Terms & Conditions
The Parent or Guardian shall enter into this tutoring arrangement on behalf of the Student and shall accept and agree to all the terms and conditions contained herein on behalf of the student.
Helen Westwood Maths will provide progressive, targeted and engaging tutoring sessions with the aim to motivate and educate students towards their desired goals while providing them with the skills and confidence to progress with their learning.
The fees are based on a standard rate which will be advised prior to booking. No further charges will be made for the tutor’s preparation time or resources, which are included in the standard rate. Any increase in fees will be advised with reasonable notice and will only be applied annually.
All payments should be by bank transfer please – I will provide bank details to enable you to set me as a regular payee so all payments can be made at least 48 hours prior to the session to confirm the booking. Unfortunately unless payment has been received, sessions will not be able to be delivered.
The lesson schedule, frequency and duration will be agreed prior to sessions starting. The date or time of the lessons can be changed with prior agreement between the Tutor and Parents although this may not always be possible. Lessons during the holidays are by arrangement, with booking via the Online Booking page of this website.
The standard lesson time for one-to-one sessions is 30 or 50 minutes (which will include time to discuss and update parents regarding progress if required). For younger children, shorter sessions of 30 minutes may be available. Group sessions are 45 minutes for Key Stage 3 students and 1 hour 15 minutes for GCSE Maths revision sessions (both Foundation and Higher GCSE Maths).
The online sessions will be accessible using the Zoom Meeting ID and password that will be confirmed to you before the first session. This link will stay the same for your child for each session. All Zoom calls can only be entered through the Waiting Room and all sessions are locked once the session has begun, for security purposes.
Sessions will start at the agreed time and it is the parent’s responsibility to make sure they have set reminders and the child is ready for the lesson at the set time.
For one-to-one sessions – after 5 minutes, I will make contact to check for technical issues such as a lost Zoom link. If you have forgotten the lesson, which does occasionally happen, please reply to my messages and I will stay on the call and start the lesson as soon as you are then able to join the call. The lesson will then be for the remainder of the timeslot.
For small group sessions, Students and Parents should ensure that they log in at least 5 minutes before the session start time to enable a prompt start as it may not be possible to add students to the session if they arrive after the session has begun. Small group sessions are payable monthly in advance, via bank transfer. There is no refund for non-attendance of small group session – all learning materials for the missed sessions will be provided. In the event that a monthly payment for group sessions is not made by the deadline given, it will be assumed that the student no longer wishes to be a member of the group and the place will be offered to the next student on the waiting list.
For safeguarding reasons for children under 18 it is expected that an adult will remain in the house with them for the duration of their online lesson. Also, all pupils should be fully dressed when on a video call.
Technical issues – Helen Westwood Maths is not responsible for the quality of the broadband connection. I have super-fast broadband and various extra technical setups to prevent any internet difficulty originating from me. I use a high spec laptop, super-fast broadband, and an Ethernet cable, not a Wi-Fi connection. I have a headset and microphone, dual monitors, graphics tablet and visualiser so that I can write on the screen with a pen.
If the bandwidth on the call is poor, I recommend switching off the camera, as we are able to continue with just sound for the lesson. If all else fails, we can project the BitPaper via Zoom and make a low-tech phone call for the audio. If a laptop can be connected directly to the router rather than by Wi-Fi this can also be beneficial.
The best kit that pupils can have is to use a PC or laptop. An external microphone, not the laptop inbuilt one (which tend to be terrible quality) will really help both me and your child be able to hear and understand each other clearly. Most pupils use a headset so they can hear me and speak to me easily. Others have the sound coming out of the laptop so that the parents can also hear the conversation but use headphones for the microphone.
There are some functionality issues with Chromebooks, so if possible, I would ask you not to use it for lessons. I am unable to hand over control to the child in Zoom, so they end up being more passive which isn’t ideal.
Cancellation of lessons – By the Student: the Student (through their Parent / Guardian) can cancel a lesson, giving at least 24 hours’ notice, in which case no fee will be charged for that session. If sufficient notice is not given – fees will still be charged as the session cannot be offered to another family. Rescheduled lessons should be requested with as much notice as possible.
Additional lessons can be arranged during school holidays – these will be available to book via the online calendar on this website.
Illness: If either the Student or the Tutor has an illness as much notice as is possible in the circumstances should be given.
By the Tutor: In exceptional circumstances, a lesson may have to be rescheduled, in which case the Tutor will give as much notice to the Student / Parent as is possible. Where a lesson was pre-paid, the Tutor shall reschedule the appointment at a time agreeable to both parties, failing which, the Student / Parent shall be refunded.
Obligations – The Tutor undertakes to do all preparation prior to lessons and to structure lessons in such a way as to optimise time to the benefit of the Student. The Tutor shall keep confidential all information of the Student and shall contact other parties involved in the education of the Student only if given written permission by the Parent to do so.
The Student undertakes to assist the Tutor in identifying problem areas in which the Student needs specific tutoring support.
If a student is to be entered for any examination as a private candidate (ie. not through their own school) then Parents are responsible for making the arrangements with a centre for the Student to be entered and attend to complete the exam.
The rate at which students make progress varies from individual to individual and is influenced by many contributory factors. I strive to provide the best possible service to help students improve their progress. However, I can offer no guarantee of academic success.
The Tutor agrees to uphold all the Professional Teacher Standards, safeguarding and child protection standards to the best of their ability. By agreeing to let your child be taught under their supervision, you are accepting that they are a responsible and safe adult to work with your child. They cannot be liable for any direct or indirect damages arising from using the tutoring service.
Personal data – Our website stores the personal data that you enter at the point of booking lessons. This data will not be shared with any third party. Your email address and phone number may be used for further communication about lessons and changes to policies. Neither will be shared with any third parties.
Acceptance & Changes to Terms and Conditions – Terms and conditions may change from time to time, the latest version will be available for you on the website and we will notify you accordingly of any such changes. If you do not agree with the changes you must notify me in writing within 14 days. If I do not receive any such notification it will be deemed you have accepted the latest updated version. By logging on for the sessions to be completed, this indicates acceptance of these terms and conditions.
No warranties – The Tutor makes no promises or warranties with regards to a Student’s performance as a result of any tutoring provided. I am not liable for any direct, indirect, consequential, incidental, special, punitive or similar damages arising out of use of the tutoring service, or any errors or omissions in the content of materials. The Parent/Guardian/ Student specifically waive any and all claims arising out of the use of my tutoring service. This tutoring contract may be terminated by either party at any time by notifying the other party.