ACADEMY LEARNING

N.B. References to ‘schools’ in the following text also applies to colleges and other high school institutions.

What do we provide?

Academy Learning values education as an end in itself. We run Masterclass days for students and teachers, both face-to-face in venues across the UK and in Australia and New Zealand, as well as online activities, going beyond the curriculum to offer a connected and critical overview of big ideas. Our events are operated with the support of a number of British universities including The University of Oxford (through the IRC), Liverpool Hope University and The University of Aberdeen. Events are delivered by top academics and experienced teachers from across the UK. These events are an outstanding opportunity both for professional development and extension for students.

How do we provide this?

1. We run Masterclass study days for students in a range of venues across the UK, Australia and New Zealand. The focus is on inspiring attendees to explore the world of knowledge, thoughts and beliefs. We promote wide-ranging intellectual curiosity as a value, and regard it as essential for the discovery of new knowledge. We pride ourselves on presenting balanced arguments with academic integrity. We offer events for academically curious students in high schools that are world-class opportunities for academic enrichment.

2. We provide in-house events for schools, and provide keynote speakers for school events, such as speech days and public lectures.

3. We offer interactive online courses for flexible learning.

4. We offer teacher training and PD events.

How can I find out about these events?

Details may be found in flyers and emails circulated to schools and on the Academy Learning website: https://thrivingminds.org

Please contact the office if you need information for organizing your own in-house event.

How do I apply for places?

You apply online, using the booking procedure found on the website. This ensures you have read and agreed to the terms and conditions and helps avoid any confusion over the details.

Should this option not be possible we can accept manual requests by post or by email to our office:

Academy Learning
c/o Ian Roper & Co
37, Fore Street
Sidmouth
Devon
EX13 8AQ
UK

E: [email protected]

Tel: 07979524277

We will require the following information in order to produce a manual booking:

• The name, role, email address and telephone number of the person making the application
• The name, role, email address and telephone number of the primary person attending the event or managing students taking a course
• The number of places required (staff and students as required)
• The name and postal address of the school including any post / zip code
• The name, telephone number and email address of the school’s finance officer
• The purchase order number if required by your finance department
• A statement from you that you have read and agreed to the terms and conditions below.

(We aim to respond to you within 7 days.)

After booking online you will immediately receive an automated invoice. Within 7 days you should receive a message acknowledging your booking. If for some reason you do not receive these messages please check your spam folder.
Contact the office as soon as possible if you have not heard from us within 7 days.

TERMS & CONDITIONS FOR GT EVENTS & COURSES

Booking & payment process

N.B. Variation to the terms below. Due to the ongoing changing position in different states with regard to Covid precautions, we are accepting provisional bookings without payment until January 2022 to enable you to reserve places. From February 2022 invoices should be settled in the normal manner. Should states subsequently impose restrictions which prevent a conference from running then we will provide an online alternative for you on the original scheduled date.

Bookings should be accompanied by full payment. Payments can be remitted by bank transfer, cheque, credit card or by PayPal. Please advise finance departments that remittance advices should include the invoice number, school name and conference venue / course ID in order to reduce delay in crediting your account.

Full Booking fees need to be paid within 30 days of the invoice date, or 3 weeks prior to an event, whichever is the earliest, or on receipt of an invoice for a course before online credentials can be issued.

If there are spaces available for a very late booking (21 days prior) invoices need to be settled by return.

We appreciate that it can take time in schools to put paperwork in place and, if relevant, to collect money from students’ families. You may reserve places by telephone if they are available, but once an invoice is issued changes to your invoice may attract an administration fee.

Late payment of invoices

We reserve the right to refuse entry at an event if we have no record of payment. An additional fee of £35/$70 may be charged for post-conference settlement of invoices.

Changes to your booking

Adding students to your booking. If you are increasing your reservation numbers then this can be done FOC right up to conference / day, as long as places are available. You will need to call or email the office to establish whether this is the case. Your new invoice needs to be met before attending conference. We are occasionally able to take very last minute payments at the door, subject to availability.

Requests for additional places for online courses can be made at any time but please note that credentials can only be provided after payment has been cleared. Additionally, when adding students to an existing group booking, the end date for the additional student will correspond to that of the group. Only separate applications will qualify for a full two-month duration.

Removing students from your booking. Thriving Minds appreciates that it is sometimes necessary for schools to reduce the number of students attending or even cancel a booking, due to unforeseen circumstances. Charges are therefore kept as low as possible. Please note that reductions to your numbers and cancellations will only be accepted in writing. The following charges will be applied to cover administration costs and the charges met by Academy Learning.

Reduction in attendees or cancellation of booking Charge
3 months or more No charge
28 days – 3 months £35 /$70
15-28 days 50%
1-14 days 100%

This means that:

• If you need to reduce the number of attendees or cancel your booking 1- 14 days before the event your full invoice will still need to be met.
• If you wish to decrease numbers 15-28 days before your event there are charges. 50% of conference fee will be charged for those who are unable to attend, plus a £35 administration fee.
• If you wish to cancel your booking 15–28 days before your event 50% of the invoice will still be charged, plus a £35 administration fee.

N.B. EARLY BIRD TICKETS ARE NON-TRANSFERABLE AND NON-REFUNDABLE.

N.B. FOR ONLINE COURSES, ONCE LOGINS HAVE BEEN ISSUED TO A SCHOOL, THERE IS NO FACILITY TO REFUND ANY UNUSED CREDENTIALS.

Cancellation of an event

Should we be forced to cancel an event we will give you as much notice as possible and you will be given the option to transfer to another conference in the series or receive a full credit/refund against your order.

We recommend that schools take out appropriate insurance to cover themselves against unforeseen circumstances such as inclement weather, failed transport, government warnings etc.

BY SIGNING THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS, YOU INDEMNIFY ACADEMY CONFERENCES FROM RESPONSIBILITY FOR CANCELLATION CAUSED BY CIRCUMSTANCES OUTSIDE OF OUR CONTROL.

Sponsorship

While providing these courses and events entails considerable cost we want all intellectually curious students to be able to access them.

We work with several individuals and bodies who are willing to sponsor students wishing to enroll but for whom the cost is a significant challenge for their families. Our sponsors do require specific information regarding each applicant being considered but you will not be asked for confidential information, name, gender or ethnicity. Please contact the office for further details.

Logistics / Guidance for events

General arrangements for our events are available on the flyers we distribute and on our website. These include times, venues and refreshment arrangements.

Joining instructions are distributed in the week before the appropriate event and are sent to the person who registers the application, unless they have identified a third party in the booking to whom it should be sent.

This named person should, in reply, both confirm receipt of the instructions and also return a list of names and email addresses of accompanying staff for the conference register.

These joining instructions will include catering details. Some conferences will provide staff refreshments and lunch and it is appreciated that any particular dietary needs of teachers are identified and shared with us as early as possible. Some conferences do not provide refreshments for either staff or students.

Students are always required to bring along a packed lunch. We will include in the joining instructions any further details of snack facilities if there are any. In addition, all delegates are encouraged to bring water to consume during the presentations.

Teachers should bring to our attention in good time any access arrangements needed for individuals with specific needs and any other special arrangements that might be required e.g. prayer room for Muslim students.

Conference resources are made available to staff after the event. These are often published on our Facebook documents area, which you may join at any time.

During each conference, students will be encouraged to engage with the speakers and other schools by the use of social media. Teachers may wish to confirm with their schools that such interaction meets the requirements of relevant school policies.

The presentations given at conference are subject to copyright. For this reason audio and video recording is not allowed and photographs may only be taken by arrangement. Additionally, for this reason we are unable to make available copies of the presentations after the event. Please note that Academy Learning reserves the right to take photographs of their events and teachers must accept responsibility for bringing to our attention any student or member of staff for whom this would represent a risk or conflict with child protection guidelines.

Conference times are given on the flyers and website pages but we normally open doors at 09.15 in the UK (9.45 in London) and 09.00 in Australia and New Zealand. It is recommended that schools arrive in good time to secure their seating. We cannot guarantee that a school group can be accommodated in a discrete block if arriving late.

Students and staff should be advised that Academy Learning cannot accept responsibility for any lost or damaged personal property, including cash, mobile phones, laptops, iPads and other equipment.

Online courses additional information

Placing a booking will generate an invoice that can be passed to your finance department for payment. Once funds have cleared in our account we will issue you with user names and passwords for each registered teacher and student. The two-month course window will open from the issue date of these online credentials.

Online Content Sharing Agreement

• Academy Conferences retains all copyright, intellectual property, all other rights, title and interest in and to its content. Subject to the terms of this agreement Academy Conferences grants the licensee an exclusive license for the contract period purchased for the number of teachers and students purchased. The license does not include permission to share information outside of the group of students for whom the license is purchased. The licensee shall not edit, modify, use, copy, transmit, display or redistribute the Licensor Content. The licensee may not copy any material which appears on the Licensor Platform without prior written approval. Any infringement may result in damages against the user and account termination.
• We can suspend or terminate your account on the Academy Conferences learning platform at any time for any reason (acting reasonably of course) for breach of these terms or unreasonable use.
• Neither we nor any third parties provide any warranty or guarantee as to the accuracy, timeliness, performance, completeness or suitability of the information and materials found or offered on this website for any particular purpose. You acknowledge that such information and materials may contain inaccuracies or errors and we expressly exclude liability for any such inaccuracies or errors to the fullest extent permitted by law.
• Your use of any information or materials on this website is entirely at your own risk, for which we shall not be liable. It shall be your own responsibility to ensure that any products, services or information available through this website meet your specific requirements.
• This website contains material which is owned by or licensed to us. This material includes, but is not limited to, the design, layout, look, appearance and graphics. Reproduction is prohibited other than in accordance with the copyright notice, which forms part of these terms and conditions.
• All trade marks reproduced in this website which are not the property of, or licensed to, the operator are acknowledged on the website.
• Unauthorised use of this website may give rise to a claim for damages and/or be a criminal offence. We reserve the right to cancel the accounts forthwith of any users who are suspected of unauthorized use.
• From time to time this website may also include links to other websites or posted content. These links are provided for your convenience to provide further information. They do not signify that we endorse the websites. We have no responsibility for the content of the linked websites and have no control over and accept no liability in respect of materials, products or services available on any website which is not under the control of Academy Conferences.
• Login details are non-transferable and each may be held and used by a single named user.
• You may not post, upload, download, display or otherwise make available content from the site.
• Academy Learning waives liability as to content quality, technical difficulties, and other contingencies. Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly but due to the nature of the internet and the technology involved Academy Learning takes no responsibility for and will not be liable for the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues (or otherwise) beyond its control or for loss or damage suffered as a result of the use or access to, or inability to use or access this website whatsoever.
• Academy Learning waives liability for viruses, technical failure and any other losses incurred by users or third parties as a result of using this website.