Policies - Harefield Gymnastics Academy

Club Policies & Important Information

At Harefield Gymnastics Academy, the safety, wellbeing and enjoyment of our gymnasts are our top priorities. We are committed to providing a positive, inclusive and supportive environment where every gymnast can develop their skills, confidence and enjoyment of gymnastics.

As a British Gymnastics registered club, we follow the relevant safeguarding, health and safety guidance and expect all members, parents, coaches and visitors to support the standards set out in our policies.

Please take the time to read the following information carefully. By registering with the club, parents and guardians agree to support and follow these policies.

1. Membership & Fees

Class Registration and Payment

Gymnastics places are offered on a termly basis.
Full payment is required to secure a place for the term. A place is not confirmed until payment has been received.
Invoices must be paid by the stated deadline to ensure your gymnast’s place is retained.
Term fees are calculated based on reserving a place within a class, rather than the number of sessions attended.
The club commits to coaching, venue hire, equipment and other operational costs in advance to provide each gymnast with their place.

Refunds and Missed Sessions

Once payment has been made to secure a place, fees are non-refundable, including where a gymnast withdraws before the start of term.

No refunds, transfers or carry-forwards are offered for sessions missed due to illness, injury, holidays or personal circumstances.

This policy allows the club to plan staffing, facilities and class capacity in advance and maintain the provision of sessions for all members.

2. British Gymnastics Membership

All gymnasts attending Harefield Gymnastics Academy must hold an active British Gymnastics membership.

British Gymnastics membership is separate from club fees and must be purchased or renewed directly through British Gymnastics.
Membership must be active before a gymnast attends their first session and must remain active throughout their time at the club.
Parents and guardians are responsible for ensuring their child’s membership is kept up to date.
The club may check membership status and will not be able to allow a gymnast to participate if their membership is inactive or incomplete.

British Gymnastics membership provides the appropriate governing body membership and insurance arrangements for participation in gymnastics.

3. Class Attendance & Missed Sessions

Regular attendance is encouraged to support each gymnast’s development, confidence and progression.

Please notify the club if your child is unable to attend a session.
Gymnasts should arrive promptly and be ready to participate at the start of their class.
Parents and guardians should ensure their child is collected promptly at the end of the session.
Missed sessions cannot be refunded, transferred to another class or carried forward to a future term, regardless of the reason for absence.

If the club is required to cancel a session due to circumstances outside its control, such as venue closure or extreme weather, parents and guardians will be informed of any arrangements.

4. Class Transfers & Moving Groups

Gymnasts are placed in groups according to their age, ability, experience and developmental needs.

Group placements are determined by the coaching team.
Progression to another group is based on a gymnast’s skills, readiness and overall development, rather than age or time spent at the club alone.
Transfers are subject to coach recommendation and available space.
Requests to change classes will be considered but cannot be guaranteed.

The coaching team’s decisions are made with the safety, development and best interests of each gymnast in mind.

5. Squad Gymnastics

Squad training involves a greater commitment in terms of attendance, training hours and ongoing development.

Squad places are offered at the discretion of the coaching team.
Squad fees are collected monthly by automatic payment.
One month’s written notice is required when leaving a squad.
Fees remain payable throughout the notice period, regardless of attendance.
Part-month refunds are not available.
Gymnasts and parents are expected to follow the relevant squad codes of conduct and behaviour policies.

Squad gymnasts are expected to demonstrate commitment, respect, good sportsmanship and a positive attitude towards their training and fellow gymnasts.

6. Safeguarding & Welfare

The safety and wellbeing of every gymnast is extremely important to us. All coaches and volunteers are committed to creating a safe, respectful and positive environment.

We follow British Gymnastics safeguarding guidance and ensure appropriate procedures are in place to protect all members.

Our Welfare Officers, Anita Bedwell and Nicola Burrows, are available to support gymnasts and families with any safeguarding or welfare concerns.

For welfare-related queries or concerns, please contact our Welfare Team directly at [email protected].

7. Club Behaviour & Conduct

We expect all gymnasts, parents, guardians and visitors to behave respectfully and help maintain a positive environment within the club.

Gymnasts are expected to:

Listen to and follow coaches’ instructions.
Treat coaches, fellow gymnasts and visitors with respect.
Use appropriate language and demonstrate good sportsmanship.
Take care of club equipment and facilities.
Behave safely and considerately at all times.

Parents and guardians are expected to:

Treat coaches, volunteers, other parents and gymnasts with courtesy and respect.
Communicate any concerns appropriately and through the correct channels.
Support the coaching team and respect decisions relating to group placements, training and progression.
Refrain from approaching coaches during sessions in a way that disrupts coaching or supervision.

Bullying, discrimination, intimidation, aggressive behaviour or abusive language will not be tolerated. The club reserves the right to take appropriate action where behaviour falls below the expected standards.

8. Health, Safety & Drop-Off Policy

The safety of our gymnasts is a shared responsibility. Parents and guardians must ensure that children arrive safely and are collected promptly at the end of their session.

Arrival and Collection

Gymnasts should arrive ready for their session and should not enter the gym or training area until instructed to do so.
Parents and guardians are responsible for ensuring their child is safely dropped off and collected.
Please inform the club if someone other than the usual parent or guardian will be collecting your child.

Parent Viewing Policy

Parents and spectators are not permitted inside the gym or training area during normal classes. This allows coaches to maintain appropriate supervision, minimise distractions and ensure the safety of all gymnasts.

Opportunities to watch sessions may be arranged during designated Watching Weeks or specific club events.

Session Requirements & Personal Safety

To help keep all gymnasts safe and ready to participate, the following requirements must be followed:

Gymnasts must wear suitable, comfortable clothing that allows them to move freely.
Long hair must be tied securely back.
All jewellery should be removed before participating wherever possible.
Any earrings that cannot be removed must be securely taped over before arriving for the session.
Coaches are unable to tape earrings for gymnasts. This must be done by a parent or guardian before the session begins. Gymnasts will not be permitted to participate until this has been done.
Gymnasts should bring a named water bottle to each session.
Food, chewing gum and sweets are not permitted in the gym.
Personal belongings should be kept safely and must not create an obstruction or hazard.

The club cannot accept responsibility for personal belongings brought to sessions.

Medical Information & Injuries

Parents and guardians must inform the club of any relevant medical conditions, injuries or changes to their child’s health that may affect their safe participation. This includes injuries sustained outside gymnastics.

Where a gymnast has been injured or unwell, parents and guardians should follow appropriate medical advice and inform the coaching team of any restrictions or recommendations.

Where necessary, the club may request confirmation that a gymnast is safe to return to training. Returning to class does not automatically mean a gymnast can resume all activities. Coaches may adapt or restrict participation where reasonably possible, taking into account the nature of the injury, the gymnast’s needs and the facilities and supervision available.

The club reserves the right to restrict participation or ask a gymnast to sit out if there are concerns about their safety or ability to take part safely.

9. Photography & Videos

From time to time, photographs and videos may be taken during classes, events or performances for club records, promotional material, the club website and social media.

Parents and guardians are asked to provide their photography and media consent preferences during registration.
The club will respect the consent preferences recorded for each gymnast.
Parents and visitors must not take photographs or videos during sessions unless expressly permitted by the club.

Any concerns regarding photography or the use of images should be directed to the club.

10. Data Protection & Privacy

Harefield Gymnastics Academy takes the privacy and protection of personal information seriously.

Personal information is collected and used for legitimate club purposes, including membership administration, communication with parents and guardians, class management, safeguarding and the safe delivery of activities.

Information is handled in accordance with applicable data protection legislation and our Privacy Policy.

For further information about how personal data is collected, stored and used, please refer to the club’s Privacy Policy.

11. Complaints & Feedback

We welcome feedback and aim to resolve concerns constructively and appropriately.

If you have a concern or complaint, please contact the club through the appropriate communication channel so that it can be considered by the relevant member of the team.

Where a concern relates to safeguarding or welfare, please contact the Welfare Team directly at [email protected].

Please refer to the club’s Compliment & Complaint Procedure for further information about how concerns are handled.

12. Club Policy Documents

The following documents provide further information about the standards and procedures followed at Harefield Gymnastics Academy. Parents and guardians are encouraged to familiarise themselves with the documents relevant to their child’s participation.

Please click the links below to view our full club policies and procedures:

Safeguarding

Child Protection Policy

Conduct & Expectations

Feedback & Complaints

Compliment & Complaint Procedure

Health & Safety

Data Protection

Contact Us

For general enquiries, class administration, fees and membership queries, please contact:

Harefield Gymnastics Academy
Email: [email protected]

For safeguarding and welfare concerns, please contact our Welfare Team:

Welfare Team
Email: [email protected]

We appreciate the support and cooperation of all our members and families in helping us maintain a safe, welcoming and positive club environment.

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