Terms and Conditions
Acceptance of Terms and Conditions
By booking, or by you or your child attending a swimming lesson with us, you accept these terms and conditions and they will form a binding contract between you and us.
Please read the following terms and conditions carefully as they are the basis of the contract between you and our swim school.
The T&C’s tell you who we are, how we will provide services to you and what to do if there are any problems. For the purpose of this agreement, ‘You’ includes the person making the booking, the person attending the course, lesson, or session and where relevant the parent / guardian or accompanying adults or children.
These terms and conditions apply to you ( as described above) and are in relation to the following companies, which are separate entities in their own right.
- Watford Swim School LLP – trading as Watford Swim School at Stud Green and Abbots Hill School.
- Wildfish Swim School LLP and Wildfish Swim School (Bucks) LLP – trading as Wildfish Swim School at The Mallinson, Heritage House School, Green Park, Astley Cooper and Chesham Preparatory School
From here on in, all the above companies will be referred to as The Company.
In addition to these terms and conditions, all parties are expected to follow the swimming pool safety rules at all times.
We may contact you from time to time about the services and products that we provide. If we contact you, we will do so by phone, text, or by writing to you via the email or postal address that you have provided us with when you booked.
We reserve the right to vary these terms and conditions at any time upon reasonable notice to you. Changes will be advertised and made directly to the website.
What we do
- We provide swimming lessons and other services to customers of all ages and abilities.
- We operate from our own purpose-built swimming pool(s) and venues that we hire from third parties such as schools, hotels, and private residents.
- All of our teachers are qualified to nationally recognised standards to teach our customers and where appropriate to provide lifesaver and first aid cover for the environment in which we teach.
Bookings and Payments
(Stud Green customers should also refer to the section at end)
Our course dates are published on our website and may differ between sites. Weekly lessons are continuous with breaks for school holidays. Intensive lessons (‘crash courses’) run on consecutive days over a 4 or 5 day period during school holiday periods.
Bookings are only confirmed once payment has been received. In the event the payment is not made or the payment deadline is missed, the space will be released and will be available to be booked by another customer. All fees must be paid in advance of the lessons taking place and swimmers will not be allowed to participate in any swimming lessons if a payment is outstanding. If a swimmer joins part way through a course, a pro rata payment, relative to the remaining lessons, will be due.
Once booked, your space is secured and you will remain in this class until you wish to cancel. Your booking is continuous so no need to re-book when we break for school holidays/exception dates. You are charged on the 1st of each month in advance according to the lessons taking place in that month, therefore payments may vary.
All lessons will start promptly at the agreed start time. If you arrive late to the pool, the lesson will not be extended and the lesson will still end at the agreed end time.
We reserve the right not to accept your booking and shall not be obliged to provide any reason for not accepting your booking.
If you wish to take a holiday while the lessons are running and you miss a lesson or lessons, full payment is still required and you will retain your place.
As part of the booking process for any course, lesson, or session you must register your full details with us.
Please check your booking confirmation email. If anything appears incorrect, please contact us right away.
Methods of payment
There are 2 ways to pay for lessons depending on which site your lessons take place. Lessons in Stud Green, Watford are made termly by bank transfer. All other sites are paid monthly by card payments.
With the BACS transfer payment option, you commit to being a customer and paying the fees for a full term of lessons for at least one full term.
With the debit/credit card payment option, you commit to being a member and paying the monthly fee each month until you wish to stop lessons. For your first payment, you will also be charged a notice payment which is used instead of your last payment if you wish to leave and covers your last 4 lessons (see cancellation section for further information). Monthly payments are via our online portal, our system will automatically direct you to our payment ‘gateway’ partner and the full T&C’s are accessible during the ‘sign up’ process.
Your card details are securely stored by our payment ‘gateway’ partner to be used for future payments. Please ensure that the card details are valid and funds are available on the collection date.
Click HERE for further details about how monthly payments work.
We are a non cash operation and cash payments should not be made to swimming teachers under any circumstances. This is for their safety. In extenuating circumstances, we can accept cash if you gain prior agreement from a member of the management team.
Bookings are non-transferable.
Discounts, Vouchers or Raffle Prizes
From time to time we will offer various vouchers or discounts to our customers in the form of free or discounted lessons. These are only available for use as per the terms on the voucher and cannot be redeemed on classes already purchased. Where free lessons are offered via promotions such as raffle prizes, swimmers claiming these offers are deemed to have agreed to these terms and conditions. All prizes, vouchers or discounts are non-transferable.
Cancellations/Refunds
When booking for the first time, if your circumstances change, there is a 14-day window after payments have been received for a refund to be requested provided this is not less than 14 days before the start of the first lesson. This allows a reasonable opportunity to resell the space. If you wish to cancel a booking for a lessons or course after payment has been made, this request must be sent by email to info@wildfishswimschool.com
Refunds will be processed as soon as possible and, in any event within 14 days of receipt of your request and appropriate details being provided. Payment will be made via online transfer to the account from which the payment was received or via bank transfer. We reserve the right to charge a 10% administration fee for this type of refund. No cash refunds are provided under any circumstances. If The Company does not receive the necessary banking details via email as detailed within 12 weeks of the request, the refund will become null and void.
Once you cancel your monthly lessons, we will take no further card payments from you. We will then apply the 4 week notice payment that you paid when you joined, to the next monthly payment period due. This may mean that the total time from your email informing us of your cancellation to your leaving your lessons may be longer than 4 weeks depending on when in the month you inform us about the cancellation. To confirm, no further payments will be taken once you inform us you wish to cancel and your last lesson will be confirmed by email.
To cancel your subscription, you must send your notice via email to info@wildfishswimschool.com. Once we have received your cancellation, we will advise you of your last lesson date and confirm that no further payments will be taken by us.
We are unable to refunds/credits for missed lessons including for any illness, injury or holidays as we have a commitment, in advance, to the teacher. Please note, we are unable to offer a swap or a make-up lesson for those missed. Refunds will not be given for lessons missed due to adverse weather conditions in your locality if the venue and environment are accessible and the lessons go ahead.
If a learner suffers a serious illness or injury which affects their participation for more than 4 weeks (such as a broken bone or prolonged hospitalisation) you can request to place payments on hold and we will remove you from lessons until you are able to return. We are unable to guarantee a space back in your previous class but we will endeavour to offer you a suitable class upon your return.
This must be communicated to us via email to info@wildfishswimschool.com prior to the first absence.
On occasion, it may take new swimmers a few lessons to settle into the programme. If after 3 lessons, The Company feels that it is in the swimmer’s interests to terminate the course at the current time, the remainder of the course fees will be refunded.
Cancellation by us
Classes may be cancelled at short notice if the pool is not fit for teaching purposes.
In the unfortunate event we have to cancel a lesson, we will notify you as soon as possible via the method that we believe is most appropriate to ensure you have received the message in a timely manner. We will then credit you for the cost of that lesson which will be held on the swimmer account and deducted from the next payment due. Refunds will only be offered if the cancellation falls within your notice period.
If we determine that there is insufficient support for a course, we have the right to cancel, suspend or postpone the course. We shall give you as much notice as possible of any such cancellation and we will provide you with a full refund of your course fee if no suitable alternative course is found. Our liability for any such cancellation shall be limited to this refund and we shall not be liable for any losses of any kind incurred by you because of such cancellation.
Medical conditions and Illness
You will be asked to declare any existing medical conditions when you book your lessons. Please inform us of any changes to medical conditions, including pregnancy, as soon as you are aware so that reasonable adjustments can be made as necessary.
If you have a contagious illness such as an ear infection, flu, diarrhoea, vomiting, chicken pox, impetigo, conjunctivitis or a bad cold, please wait until your doctor has given the all clear for you to swim. In instances of vomiting or diarrhoea, you must have been clear of the symptoms for 48 hours before attending a session.
People with symptoms of cryptosporidiosis should not use a swimming pool for 14 days after the symptoms have cleared.
You must ensure that you follow Government guidance at all times in relation to covid or any other contagious illnesses or diseases. If you are advised not to attend swimming lessons or public spaces by the Government or The Company you must not attend.
People with athletes foot are not allowed in the swimming pool or surrounding area unless their feet are suitably covered.
Verrucae socks must be worn if a person is suffering from verrucae(s).
If you are ill, please inform us at the earliest opportunity so that we can notify the teacher.
In case of illness or injury, if you are not present, by agreeing to these T&C’s you authorise and desire medical care for your child at the discretion of the attending First Aider and/ or competent medical authorities.
Swimming Teachers
We are not able to guarantee a particular swimming teacher for a course, lesson, or session and teachers may be changed on a temporary or permanent basis once a course has started. We deliver the Swim England framework, and all our swimming teachers have visibility of progress by each learner and their medical needs.
When teaching swimming lessons in the water, swimming teachers do need to ‘handle’ the swimmer for the purposes of supporting them in the water for safety or to assist body position. By agreeing to these T&C’s your permission is assumed for this to take place. If you have any concerns, please let us know immediately.
We welcome feedback and if you have any questions/concerns about a class, please let us know immediately by seeking the Poolside Manager on duty or alternatively email us at info@wildfishswimschool.com at the earliest opportunity. Please do not approach the teacher whilst lessons are in progress.
Photography & Recording
You may not take photographs or video recordings during lessons unless this has been pre-agreed with The Company. In addition, consent from everyone who is in the photo or video is required.
We reserve the right to ask for any photos and videos taken to be deleted. Under no circumstances will photography be permitted in the changing facilities or toilet areas of the pools.
The use of mobile phones on the poolside is strictly prohibited. If you need to take or make a phone call please do so off poolside.
General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR)
The information provided by you to us will only be used for the purposes of processing and administering the swim school. The information you provide us (name, contact details, medical conditions etc.) is held securely and only accessible to those who need access to it.
Some information will be transferred to third parties to allow us to process your booking and communicate with you. This includes but is not limited to the companies who we use to send text messages, emails and to process our electronic payments.
By providing the information to us, you:
- Give permission for the personal and contact information to be held by The Company for use where necessary to contact you and oversee your safe attendance at The Company.
- Give permission for your contact email address and or mobile phone number to be used to provide all necessary information for future events, promotions and advertisement purposes relating to The Company.
- Agree to update The Company should any of the contact or medical information you have provided change and needs updating.
- Understand that The Company will retain my information until your ‘membership’ has elapsed for one calendar year.
The processing and storage of all data is entirely optional to all parents, guardians and swimmers, however, without the consent for us to store and process the information we will be unable to accept you in to our swim school.
Please let us know if you would like your data permanently deleted from The Company records at any time.
General Responsibilities
Parents or guardians are responsible for children that they bring to lessons from arrival on site, supervision in the changing rooms and in any part of the facility.
You must not leave the pool area whilst your child is in the pool. In the event that your child needs to go to the toilet during a lesson, the teacher will ask you to supervise them. Children over the age of 8 years of age may be deemed suitable to use the changing rooms and toilets unsupervised.
When using the changing areas, children under the age of 8 should use the changing room relevant to the adult who is accompanying them. Children over the age of 8 can change without an adult and should use the changing room appropriate for themselves. Other accessible changing areas can be made available for those who would like to do so.
It is the parents or guardians responsibility to ensure that children are collected promptly at the end of your childs swimming lesson.
The Company will not accept liability for loss or damage to any personal belongings brought by a swimmer to any session. You are therefore requested to ensure that no valuable items are brought to the swimming lessons.
Given the inherent dangers associated with swimming, In the event that you or anyone associated with you refuse to obey an instruction from a member of staff or behave in an unacceptable manner towards a member of the team or any other person or causing damage to property, you and or the swimmer will not be permitted to continue with the swimming lessons.
Whilst you are at the venue, we ask you to respect all property. All access to any site and any surroundings will be at your own risk. Any other facilities that may be available at venues we hire are only available to be used by authorised people of the property owner and must be used in accordance with their rules.
Swimmers must not enter the water until instructed to do so by the swimming teacher.
You are responsible for your child until the start of the lesson and you must collect your child, promptly, at the end of the lesson.
Please refrain from communicating with or distracting the teacher or lifeguard during lessons.
Children who are not participating, must be supervised at all times.
Children must not be fed for 1 hour before their lesson (45 mins for milk/fluids).
If your child is not toilet trained, please ensure that they wear a suitable nappy under their swimming costume. Please take all your used nappies away with you. Please do not dispose of them in an open bin on the premises. Depending on which site you swim at, please encourage children to shower and use the toilet before their lesson starts.
Long hair must be tied back, or a swim cap must be worn.
Goggles may be used but we reserve the right to remove them if they are hindering the swimmer or class.
Jewellery including earrings should be removed prior to the lesson.
Outdoor Shoes must be removed before going on poolside (or overshoes or appropriate indoor footwear such as sliders/flip flops must be worn).
Buggies must not be taken onto poolside.
Glass items, crockery and other such items must not be taken onto poolside or changing areas.
There is a no smoking policy on site (including vapes) and the consumption of alcohol is not permitted.
Dogs are not permitted on the premises nor in the grounds of any location.
Additional Information for Lessons at Watford Swim School (Stud Green)
Please note that if you are have paid via instalments you must make all payments for the term. Instalments is a method to allow customers to pay smaller amounts for the whole term and is not for payment of a shorter period of time.
Bookings are non-transferable.
Payment deadlines will be communicated to you in advance for weekly lessons and provided that payments are received by the payment deadline, the space will be held to allow current swimmers to rebook.
Prior to the end of a course, we will send an email to the address on our system offering you the chance to re-enrol for the next course within a specified time-limit and setting out the fee for the course.
After the priority (existing customers) payment date, we will fill the lessons with other swimmers. If you fail to pay on time and your space has gone, and you wish to continue, we will try to find you a suitable alternative. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to find you a suitable class, so please make sure you pay on time.
You must not leave the premises whilst your child is in the pool. If your child is in a one to one lesson with a teacher in the swimming pool and the teacher is ‘lone working’ we require you to stay on poolside or a suitable place where you can see the swimming pool at all times to maintain parental supervision of your child.
The Company will advise you if your child has reached a stage where they are too old or too advanced for our lessons due to the length of the pool and sign post you to another one of our locations.
Please be aware that our lessons usually run with two teachers working alongside each other running their own separate lessons.
When parking your car, please respect our neighbour’s rights of access. You are welcome to park your car on the driveway of number 12 Stud Green, if a space is available.
In the event of an emergency, please use the emergency phone and push button provided on poolside to summon help.
Shoes must be removed before entering the building and buggies must be kept outside and not brought onto poolside or in the changing rooms.
Swimmers must leave the pool as soon as the lesson has finished and should leave in an orderly manner. Please remember this is a residential area.
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