The terms set out below are our standard terms and conditions.

1) The Terms and Conditions apply to students who book directly with the school. If you book through a representative, the representative's Terms and Conditions may apply.

2) If we accept your enrolment, your £400.00 deposit is usually non-refundable, however, if you enrol online, directly in person or by telephone, you are entitled to a ‘cooling off period’ of 14 days with the right to free cancellation. If you start your course within these 14 days, we can charge a reasonable sum for services based on the proportion of the course undertaken. Please note there may be some exceptions to this, for example if your visa or sponsorship is refused. We will look at this on a case-by-case basis.

3) All fees should be paid in full no later than two weeks before your course start date.

4) ELC Bristol reserves the right to refuse an enrolment.

5) ELC Bristol is not liable for loss of tuition or other services caused by factors outside of our control (natural events e.g. flooding, storms, earthquake or pandemics). Refunds in this instance will not be made.

6) If you wish to postpone your course for any reason, for example, if you need a visa and are still waiting for the visa to be issued, you must let us know at least 1 full week before you are due to arrive, otherwise you will have to pay for one week of accommodation to cover the notice period (if you have booked accommodation through the school).

7) Refunds will be made within 90 days and are only paid back to the issuing account and not necessarily to the student.

8) If you need a visa and your visa application is refused, we will refund your fees, less the deposit, once we have received a copy of the visa rejection letter.

9) If, for any reason, you have to stop your course early, your tuition fees are non-refundable. Please see our cancellation and refunds policy and procedures.

10) If you wish to change or leave your accommodation, the school will refund your accommodation fees in full provided you give at least 2 full weeks’ notice, except during the first 4 weeks of your stay when only 1 week’s notice is necessary. Changes should always take place at weekends.

11) Visa students please note that if you do not have the correct visa to allow you to study or you lose your right to remain in the UK, then any contract you have with the school will be void.

12) We reserve the right to ask you to leave the school without refunding tuition fees in the event of misconduct, criminal behaviour or serious attendance problems. The school also has school rules which we expect you to follow.

13) Unacceptable behaviour in school accommodation may result in students being asked to leave - we cannot guarantee that we will be able to find suitable, alternative accommodation.

14) At ELC Bristol Ltd we take data protection and the privacy rights of our students extremely seriously and we comply with the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulations). Our Privacy Policy for Student Information sets out the basis on which any student information will be collected, stored and shared by ELC Bristol Ltd.

15) At ELC we always encourage you to tell us how you feel and if you have any problems or suggestions. Please click here to see our Complaints and Suggestions procedure.

16) Student emergency support
Accredited English language centres close down rarely, but if they do it can be traumatic for students. ELC Bristol is a member of English UK and member centres are automatically covered by English UK's 'Student Emergency Support' scheme which minimises the impact on students. The scheme provides emergency assistance to students affected by the closure of an accredited centre. English UK will try to help students under the following circumstances, but cannot guarantee to do so in all cases:
Where students whose booked start dates are more than two weeks after the school has closed, English UK will endeavour to find a new centre for them so they can complete their courses at no extra cost. Where students have paid for accommodation through the school, English UK will endeavour to provide limited financial assistance if the school closes unexpectedly. As per the English UK rules, the support scheme does not provide reimbursement of tuition fees to the students or to receiving centres. English UK, its members and other British Council accredited centres cooperate to place all students affected by a closure on the nearest equivalent type of course and level, and by placing students at an alternative centre, their obligations are fulfilled.
For full details see here.

Cancellation & Refunds Policy

If you have to stop your course early, please read these rules and then complete the Cancellation & Refunds form which you will find in your school file. Please give the completed form to the office.

Please don’t ask us to make an exception to the rules. What we agree to for one person, we must agree to for everyone.

These terms and conditions apply to students who book directly with the school. If you book through an Educational Tour Operator, their terms and conditions may apply.

• If we accept your enrolment, your £400.00 deposit is usually non-refundable; however, if you enrol online or by telephone, you are entitled to a ‘cooling off’ period of 14 days with the right to free cancellation. If you start your course within these 14 days, we can charge a reasonable sum for services based on the proportion of the course undertaken. Please note there may be some exceptions to this, for example if your visa or sponsorship is refused. We will look at this on a case-by-case basis.
• If you wish to postpone your course for any reason, for example, if you need a visa and are still waiting for the visa to be issued, you must let us know at least 1 full week before you are due to arrive, otherwise you will have to pay for one week of accommodation to cover the notice period (if you have booked accommodation through the school).
• If you need a visa and you have your visa application refused, we will refund your fees once we have received a copy of the visa rejection letter.
• If, for any reason, you have to stop your course early, your tuition fees are non-refundable.
• ELC Bristol is not liable for loss of tuition or other services caused by factors outside of our control (natural events e.g. flooding, storms, earthquake or pandemics). Refunds in this instance will not be made
• If you wish to change or leave your accommodation, the school will refund your accommodation fees in full provided you give at least 2 full weeks’ notice except during the first 4 weeks of your stay when only 1 week’s notice is necessary. Changes should always take place at weekends.
• Refunds are only paid back to the issuing account (and not necessarily to the student).

Insurance

ELC Bristol cannot organise your insurance. We strongly recommend that you take out Travel Insurance before you come to the UK. Insurance should cover the loss of your fees and flights in case of cancellation or curtailment (shortening your course), medical expenses, personal injury, personal liability, overseas legal expenses and the loss of personal belongings and money.

School Rules

English

Speak in English all the time. Do not use your own language. Using your own language is not polite and it will not help you improve your English!

Punctuality

Please be on time for your lessons. If you are late, you waste your time and the time of the other students in the class. If you arrive more than 5 minutes late, your teacher has been instructed to send you to the Vice-Principal or Director of Studies, who will then decide if you can join your class. For more information, see our ‘Lateness Policy’.

Attendance

If you are sick and cannot come to school, you must text the Academic Director or Director of Studies on this number to let us know:

+447562648412

Text your name, your teacher’s name and what is wrong with you.

• If you are sick for more than 5 days, you must get a doctor’s note.
• If you arrange something and you know you will miss a lesson, please tell your teacher in advance.
• If you are absent and you do not contact us, we will try to contact you.
• If we cannot reach you, we may call your emergency contact number.
• If you miss lessons, your teacher will expect you to catch up in the self-study time.
• If you come to less than 85% of the lessons, your leaving certificate will not say that you successfully completed the course and will show your final attendance percentage.
• If you are under 18, you need to sign your name in the under 18s file every morning before your first lesson.

Abusive Behaviour/Respect

Respect each other and your teacher. The school will not tolerate any form of bullying, racism, aggressive or abusive behaviour. Report any such behaviour to the Principal or Director. See our ‘Bullying and Harassment policy’ for more information.

Mobile Phones

Mobile phones ringing during lessons disturb everyone. If you have a mobile phone, make sure it is switched off and placed in your pocket or bag before you go into class and please no ‘texting’ or checking Facebook during class time! Please don’t leave the class to take or make a call, except in an emergency.

Drinks/Food

No food or drinks in the multimedia centre. Only drink water in the classrooms.

Multimedia Centre

Quiet zone! No ‘chatting’ - especially after school (15.30 – 17.30).

E-Safety

You must follow ELC’s e-safety policy for safe use of the internet.

Smoking/Alcohol

No smoking (includes e-cigarettes/vapes) in school or within 3 metres of the front doors. Please note: you have to be 18 to buy cigarettes or alcohol in the UK and it’s illegal to buy them for U 18s.

Drugs

Absolutely no drugs ever. Drugs are illegal. Zero tolerance. You will be asked to leave the school immediately and your tuition fees will not be refunded.

Dress Code

Please dress appropriately for a multicultural environment.

Appropriate Behaviour

Remember that there are children around the campus and you must behave appropriately at all times.
ELC students must not exchange any personal information or details with any pupil at Clifton College and they must ensure they do not form any personal relationships with Clifton College pupils.

Please Note

We reserve the right to ask you to leave the school without refunding tuition fees in the event of misconduct, criminal behaviour or serious attendance problems. The school also has school rules which we expect you to follow.

Please note you are not allowed to enter any part of Clifton College apart from the gym, sports hall and swimming pool.

Unacceptable behaviour in school accommodation may result in students being asked to leave - we cannot guarantee that we will be able to find suitable, alternative accommodation.

The school has a ‘disciplinary policy for students’ in place and reserves the right to ask a student to leave the school in all serious cases. In the case of a student under 18 years of age, arrangements will be made for them to return home.

Complaints & Suggestions Policy

We hope to avoid complaints by having regular student interviews and by acting quickly to solve any problems that you may have with your accommodation, our staff or the school in general. If you are unhappy about something, we would really like to know about it and will do all that we can to resolve the issue quickly.

Who should I speak to?

If you have a problem with your class, please talk to your main teacher or to the Vice-Principal or Director of Studies.

If you have a problem with your accommodation, please speak to the Principal or one of the Accommodation team.

If you prefer, you can always speak to your class rep, who will pass your feedback onto the Principal or Director (anonymously or otherwise).

If you cannot solve your problem or if you have any other sort of problem, or if you would like to make a formal complaint, please speak to the Principal or Director at any time. If you cannot find a solution, you can write to English UK, the national association of accredited English language centres. For details of the English UK complaints procedure, please visit https://www.englishuk.com/en/students/complaints-procedure

Please do not leave it until the end of your course to tell us about any problems, we want to know as soon as possible so that we can try to help.

Suggestions

There is a ‘suggestion box’ in the entrance hall. If you have a suggestion, please just tell us. However, if you want to remain anonymous, please write it down and put it in the suggestions box. We regularly check this and your suggestions are always greatly appreciated!

You will also have the opportunity to tell us what you think on the feedback forms which we ask you to complete at the end of your first week, mid-way through your course (depending on the length of your stay) and at the end of your course.