We reserve the right to cancel or change the date of a course, class, taster sessions or workshop where necessary or it is impractical for the event to run. By booking on any of our courses, workshops, taster sessions or classes you agree to abide by our Terms & Conditions. We reserve the right to make amendments to the class tutor or content without notice. It is your responsibility to inform us in advance of any allergies or special requirements.
Payments
Taster sessions, workshops and courses
All payments should be made in full at the time of booking. We can not confirm your place until we receive full payment.
Classes and drop in sessions
Blocks of monthly classes can be purchased on the website or at the studio on the first session of the month. Drop in sessions can be booked on the website in advance or on the day. Full payment is required for blocks of classes upon booking unless otherwise agreed. Please check prices and availability on our booking page.
Cancellations by you – Classes
Classes are booked in blocks of 4 sessions for a monthly period. We ask that you aim to attend the class sessions as booked. However, if you cannot attend for a serious reason please contact us to see if it possible to visit a different session that month. Missed classes cannot be redeemed outside the month of the booking and are non-refundable.
Cancellations by you – Taster sessions, courses and workshops
If you cancel within five working days of a booked session the session will still be charged at the full fee.
Cancellations with prior notice of two weeks or less (but more than five working days) from the session date will mean that the session will be transferred up to the same value (subject to availability), but that no refund will be offered. A fee of £5 will be charged to cover our administration costs for doing so.
Cancellation by you with prior notice of more than two weeks from the session date will mean that you will receive a full refund. A fee of £5 will be charged to cover our administration costs to process the refund.
Cancellations by us – Classes, taster sessions, courses and workshops
We reserve the right to cancel or make changes to any courses, classes, workshops or one-off sessions.
If we cancel your course or session for any reason we will do our best to organise an alternative date within a reasonable period of time. If this is not possible, or you are unable to attend an alternative date, we will refund the full purchase price.
Gift vouchers
Refunds are not available on gift voucher purchases nor can these be exchanged for cash. Gift vouchers are transferable, so if you are unable to make your course, you may contact us to discuss an alternative.
Our vouchers must be redeemed for workshops, courses or taster sessions that start before the expiry date of the voucher (12 calendar months). Should you wish to extend the expiry date of your gift voucher for a further three months, 10% of the voucher’s full value will be charged, or for a further six months, 20% of the voucher’s full value will be charged.
We are not able to redeem gift vouchers if you are not in possession of the original voucher or unique booking code.
Health and safety
Students use the studio at their own risk and must be aware of the inherent hazards of a working pottery studio environment. These risks include the use of sharp tools, exposure to chemicals and high temperatures amongst other things.
All students should wear appropriate clothing and comfortable, flat shoes with non-slip soles and covered toes. Casual clothing is recommended. Long hair must be tied back for wheel work and jewellery and watches are best left at home. Please note that we are not liable for any damage that occurs to clothing or loss of valuables. All of our students will receive a short briefing on health and safety before commencing their session.
We do require that all students read and abide by the terms of our STUDENT CONTRACT.
The Ceramic Studio is a relaxed and friendly environment, but we do need some rules in order for our classes to run efficiently. By attending classes at Belfrey Studio you are agreeing to abide by these rules and our Terms & Conditions.
General housekeeping
Please note the start and end time for your session and be aware that tutors and staff have a short window to ensure that the studio is prepared for the next session.
Ceramics is not an exact science. Results can vary and can be unpredictable.
We take photos/videos of life at the studio as well as of student work. These are often used on social media. If you would rather not be involved in this please let us know.
If you need to miss a session, please contact us and we will do our best to organise a catch-up session. A calendar will be provided with available dates. We are however unable to carry sessions over from one month to the next.
Equipment & workspaces
Please ensure any tools you have used are cleaned and put back where they belong.
Please make sure that you clean your workspace when you have finished your session and leave it how you would like to find it.
Please do not remove any tools, books or other equipment from the studio without prior permission.
Health & safety
- Please wear appropriate clothing, including suitable ‘closed toe’ shoes.
- The first aid can be found by the sink.
- Masks are available for sanding and this should always be done outside or over a bowl of water.
- Please refrain from eating and drinking around the work areas.
- When cleaning the wheels please ensure that they are switched off and slip water is disposed correctly into the allocated drum.
- Always clean with a damp sponge/cloth and do not sweep as clay dust can be bad for your health.
- Please ensure that any sharp tools are stored correctly after use.
- The extruder handle should always be removed after use.
- Always wear a mask if using powered oxides and do not use if you are pregnant (it is important that you inform staff if you are pregnant).
- There is no unauthorised entry to the kiln area.
- The meeting point in the event of an evacuation from the studio is at the rear of the building.
Glazing
If any slips, stains, oxides or glazes are running low please speak to staff. We may well have more elsewhere or we will do our best to replenish as soon as is possible. Always use a tray gloves and apron when glazing.
Check with staff before double-dipping or combining glazes.
Please make sure that the bases of your work are well wiped and free from any glaze.
If student work damages the kiln shelves, due to a glazing error, we will request a contribution to repair or replace the damaged shelf or shelves.
When using glazes, slips and oxides please use the bowl/ bucket in the sink to clean your equipment so clay does not damage our drains.
Fired work
We may refuse to fire work if we consider that this would be a risk to other work and/or our kilns.
Firing fees apply for firing service for work produced outside of the studio or finished/ detailed at home. Please measure your work as instructed and pay fees as per current firing pricelist prior to leaving your work for firing.
Student work
Please be very careful when moving your work or looking for your project. Do not pick up work that doesn’t belong to you.
Any work that has not been bisque fired is extremely delicate and must be handled as such.
Recycled clay
We have different recycling buckets provided for clay (ie bins for soft clay, bins for hard clay, drum for wheel water and slip). Please make sure clay is placed in the correct bin. If hard clay is mixed with soft clay it is very difficult to recycle (please ask if you are not sure).