Terms and conditions

Accommodation

Homestay Adult courses are Half Board – breakfast and dinner daily and lunch at weekends in homestay is included in the accommodation we offer. The host family also takes care of a reasonable amount of personal laundry, usually once a week. For students living outside a comfortable walking distance to the School, every weekday we provide a free bus service to and from the School at pick-up points in the homestay areas. The School acts as an intermediary between the student and the householder. The School does not make a profit on homestay accommodation. A small part of the fees are retained to cover administration costs. One week’s notice is required to change or cancel homestay accommodation. Residential accommodation is Full Board. Residential students are responsible for their own personal laundry and coin-operated washing machines are provided. Bed linen is provided and changed weekly. Students should bring their own towels. You are advised to contact us for further information on the different residences before making your booking as availability is limited.

We are pleased to advise on local guest houses and hotels which should be booked direct with the establishment concerned. Any accommodation arranged outside a student’s registered course dates is at the discretion of the School and subject to additional payment.

Arrival and Departure

We provide tuition from Monday to Friday. All course fees are priced on the basis of an arrival in Canterbury on a Sunday and a departure on a Sunday. We will charge for any extra nights of accommodation at our published rate of £25 per night homestay and £30 per night residential. For example, booking accommodation for two weeks Monday to Monday would be charged at two weeks plus one night.

Registration and Payment

To register for a course, send a completed and signed Registration Form to the School by fax, post or email as outlined in How to Register. You should pay either a) The course fees including non-refundable deposit of £200 or b) £200 non-refundable deposit or c) £410 consisting of £200 non-refundable deposit, £200 towards tuition fees and £10 CAS fee. The balance of the sum owing must be paid by 30 days before the start date.

If paying by sterling cheque, make it payable to and send it to ‘Stafford House School of English Limited’ by post with the Registration Form.

If paying by banker’s draft, make the transfer payable to ‘Stafford House School of English Limited’ to the School account at:
National Westminster Bank plc
City Centre Branch
11 The Parade
Canterbury CT1 2SQ, UK

including the following details:
Account Number 08802106
Sort Code 60-04-27
IBAN: GB10NWBK60042708802106
Swift: NWBKGB2L

Please quote the student family name and first name on the transfer. If paying by credit or debit card, make sure that you complete all the details in the credit card section of the Registration Form. There are charges for some kinds of payment:
Cheque: No charge
Bank transfer: £12
Credit card: 2%
Debit card: No charge

The standard postage costs to send documents out to a student will be met by the School. If higher costs are incurred as a result of an urgent need for documentation, the School reserves the right to pass some or all of this incremental cost on to the student and any such amount incurred will be payable on presentation of invoice.

Holidays and Tuition

No Public Holidays are observed on our courses from 03 January 2011 to 16 December 2011. There are no scheduled courses during the Christmas break. By prior arrangement, we can provide homestay accommodation for the Christmas period for a fee of £145 per week (shared) or £175 (single). Students registered for a course of 16 weeks or more may take a holiday break subject to the absolute discretion of the School and after completing a Holiday Request Form at least 2 weeks in advance. Students taking holiday must either vacate their room or agree to pay a retainer of £50 if they wish to add the missed school weeks to the end of their course.

An English lesson lasts 45 minutes. English classes may include students studying for a different number of weeks. The English lessons and tuition hours (lessons/hours) scheduled on our courses in 2011 are: Intensive English 30/22.5, Standard English 20/15. Examination fees, including the Cambridge Exam Preparation courses are charged separately to the tuition fees.

Safety and Welfare

Since its establishment in 1952, Stafford House School of English has maintained an excellent record for the safety and welfare of our students. Safety remains our first priority on all our courses. When we confirm a registration for a student aged under 18 years, we will send safety and welfare information in a document entitled Information for Parents accompanied by an Information for Parents Consent Form to be completed and returned by post or fax. It is important that we receive this completed form, signed by a parent or guardian, before the first day of the course.

Cancellations, Deposits and Refunds

In the event of a cancellation over 60 days before the start of the course, then all fees paid (except registration fee and deposit) will be refunded. In cases where conclusive proof can be demonstrated that a course was cancelled due to visa refusal through no fault of the student, all fees except the deposit of £200 and any CAS fees will be refunded.

General Conditions

By registering for the course, a student agrees to abide by the rules of the School at all times, to attend classes regularly and punctually and to comply with instructions issued by the School. The School reserves the right to alter or amend its programmes in the best interest of students or for operational reasons or due to circumstances beyond its control.

The School expects all students to have a good attendance record. Unauthorised absence of 15% or more will lead to disciplinary measures that could result in dismissal from the school. Holders of General Student Visas who fail to meet this requirement or who are absent for 10 consecutive days without authorisation will be reported to the UKBA.

The School reserves the right to refuse a registration at its absolute discretion. The School reserves the right to suspend or dismiss any student who, in the judgment of the School, is guilty of unreasonable conduct including poor attendance, disrespect to members of the School staff, foul or abusive language, insulting behaviour of a racist nature or any act deemed to be likely to bring the School into disrepute. In such cases, any fees paid will not be refunded and the School may take further action including informing the Home Office, Immigration authorities or, in the case of a student aged under 18 years, the student’s parents or guardian.

By signing the Registration Form, the student or, in the case of a student aged under 18 years, the parent or guardian of the student enters into an agreement to the exclusion of all other terms and conditions. This agreement is subject to English law and any disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English Courts.

Withdrawal

Any students withdrawing from a Stafford House programme of study may be reported to the UKBA and British Embassy / High Commission in their home country as a curtailment of their programme.

Payment to Agents

Before applying to study with us you may have engaged with an agent to offer you advice and support in applying for programmes of study, and you may in some cases also have agreed to pay a fee to your agent for those services. We further understand that you wish us to pay that fee to your agent on your behalf (up to maximum limits as stated on www.ceg-uk.com/servicefees).

Where this is the case we acknowledge that your tuition fees payable shall include a sum owing by you to your agent up to a maximum limit per term referred to above. We agree, at our discretion, to pay this sum to your agent on your behalf and reduce your tuition fees accordingly provided that the following conditions are met:

• You enrol at Stafford House School of English;
• You correctly complete the application form to authorise us to make these payments to your nominated agent;
• You pay all relevant academic fees to Stafford House School of English as they become due
• Your agent has achieved Approved Agent status, an Approved Agent being an agent that has entered into a contract with you directly for the provision of services that are of a level and nature which satisfies Cambridge Education Group’s internal policies and expectations of an agent, and who has been confirmed by Cambridge Education Group as being such an agent.

Provided the above conditions are met and if for any reason we decide not to pay an amount due from you to your agent on your behalf, then we will refund to you the amount owing to your agent up to the maximum limit, for you to pay across directly.

If you have agreed with your agent that you will pay more than the maximum limit, then you will remain liable to pay any excess to your agent.

Having satisfied the following conditions, should you NOT wish us to make an automatic payment to you Approved Agent, please notify the school on soe@staffordhouse.com.

Insurance

We advise all students to ensure that before travelling to the UK they have adequate insurance for travel, medical, accidents, course cancellation, course curtailment and associated risks. This may be done via the school’s website or from a local travel agent. The school takes no responsibility whatsoever for this transaction which is exclusively between the student or the student’s representative and the seller of the insurance policy.

If you would like to receive a brochure or any information about the programmes offered by Stafford House School of English or Cambridge Education Group, please contact the school at:

Stafford House School of English
19 New Dover Road,
Canterbury,
Kent CT1 3AH, UK
Tel: +44 (0)1227 452250
Fax: +44 (0)1227 453579
Email