Policies and Information for Parents

Lessons all take place online using Google Meet. It is useful for a student to do the lesson on a laptop or tablet, but we can work with just a phone! Lessons are between 50 minutes and 1 hour long. An internet connection that can at least support a video call is required. I strongly urge students to have their camera on. This helps me to measure the engagement of the student through the lesson and is generally good for communication.

Payment for lessons is taken by Direct Debit through GoCardless. You will be provided with information to set up the Direct Debit separately. It is absolutely fine to cancel a lesson, but 48 hours’ notice is required to avoid being charged. Once the payment is taken it cannot be refunded. Lessons canceled with less than 48 hours' notice will still be charged so please let me know well in advance if you need to miss a lesson.

If I ever need to miss or rearrange lessons I will give you as much notice as possible. If I am ever late for an online session please contact me by text, call or email because it is likely to be a technical issue, which happen occasionally. Jake Harris Tuition reserves the right to terminate ongoing tuition at any time.

I will communicate as much as possible with parents to keep them in the loop with behaviour, progress and effort. In online lessons I can generally measure the level of engagement and distraction through the video, however beyond that my policy is to treat students as adults and take them at their word. I will be most communicative with parents and carers when there are issues, such as low effort or failure to meet expectations. I am very active informing parents/carers in this case. As a result, if you don’t hear from me for a while that means everything is proceeding as it should be!

Our first session together will be best if you can let me know a topic you want to cover in advance, or if the student has some in mind when they come to the first lesson.

Finally, the more the student puts into the lesson, the more they will get out of it! I will do as much as I can to help students but can’t promise any particular grades. Tuition isn’t a magic solution and a student won’t get the most out of it if they don’t engage. It is the responsibility of the parent and student to make sure online lessons take place in a quiet environment free from distractions. While I will do my best, due to the nature of online lessons I cannot manage distractions around the student, including from the machine the lesson is running on. Students who do get involved, ask questions, take notes and do a bit of work outside of the tuition sessions see the best improvements in their understanding and attainment!

Cancellation Policy

Lessons can be canceled with 2 days’ notice at no charge. Lessons canceled less than 48 hours before the lesson will be charged. If the student hasn’t arrived at the lesson within 20 minutes after the start time of the lesson, the lesson is canceled and charged. All clients receive a reminder email about 48 hours before the lesson is booked. It is our policy not to chase up students when they don’t show up to a lesson. We may not be able to contact you to let you know a lesson has started, so make sure you have a system to remember when the lessons are booked so you don’t forget. If I don’t show up for a lesson and have not been in contact, please try to contact me by text, email or phone. In these instances it is almost always a technical error. Rearranging a lesson at short notice will count as canceling the booked lesson and booking a second. Please cancel in writing (email or text) so we both have a record.

Direct Debit Information

Payment for lessons is taken by direct debit, unless otherwise stated. We use direct debit because it provides reliability and consistency for tutors.

The direct debit can be paused. This means you can skip a week at any time (as long as 48 hours’ notice is given) and you won't be charged, then restart when you are ready. Furthermore, you'll receive an email a few days before each charge to let you know what it's for and what amount. Further to that, you're also covered by the Direct Debit Guarantee (outlined in full here: https://gocardless.com/direct-debit/guarantee/) which means customers are entitled to a full and immediate refund of any payment that has been taken in error.