to bridge the gap between graded exams in the core theatre subjects.
   12. EMPAS reserves the right to make changes to class timetables/teaching staff where necessary. If a class is cancelled due to the sickness of the teacher, a health epidemic or any other seen or unforeseen event, EMPAS will endeavour to reschedule the class. This may be on a different day/time or both, from when the class was originally scheduled and may be with a different teacher. A refund will be given if we are unable to reschedule the lesson and it will be given on the following terms invoice.

1. Pupils are required to attend class wearing the correct uniform details of which can be found at EMPAS Uniform Shop. Appropriate dance footwear is required or bare feet depending on the relevant discipline. No outdoor shoes are permitted in the studios. Jewellery/Watches are not to be worn in any classes.
2. Students are expected to act in a well behaved manner.  If a student is disruptive on a regular basis they will be asked to leave without notice or refund for any serious breach of the school’s terms and conditions or for any other serious misconduct.
3. Food is not permitted in the studio/changing room. Only capped water bottles are acceptable to bring into the studio.
4. EMPAS endeavour to ensure that your children are dancing in a safe and comfortable environment. We ask you to bring and collect your child promptly and provide us with written details of changes in drop off/pick up arrangements, if they can leave the premises unattended or of any special medical needs etc. We have a secure access door on our premises and we ask that this is kept secure at all times, by keeping it locked. If somebody is knocking at this door and you do not recognise them, please approach a member of staff who can assist them. Pupils must not be left unsupervised between classes. NO responsibility can be taken for any pupil outside of class. Supervision is not provided.
5. Students are obliged to take care of their own belongings. EMPAS do not accept any liability for lost or damaged belongings in classes, events or shows. Students are not permitted to use mobile telephone in classes in schools. Mobile phones may be used for use of music or recording in some competition/exam coaching lessons.

1. The school does not discriminate on background, race or religion, regularly monitors staff to maintain school teaching policies and adheres to Health and Safety procedures to ensure that each child dances in a class appropriate to their level of development.
2. A register for each class is maintained by the teacher and records student attendance over the term.  EMPAS Teachers will have access to student contact details and relevant medical information for the purposes of health and safety and security.  
3. In the case of an emergency, fire or a first aid incident all teachers have a clear understanding of their responsibility. 
4. Pointe work – Teachers make the decision when they feel pupils are ready to do this-it is not based on level or age BUT on strength and technical ability-some children are never able to do pointe work. At EMPAS we do a demi pointe class in soft block shoes as part of this preparation.
5. From time to time it is necessary for the teachers to use physical contact when helping to improve pupils’ posture or assist in movements. This includes physical contact between students also ie. holding hands, group balances, supporting a student in a bridge etc.
6. Students participate at their own and risk and are obliged to inform EMPAS and their teacher of any existing injury or medical conditions. Students need to understand that dance and gymnastics is a sport, whilst every effort is made to avoid them, injuries can happen. The school accepts no responsibility for injuries sustained via any means other than a teacher’s negligence.

1. Pupil photos and DVD’s from EMPAS shows and events may be used in some advertising including EMPAS YouTube. It is your responsibility to inform EMPAS if you do not wish your child to be photographed or filmed, however this could mean their exclusion from some of the events the school participates in. If you are repeating a routine in the following year’s competition and you do not want it to go on YouTube, please inform the office. However Elaine is entitled to put any routine choreographed for EMPAS on YouTube at any time.  By joining EMPAS you are agreeing to understand and give consent to use of photographs and video recordings from time to time including on EMPAS website/facebook/instagram/youtube for press and promotional development of the school. Unless you have otherwise stated on the initial membership form.
2. Parents should not put videos of their child on any public network performing an EMPAS routine or classwork without Elaine’s permission
3. FIRST AID- We have duty of care towards our pupils. We have trained first aiders who will aim to fulfill this duty of care if anyone is injured. This may only be that we will call for further assistance depending on the situation/condition. Our duty of care is to all pupils regardless of age , however if a pupil is 18 years or over and they are conscious and  they say they do not want any first aid/assistance then it is our duty is to respect their request . We should be informed of any medical conditions for all EMPAS pupils and WE Should also be informed if any pupil cannot use Elastoplast’s. Email admin@empas.co.uk
4. Please can we ask that all children are taken to the toilet before class. Only a CRB checked teacher would actually go in to the toilet area or a PARENT with a chaperone license of which we have quite a few whose children attend EMPAS to assist at shows and similar events.If neither are available to do this (which is on a very rare occasion) then the child would have to go in to the toilet themselves and someone would escort them to the toilet door and wait for them outside. We would always escort young children to the toilet even if we did not go in with them, but as I said only a licensed chaperone or a teacher would go in with them if there was the need. Therefore we do discourage parents leaving any child who could not use the toilet themselves as there could be occasions when  it would be difficult for a teacher to leave the class and especially if there are no licensed chaperones in at that time. Thank you for your help and understanding with this matter.
5. PLEASE do not watch IDTA exam syllabus work on YouTube as this is not IDTA official and members should not be putting their pupils on there anyway. I have the official IDTA DVD’s of the syllabus work for reference and only Members can purchase these. Those schools could be doing the work wrong and sometimes intros/endings/arm lines are set by the individual teacher and this can be confusing but mostly as I say they may be doing it wrong!

• EMPAS reserves the right to change these terms and conditions at any time.
• Class fees can be increased if the pupils in the class falls below a certain number. If we cannot move the children to another suitable then the only option is to increase the class fee to cover the cost of running the class and so that it is viable to run it.
• By enrolling my son/daughter into EMPAS, I confirm that I accept the above terms and conditions.

Data Protection: EMPAS provides performing arts training; it holds contact details to enable it to provide customers and members with information about events and activities, and related products and resources that might be of interest. In providing us with your contact details you give us permission to contact you in relation to the business of EMPAS, and we will not disclose your information to any third parties except where legally required to do so.

PRE 19th July 2021.