Music Tuition at School
Tuition Terms & Conditions
Last updated 20th October 2026
These Terms & Conditions explain how Hobley Music School (“HMS”) provides music tuition to pupils in partnership with their school. Please read them before enrolling your child.
1. Lesson provision
For pupils enrolled for the full academic year, HMS provides 34 tuition sessions, subject to the attendance provisions below.
The teaching year runs from September to July. Lessons usually begin in the second week back at school in September, with dates and arrangements agreed with each school.
Tuition sessions may include regular lessons and qualifying tutor-led rehearsals or school performances, as explained in section 2.
The number of sessions delivered each month will vary. School holidays, INSET days and other known closures are taken into account when planning the teaching calendar.
If HMS cannot fulfil a pupil’s agreed entitlement, after allowing for absences that count under these terms, the outstanding sessions will be rearranged or an appropriate credit or refund provided.
2. School performances and rehearsals
Performing is an important part of musical learning. An HMS tutor-led rehearsal, concert or performance taking place in school may replace a regular lesson and count as one of the 34 tuition sessions.
These sessions will form part of the pupil’s tuition programme, and parents will be informed when an event replaces a regular lesson. All pupils whose entitlement is affected will be offered the opportunity to participate.
A rehearsal or performance within the same teaching session will not be counted as an additional lesson.
Please contact HMS if your child has concerns or needs support to participate. We will discuss suitable arrangements, including reasonable adjustments where needed.
Where a suitable opportunity to participate has been provided and a pupil chooses not to take part, the session will normally count as a missed session and will not be replaced or refunded.
3. Individual pupil absence
If a pupil misses a scheduled session because of illness, an appointment, a family holiday or another individual reason, the session will normally:
Be recorded as a pupil absence.
Count towards their agreed tuition entitlement.
Not be rescheduled, credited or refunded.
This applies regardless of how much notice is given, because the tutor’s time remains reserved and teaching is still taking place.
Absences caused by organised school activities are handled separately under section 4.
4. School trips, events and activities
School trips, Bikeability, Christmas activities and similar organised events may affect several pupils’ availability for lessons.
To allow time to review and adjust teaching arrangements, HMS must receive notice at least two working days before the affected lesson.
Working days are Monday to Friday, excluding bank holidays. Notice must be received two working days earlier. For example, notice for a Monday lesson must reach HMS by 5pm on the preceding Thursday, unless a bank holiday requires earlier notice.
Notice should be sent directly to HMS administration in writing. info@hobleymusicschool.co.uk
Informing the school or tutor alone does not guarantee that HMS administration has received it.
Where sufficient notice is received:
HMS will confirm the event and affected pupils with the school.
Teaching times may be adjusted, the tutor’s visit shortened, or the teaching day rearranged.
Affected sessions that cannot take place will be rearranged before the end of the academic year.
If a replacement cannot be provided, an appropriate credit or refund will be issued.
Confirmed arrangements will apply consistently to all pupils affected by the same event, regardless of whether the initial notification came from a parent or the school.
Where less than two working days’ notice is received and teaching remains available, affected pupil absences will normally count towards their tuition entitlement, with no replacement or refund. HMS may agree an exception, which will be applied consistently to the affected pupils.
If HMS cancels sessions for pupils who would otherwise have been available, those sessions will be rearranged or credited. They will not be recorded as pupil absences.
5. Tutor absence and cancelled teaching
If a tutor is absent and HMS cannot provide a suitable replacement tutor, the missed session will not count towards the pupil’s entitlement.
HMS will arrange a replacement session before the end of the academic year or provide an appropriate credit or refund.
Where teaching cannot take place because the school is closed or HMS cannot access the agreed teaching space, HMS will review arrangements with the school. Sessions cancelled in these circumstances will not be treated as individual pupil absences.
6. Tuition fees and payment
For pupils enrolled for the full academic year, tuition fees are spread across 10 monthly instalments, from October to July inclusive.
Payments are collected on the 1st of each month by GoCardless Direct Debit.
September tuition is included in the annual provision, even though the first scheduled instalment is collected in October.
Monthly instalments spread the cost of tuition across the year. They do not purchase a fixed number of lessons in that particular month. Payments therefore remain the same in months containing school holidays or fewer teaching dates.
Where a pupil completes their agreed annual provision before the end of July, the remaining agreed instalments are still payable, subject to any applicable cancellation or refund rights.
Current fees are available on the HMS website and will be confirmed before enrolment.
If a payment fails or becomes overdue, HMS will contact you to arrange payment. Continued non-payment may result in tuition being suspended after written notice. HMS will confirm how this affects future sessions and payments.
Failed payments
If your Direct Debit payment fails, HMS will arrange a retry and email you with the expected collection date. No administration fee will be charged for the first failed attempt.
If the retry also fails, a £6 administration fee will be added to the outstanding balance to contribute towards the additional administration involved. We will email you an updated invoice and instructions for paying directly.
This fee will be applied once per monthly payment that remains unpaid after the retry, rather than for each subsequent reminder. It will not apply where the failed collection was caused by an error on HMS’s part.
7. Joining partway through the year
Pupils joining after the start of the teaching year will receive a confirmed session entitlement based on the remaining planned tuition sessions for their school or group from their agreed start date.
The full-year entitlement of 34 sessions does not automatically apply to pupils joining partway through the year.
Before tuition begins, HMS will confirm:
The pupil’s start date.
Their remaining session entitlement.
The tuition fee, first payment date and remaining payment schedule.
As a general rule:
Pupils starting on or before the 14th of a month are invoiced for that month.
Pupils starting on or after the 15th are first invoiced for the following month.
HMS may agree an adjustment where holidays or other scheduling circumstances affect the starting month. Any variation will be confirmed individually.
All sessions delivered from the agreed start date are recorded and count towards the confirmed entitlement, including any delivered before the first payment.
8. Stopping lessons
To stop your child’s lessons, please complete our lesson cancellation form (click here).
Our monthly billing cut-off is the 25th of each month:
Notice received on or before the 25th: lessons will end on the final day of the current month, and the next month’s payment will not be collected.
Notice received after the 25th: lessons will continue until the final day of the following month, and the following month’s payment will remain payable.
For example, notice received on 25 November means lessons end on 30 November. Notice received on 26 November means lessons end on 31 December, with the December payment still due.
The date you submit the form determines which cut-off applies, even if HMS processes it later. We will confirm your leaving date and any final payment in writing.
Your child may continue attending scheduled sessions until their confirmed leaving date. Absences during the notice period are covered by our usual attendance policy.
Please do not rely on telling the school or tutor, or cancelling your Direct Debit, to end tuition. If you cannot access the form, contact HMS administration directly by email so we can record your notice at info@hobleymusicschool.co.uk
Any outstanding HMS cancellations, credits or refunds will be reviewed when your account is closed. The full-year session entitlement does not continue after an agreed early leaving date.
These arrangements do not affect any applicable statutory cancellation rights.
9. Attendance records and progress through the year
HMS records tuition sessions, pupil absences, school events and cancelled or replacement sessions.
We review delivery during the year to identify outstanding sessions and arrange any necessary catch-up teaching.
Parents may contact HMS to request a summary of their child’s recorded attendance and remaining tuition entitlement.
10. Changes to these terms
The applicable terms and fees will be provided before enrolment.
Any proposed material change affecting existing tuition will be explained in writing, including the reason for the change and its proposed effective date. Changes will not be applied retrospectively.
Where a material change would disadvantage you, HMS will seek your agreement or provide reasonable advance notice and an opportunity to end tuition before the change takes effect without an additional cancellation charge.
11. Questions and statutory rights
Please contact HMS administration with any questions, attendance queries or concerns about tuition or payments.
Nothing in these terms limits your statutory consumer rights. Any applicable statutory cancellation rights take precedence over the normal notice arrangements above.
Details of any applicable cooling-off period and how to exercise it will be provided as part of enrolment.