Terms and Conditions

These terms apply to any purchases or bookings you make on our website and with us directly. When booking one of our camps, separate terms apply. These terms can be found here. Please read these terms carefully before you make any bookings, as they set out important information about your and our rights and obligations.

1. About us

LDA Franchising Ltd is a company registered in England and Wales under company number: 14188720. Our registered office is at: 67, C Waldemar Avenue, London, United Kingdom, SW6 5LR. Our local dance schools operate under franchise from LDA Franchising Ltd and trade under the Little Dance Academy brand.

2. How to contact us

You can contact us by sending an email to hello@thelittledanceacademy.com or calling us on the number of your local franchise school found on our website.

3. These terms

3.1 Any reference to ‘we’, ‘us’ or ‘our’ in these terms is to The Little Dance Academy and our franchisees. These terms apply to the booking that you make with your local Little Dance Academy franchise, and may be enforced by that entity which is separate from the company described in paragraph 1 above.

3.2Any reference to ‘you’ or ‘your’ is to the person making a booking on our website.

3.3 We may make changes to these terms at any time. However, the terms which apply to your order will be those in force at the time you submitted your booking.

3.4 Please print out or save a copy of these terms and any emails from us for your records, as we will not save or file a copy for you. These terms are only available in English.

3.5 Your use of our website is governed by our Website Terms of Use.

4. Bookings

4.1 Please check your booking carefully and correct any errors before you submit it to us.

4.2 After you place your booking, we will send you an acknowledgment email to let you know that we have received your booking. This does not mean that your order has been accepted by us. Your booking is an offer to buy services from us on these terms.

4.3 Acceptance of your booking by us takes place when we send you a booking confirmation email, at which point a legally binding contract is formed between you and us on these terms.

4.4 If we do not accept your booking, for example because we are unable to take payment, the services are unavailable, you are under 18 or live outside of the UK, or there has been a mistake regarding the pricing or description of the services, we will email you using the details you provided when you placed your booking. We have the right to reject any order for any reason.

5. Availability

All bookings are subject to availability. We cannot guarantee that any service will be available at any given time. In certain circumstances beyond our reasonable control, for example where there has been a change in law, we may need to stop providing certain services. If this happens and it affects your booking, we will notify you by email, offer you an alternative service, cancel your original booking and provide you with a credit to use on your next booking.

6. Making changes to your booking

If you would like to make any changes to your booking after you have submitted it, please contact us as soon as possible and we will let you know if it is possible to change your booking.

7. Providing services

7.1 Descriptions of our services are set out on our website.

7.2 We will provide the services at the time(s) and on the date(s) selected by you or within the period agreed with you during the booking process.

7.3 The services will be provided at the location selected by you when you placed your booking. We only provide services within the areas specified here:

https://www.thelittledanceacademy.com/locations.

7.4 We will do all that we reasonably can to provide the services at the time(s) and date(s) or within the period agreed with you. If there might be a delay before we can start or restart the services, we will email you to let you know as soon as reasonably possible. However, we are not liable to you for any losses you incur as a result of any delay caused by circumstances beyond our reasonable control (for example, severe weather, accidents or unpredictable traffic delays).

7.5 Where there is a delay to the start time of a class caused by circumstances beyond our reasonable control, we will usually try to start the services as soon as the issue causing the delay has been resolved. If the services are delayed by more than 20 minutes, we will email you to let you know and offer you the option to either continue waiting until the issue has been resolved (if this is possible) or to cancel your booking and get a credit in respect of the cancelled booking to use for future booking.

8. Prices

8.1 Prices for our services are set out on our website. All prices are in pounds sterling (£)(GBP) and include VAT at the applicable rate, but exclude uniforms, ballet shoes or any merchandise .

8.2 Prices for our services vary amongst our franchises and our booking system will show the price for the class and location you choose.

8.3 Prices for our services may change at any time. Except as set out in clause 8.4 below, such changes will not affect existing bookings. For our Pay Monthly option, we will notify you of any changes to the monthly amount at least 30 days before it is due to change and if you do not wish to continue, you may notify us of this.

8.4 If there has been an error on the website regarding the pricing of any of our services and this affects your booking, we will try to contact you using the contact details you provided when you placed your booking. We will give you the option to re-confirm your booking at the correct price or to cancel your booking. If we are unable to contact you, we will treat the booking as cancelled and notify you by email.

9. Payment

9.1 We currently offer two ways to pay for our classes: Pay in Advance where classes are booked in a block in advance till the end of a term and Pay Monthly (available only at participating franchises) which is a 30-day contract with the ability to cancel any time online with 30 days’ notice. Different terms apply for each payment method as set out below.

9.2 We accept all major credit card and debit card providers. All credit card and debit card payments need to be authorised by the relevant card issuer.

9.3 If your payment is not received by us when due, we may either charge interest on any balance outstanding at the rate of 8 percentage points per year above Bank of England’s base rate from time to time or a one off late payment charge of £5, at our sole discretion.

10. Pay in advance

10.1 We require an advance payment in full when you choose our Pay In Advance booking method. We will take this payment from your card when you make your booking. If the payment is unsuccessful, we will try to contact you using the contact details you provided when you placed your booking. If we are unable to contact you, we will cancel your booking and notify you by email.

10.2 You may request to change or add classes after enrolment in each term. Please give us as much notice as possible if any changes are required. Written notification of intention to change must be given to us and all changes will be made at management's discretion. Any difference in class fees must be paid at the time of notification before the change or added classes will be confirmed.

10.3 Subject to Clause 15, in the event that you need to cancel a class you have enrolled on prior to the term commencing, written confirmation will be required and fees will be refunded or credited as follows: a) more than 7 days’ notice in advance of term commencing, we will refund the fees; b) less than 7 days’ notice, we will refund the fees, less 3 weeks’ to cover our costs and to reflect that the space will not be immediately filled.

10.4 If the term has already commenced, an account credit may be applied at management discretion provided we have received a minimum 3 weeks’ notice, as set out in clause 15.5 and 15.7 below.

11. Pay monthly

11.1 The Pay Monthly price is calculated based on a 34-week teaching year inclusive of holidays during which teaching does not take place. In the event a franchise area teaches for a different number of weeks this will be reflected in the monthly amount you pay.

11.2 There is no minimum contract term. The notice period for cancellation is 30 days and you can cancel online, any time.

11.3 Our policy is to hold one month as a deposit which will be returned to you, less any amounts due, upon cancellation. Please be aware we will not give credit for lessons within the 30-day notice period if you choose or are unable to attend.

11.4 If your account is in credit, the initial payment will be made up of the remainder of the current month and a full month in deposit. Your credit will then be used to offset your subsequent monthly payments.

11.5 In the event that you cancel your pay monthly contract as set out in clause 15.4 any credits on your final balance including any additional credits that accrue during the 30 day cancellation period, can be repaid to you after your last lesson with us.

12. Trial classes

12.1 We require an advance payment in full when you book one of our trial classes. We will take this payment from your card when you make your booking. If the payment is unsuccessful, we will try to contact you using the contact details you provided when you placed your booking. If we are unable to contact you, we will cancel your booking and notify you by email.

12.2 You are not permitted to book any more than three trials per class. Any bookings in excess of this will be cancelled immediately.

13. Missed classes

13.1 No refunds will be given for any missed classes.

13.2 You may book up to two catch up lessons per term for any missed classes subject to availability and not to be taken within the final week of any term.

13.3 Missed classes cannot be rolled over to the following term. This is the case even where you were not able to book onto a class due to your preferred class being at capacity.

14. Our right to cancel

14.1 We may end the contract with you at any time on notice to you if you seriously breach these terms and conditions. If a breach by you is less serious but you have failed to cure that breach within 7 days of our notice requiring you to do so, we may also end the contract.

14.2 If we end the contract, you will not be entitled to attend our classes or camps. If you have paid the price for that booked service in advance we are entitled to deduct from your refund or to charge you an additional amount (which you must pay) to reasonably compensate us for any costs and losses we have incurred as a result of you breaking the contract with us. This may mean that no refund is applicable.

15. Your right to cancel

15.1 You have 14 days from the date of your booking confirmation email to change your mind and cancel your booking.

15.2 We will not provide any services during the 14-day cancellation period unless you request for us to do so when you place your booking. We are under no obligation to accept your request.

15.3 If you request for us to start providing services during the 14-day cancellation period and we agree to do so, this will impact your rights to cancel as follows: a) you lose your right to cancel once the services are fully performed and will not be entitled to a refund even if the cancellation period has not expired; b) if the services have not been fully performed, you will be required to pay for the services we provided up to the time that you told us that you want to cancel.

15.4 If you cancel within the 14 day cancellation period, we will provide you with a refund as soon as possible and no later than 14 days after the day on which you told us that you want to cancel. If services have been provided during the cancellation period at your request, we will make deductions from any refund due to you as explained in clause 15.3 above.

15.5 If you cancel after the 14 day cancelation period, we will issue credits to your Little Dance Academy account to be used on future bookings. These credits expire 12 months after they are issued.

15.6 You can cancel your pay monthly contract anytime, online via your account at www.thelittledanceacademy.com – please note all Pay Monthly plans are subject to 30 days notice.

15.7 To cancel your order for a trial class or services booked using our pay in advance option, please email us at hello@thelittledanceacademy.com or call us on the number for your local franchisee found on our website. To help us process your cancellation more quickly, please have your order number ready or include it in the email you send to us. Please note all pay in advance plans are subject to three weeks’ notice.

15.8 We will issue your refund to the same payment method you used when you placed your order.

16. Events beyond our control

We are not liable to you if we fail to comply with these terms because of circumstances beyond our reasonable control, this includes but is not limited to COVID-19 and any future pandemics, and other ‘acts of god’.

17. Our responsibility to you

17.1 If we breach these terms or are negligent, we are liable to you for loss or damage that you suffer as a result. This liability is only for loss that we could reasonably foresee at the time the contract was made, it was either clear that such loss or damage would occur or you and we both knew that it might reasonably occur, as a result of something we did (or failed to do).

17.2 We are not liable to you for any loss or damage that was not foreseeable, any loss or damage not caused by our breach or negligence, or any business loss or damage.

17.3 Nothing in these terms excludes or limits our liability for any death or personal injury caused by our negligence, liability for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or any other liability that the law does not allow us to exclude or limit.

17.4 We do not accept responsibility for the damage or loss of goods left on the premises prior to, during or after dance classes.

17.5 We have in place a public liability insurance policy to the value of £5,000,000.

18. Drop off classes

18.1 All classes excluding our Parent & Me Ballet class (Ages 18 months - 3 years old) are drop off classes.

18.2 Children under 3 years old are not permitted to attend a drop off class.

18.3 Parents of new students are permitted to attend their child’s first trial class only.

18.4 Children aged 3 years old who are not ready to attend a drop off class must continue to attend Parent & Me until they are ready. You should contact your local office to discuss this.

18.5 You should book a trial and ensure your child can attend independently before enrolling in the class for the full term. We offer up to 3 trial classes so you can ensure your child is settled before committing any further.

18.6 All camps are drop off only.

19. Health and safety

19.1 The Little Dance Academy provides for the safety and care of students whilst on the premises.

19.2 Please be aware that due to the nature of dance and for your child's growth, development and safety it will be necessary at times to engage in physical contact with your child. This will always be done in an appropriate manner and with your child’s best interests in mind.

19.3 It is your responsibility to tell us of any condition affecting your child. We cannot be held responsible if you do not tell us of any circumstance or condition that we would reasonably need to know to provide our services safely.

20. Personal Property

20.1 We accept no liability for loss or damage to valuables, baggage or personal property including dance kits and attire unless such loss or damage is proven to be due to our negligence or that of our employees or agents.

20.2 You must name all personal possessions brought to our dance classes and camps and must ensure your children take all appropriate measures for the protection and security of any valuables, baggage or other personal possessions. Expensive and treasured items should not be brought to our dance camps as these are unnecessary and not required.

21. Medical Disclaimer and Health and Safety

21.1 It is your responsibility to inform us at the time of booking or, where relevant, as soon as you become aware, of any actual or anticipated injuries, disabilities, medical, social or behavioural problems or circumstances affecting your child attending one of our dance classes or camps. We cannot be held reasonable for any loss or damage caused by your failure to keep us informed of any relevant health or medical information. Please ensure that any medications (including epi pens and inhalers) are brought to the camp each day and staff are made aware of the situation.

21.2 Any health information we hold will be treated sensitively and in line with our Privacy Policy.

21.3 We reserve the right to refuse entry to our classes or exclude any child and/or cancel the booking and future bookings for any child at any time if we reasonably believe that important information affecting the health and safety of the child, our staff or other children has not been provided to us.

21.4 In an instance where a child is seen by our first aiders and has been deemed to be well, if a parent then requests the child to be taken to a doctors’ surgery or hospital a parent/guardian will need to come and collect the child.

21.5 You and your child shall at all times take such precautions as shall be necessary and/or as may be reasonably required by us to prevent or restrict the spread of infectious or contagious diseases such as chicken pox, gastroenteritis or other similar conditions.

22. Teachers

22.1 We engage industry based professionals to instruct classes. At times scheduled teachers may not be available and as such an alternative teacher of equal or greater qualification will replace the scheduled teacher. Due to the nature of the industry and the high standard of teachers employed at The Little Dance Academy, teachers may rotate and change at the discretion of management.

22.2 All of our teachers undergo an enhanced CRB check.

23. Photos and videos

23.1 By enrolling your child in The Little Dance Academy you acknowledge that photos and videos may be taken in class. We ask a separate consent form to be completed.

23.2 The Little Dance Academy may also take photos for advertising purposes to be used on social media, websites and print. We will only ever use photos of your child provided we have your prior consent.

23.3 You may withdraw consent at any time by written notice to management. If you do so, this does not invalid consent given for any past images.

23.4 We reserve the right to request no photos or videos be taken by parents in class.

24. Uniform, dance accessories and books

24.1 All students enrolled in our school aged ballet classes must wear The Little Dance Academy uniform whilst partaking in our classes, with the exception of trial bookings.

24.2 Uniform is manufactured and sold by other third parties. We do not accept any liability in respect of these third parties.

24.3 If you have any issues regarding your uniform purchase, please go to the retailer directly as we will not be able to obtain a refund on your behalf.

24.4 Links to other third parties selling accessories namely Freed of London and Tiny Giulio, are for your interest only. We do not receive any commission and have no affiliation with these third parties and do not accept any liability on behalf of them.

24.5 Our books are sold on Amazon and your purchase will be subject to Amazon’s terms and conditions of sale. We will not be liable for any issue with the quality of product, delivery or other similar issue in respect of such purchases.

26. Your information

Any personal information that you provide to us will be dealt with in line with our Privacy Policy available here https://www.thelittledanceacademy.com/privacy-policy#, which explains what information we collect and hold about you, and how we collect, store, use and share such information.

27. No third party rights

No one other than us or you has any right to enforce any of these terms. Our franchisees are intended to benefit from these terms and it may be a franchisee with whom you contract. They may therefore enforce these terms.

28. Transfer of rights

27.1 We may transfer our rights under these terms to another business including to new franchisees without your consent, but we will notify you of the transfer and make sure that your rights are not adversely affected as a result.

27.2 You are not allowed to transfer your rights under these terms to anyone without our prior written consent. A place in a class is only for the named child.

28. Complaints

If you are unhappy with us or the services we have provided to you, please contact us at hello@thelittledanceacademy.com.

29. Governing law and jurisdiction

The laws of England and Wales apply to these terms and any disputes will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.