Wimbledon School of English

Terms and conditions

Age
The minimum age is 16 years. There is no maximum age.

Payment

EEA & Non Visa Nationals
Please note that letters of acceptance and accommodation details are sent via e-mail or post and cannot be issued until we have received:

registration fee of £40 & course materials fee
tuition deposit of £250 (This will be deducted from your subsequent payment of tuition fees)
accommodation placement fee of £40 if applicable
accommodation deposit of £140 for host family accommodation or 4 weeks’ accommodation fees for residential accommodation if applicable (This will be deducted from your subsequent payment of accommodation expenses)
All fees must be paid in full by the end of the first day of study at the school

Visa Nationals
Please note that letters of acceptance are sent by post and other details including accommodation are sent via e-mail or by post.
No letters can be issued until we have received:

registration fee of £40 & course materials fee
full tuition fees
accommodation placement fee of £40 if applicable
accommodation deposit of £140 for host family accommodation or 4 weeks’ accommodation fees for residential
accommodation if applicable (This will be deducted from your subsequent payment of accommodation expenses)
CAS fee of£10 if applying for student visa. This fee is non-refundable

All Students

All fees are payable in pounds sterling or euros and payment can be made as follows:
1.1 By bank transfer directly to our account. Please note that all bank charges must be paid at source, otherwise the student will be charged on arrival. Please fax or post us a copy of the remittance advice. Please indicate the student’s name on the remittance.
1.2 By cheque made out to Wimbledon School of English Limited.
1.3 By Visa or Mastercard, either in person at the school or by telephone prior to arrival.
NB. All credit card payments can only be in pounds sterling.
We can send letters by special delivery service (DHL) at extra cost.
Course books are covered by the course materials fee but you will need to buy or borrow a workbook. If you are taking a short exam course (under 13 weeks) you will need to buy or borrow an exam practice book

Accommodation

Accommodation is arranged for students only while they are studying at the school.
If you leave school early for any reason, you will be asked to leave your accommodation.
All accommodation is subject to availability and early booking is advisable.
Accommodation is only provided for students following full-time courses.
You must always indicate your first and second choice of accommodation on the enrolment form.
If the first choice of accommodation is not available, the school will book your second choice.
If you decide to leave your accommodation early, you must give 7 days notice in writing for homestay and 28 days notice in writing for all residential acoommodation.
Refunds will only be made for full calendar weeks. This applies to all accommodation options except Furzedown. Furzdown does not give refunds under any circumstances

Homestay

The school’s accommodation service acts as an agent in introducing course participants to hosts. The contract is between guest and host.
If your homestay accommodation involves extra days, you will be charged a daily rate for up to 4 days. More than 4 days will be charged at the full weekly rate.
If you take any holiday during your stay and you are away from your homestay you will be charged half of the weekly rate for accommodation for each calendar week of absence. This includes holiday taken over the Christmas period when the school is closed. Please give 2 weeks’ notice in writing to reception if you wish to take holiday from your homestay.
Accommodation payments can be made through the school. You should send the money to us at least 10 days before your arrival. NB: If you wish to pay your accommodation by Visa or Mastercard there will be a surcharge of 2%.
If you are unhappy with your homestay accommodation the school will relocate you with a new family as soon as possible.
The school can only book homestay accommodation for students studying here. If you wish to have a friend to stay with you for a few days you must arrange this with your host yourself. Your host may ask your guest to pay for their accommodation.

Kings Lodge Study Bedrooms, House Share Study Bedrooms & Catholic Hostel

Students will be asked to sign an accommodation contract and abide by the terms and conditions of the contract.
Failure to do so means they will be asked to leave the premises and no refund will be given.
Students will be asked for credit card details with their booking. This is to cover the cost of any breakages or other damage to the property up to a maximum of £150.
This accommodation is available only for complete calendar weeks (Saturday to Saturday).
If you take a holiday during your stay and are away you will still be charged the full rate for the period of absence.
Payments must be made to the school. For periods of 4 weeks or less, full payment must be made at the time of
booking. For periods of 5 weeks or more, payment for the first 4 weeks must be made at the time of booking. No accommodation will be booked until payment has been received.
NB. If you wish to pay your accommodation by Visa or Mastercard, there will be a surcharge of 2%.
Check-in is on Saturdays only, between 12:00 and 17:00 There is a charge for check-in outside these times. Please note we cannot check students in after 20:00

Extensions

If you wish to extend your course you may do so, provided there is a place available. Extensions must be paid in full before a place can be reserved. Please note it may not be possible to stay with the same host family, in the Residence, House Share, or Hostel.

Returning students

If you return to school for another course you are not charged the registration and course materials fee.

Refunds and Cancellations

We strongly recommend that students take out insurance to cover fees and costs in case of cancellation or leaving early.
(Please refer to our Insurance)
The registration, accommodation placement fee and CAS fee for student visas are non-refundable under any circumstances.
Cancellation:
3.1 Cancellation before arrival: If you cancel 30 days or less before your course start date, your tuition fees, minus deposit and registration fees, will be refunded. Your homestay minus deposit and placement fee will be refunded less any bank charges. The first 4 weeks of Residential and House Share accommodation are non refundable.
3.2 If you cancel 31 days or more before your course start date, your fees and deposit(s) will be refunded less any bank charges. The first 4 weeks of Residential and House Share accommodation is refundable at 50%.
Students who have enrolled and have to cancel their course because they have had their visa refused will need to provide documentary evidence from the relevant embassy before any refund can be considered, and must return their letter of enrolment. Once we have received a copy of all pages of the visa refusal letter including the last page with the signature of the ECO and the date of refusal, and the original letter of enrolment we will refund all monies received except the registration fee, accommodation placement fee and the CAS fee, minus bank charges.
If you have booked and paid through an agent the refund will be made to the agent.
Change of course and/or accommodation dates: If you decide to change your course and/or accommodation start or finish date there is a charge of £40 for each time you change your dates. If you require a Visa for the UK please allow enough time to organise your interview before your course start date. This charge will not be due if you have visa problems. You can postpone your course to start up to 6 months after the original start date. For a postponement of longer than 6 months we will not refund your tuition or accommodation deposits if you then have to cancel the course.
Cancellation/change of course after arrival
7.1 EEA Nationals
We are unable to offer refunds or credits to students on the following courses who are leaving early:
Academic Year Programme and Intensive Academic Year Programme
All courses with set dates
All Examination courses
On other courses any tuition fees outstanding will be refunded if you give 28 days’ notice in writing to reception.
7.2 Visa Nationals
We are unable to offer a refund on any course to any student leaving early who requires a visa to study in the UK. This is because the visas are granted on the understanding that the student will be taking a course at the Wimbledon School of English for the dates given in our offer letter. If you are a visa national and finish your course early we have to inform the Home Office and the British Embassy in your country.
Please note: Our student insurance policy will refund the remaining fees if a student has to go home early for a medical or other serious reason. We strongly advise all students to take out our insurance.
Cancellation of additional 1-1 lessons. We require 7 days notice in writing to reception for cancellation of additional 1-1 lessons. If you cancel less than 7 days before your lesson you will be charged full fees.
Cancellation of Tennis or Riding lessons: If you cancel 7 days or less before your lesson, you will be charged full fees.
If you wish to take a holiday, you must give 28 days’ notice in writing to reception. Please note that we do not give refunds for holiday periods but you can extend your course. Extension for holidays can only be made on certain courses and if you are studying for 16 weeks or more. The maximum holiday extension is 2 weeks for every 16 weeks of study. Extensions can only be made for full calendar weeks. No extensions will be given for students on courses with set dates or on examination courses. Students should not take holiday during examination courses.
Holidays on the Academic Year Programme. You may take up to 4 weeks’ holiday but you MUST give us the dates at the time of booking.
Periods of absence due to accident or sickness are not refundable. You are strongly advised to take out insurance before your departure.

Attendance and Conduct

Wimbledon School of English reserves the right to refuse admission to any student or to dismiss any student without refund of tuition fees in the event of misconduct or unsatisfactory attendance or work. The school expects students to adhere to the standards we set.
Students have to pay for any damage they cause on the school premises or at their accommodation.
Students will only receive a leaving certificate if their attendance has been 80% or more.

Liability

Wimbledon School of English does not accept any liability in the case of illness, accident, loss or damage to personal effects or property. We recommend all students to take out insurance before leaving their home country.

Bank Account

If the student is enrolled in school for 6 months or more the school can arrange for them to open a bank account at a local bank. There is a charge of £10.00 for this service.

Resolution of disputes

All complaints will be fully investigated as per our “Complaints Procedure” providing:

The complaint was originally registered in writing with the Director of Studies, Director of Administration or Accommodation Manager
All invoices relating to the student making the complaint have been settled in full
We do not accept complaints received after the student has returned to their own country

Other

The school reserves the right to cancel or alter a course. If we do so, we will offer either an alternative course or a refund.
The school reserves the right to change teachers at any time during the course.
The school reserves the right to alter dates, fees and any particulars in the brochure without prior notice.
At certain times of year classes take place in both the main school building and additional premises located near the school. The school reserve the right to move classes between rooms and premises as appropriate.
Students who cannot read or write Roman script: please note that we are unable to teach literacy in our group classes. Any student who requires lessons in literacy must book private lessons with the school for this purpose.