Terms and Conditions

These Terms and Conditions form the basis of the contract between Trafford Music Service and its customers. Customers are subject to and agree to be bound by these terms and conditions. Trafford Music Service reserves the right to vary these terms and conditions at any time and without advance notice.  

If you have any queries, please get in touch by emailing music.service@trafford.gov.uk or call 0161 911 8659.  

2.1 Students will receive a lesson from an instrumental teacher who will visit the school each week during Trafford Music Service term dates which are stipulated on your music service account (SpeedAdmin) (SpeedAdmin) and on the Trafford Music Service website.    

2.2 School lessons take place during the school day. Parents/carers accept that this will usually result in a student being withdrawn from their normal school classes for the duration of the lesson. Lessons which cannot be accommodated during the school day may have to take place out of school hours, either before school starts or at the end of the day – this will be done in consultation with schools and parents/carers.  

2.3 It may occasionally be necessary to alter lesson times/days in co-ordination with the school. Should it be necessary to change a lesson day and/or if a change of tutor is necessary, we will endeavour to communicate by email to parents/carers. Please ensure email addresses are up to date on the student’s music service account (SpeedAdmin).  

2.4 Primary school lesson timings are arranged by tutors in line with school wishes and may change with no notice within the school day. Tutors will liaise with the school on the day for specific arrangements on pupil collection dependent on circumstances.  

Please note that lesson times displayed on your music service account (SpeedAdmin) may not be correct - the times shown are only put on the system for administration purposes.

2.5 Secondary school children are usually placed on a rota and students are responsible for checking notice boards in their school music department each week for their lesson times. The school music department can help identify this area.   system for administration purposes.   

2.6 Trafford Music Service will deliver lessons during Trafford Music Service term dates as published on the music service website. Please note that some schools have different term dates, and our tutors will only be able to teach on weeks where term dates coincide.   

2.7 Attendance at all sessions is expected. Attendance records are kept for invoicing and record keeping and used as the source of information for any queries about accounts. 

2.8 Group lessons last 20-30 minutes, depending on group size, with a minimum of three students required. Groups of four or more will have 30-minute lessons, while groups of three may have 20-minute lessons. In schools, with reduced student numbers, lesson lengths may be adjusted without notice. Lesson times on your music service account (SpeedAdmin) are for administrative purposes only and may not be accurate. 

If group sizes drop, the following may occur: 

• Groups may be combined if appropriate. 

• If there are two students or fewer, lessons will become 20 minutes for the rest of the term. 

• If group lessons are no longer possible, alternative options (individual/paired lessons or Claremont Music Centre lessons) will be communicated before the next term, with adjusted charges. 

Changes will be reflected in the following term's invoice. 

Absence or Missed Lessons – Schools 

2.9 School organised trip or event,(including SATs, GCSE or A-Level exams):  

• We require 7 days’ written notice from the parent/carer or payer to reschedule a lesson to be emailed to music.service@trafford.gov.uk.  

• In the first instance, we will rearrange the lesson - this may be an alternative day/time/extended lessons or online. If this is not possible, we will issue a credit for the next term or refund. 

• If this required written notice by email is not given, no reschedule or credit will be given. 

• In exceptional circumstances where school events take place at short notice and beyond the control of parents/carers, TMS will seek to re-arrange in the first instance, or credit up to a maximum of 3 lessons per academic year.  

2.10 Lessons in school missed by students due to short term sickness, medical appointments, revision leave, exams, religious holidays, celebration days etc. will not be made up or credited.  

2.11 Long term absence: When 5 or more consecutive lessons are missed in the same term due to illness/injury we will credit a maximum of 5 lessons. A medical certificate may be required. If there are extenuating circumstances which may cause long term absence, please contact Trafford Music Service office to discuss this.    

2.12 Should a tutor be absent we may: 

a) provide a suitable alternative tutor to deliver the lesson, this may be done without notice.  

or  

b) reschedule the lesson - this may be an alternative day/time/extended lessons or online. 

If the above is not possible, we will issue a credit for the next term or refund. 

2.13 In the event of an emergency or closure of a school (full or partial) or the Claremont Music Centre due to an event outside Trafford Music Service’s control (e.g. a pandemic, flooding,heavy snow, or industrial action), provided arrangements can be made in time, lessons may be moved online, or may be rescheduled, including extended lessons. Where this is not possible no credit or refund will be due.   

3.1 Students will receive a lesson from an instrumental teacher at the Claremont Music Centre in Sale during Trafford Music Service term dates which are stipulated on your music service account (SpeedAdmin) and on the Trafford Music Service website.   

3.2 Parents are not permitted within the Claremont Music Centre building during lesson times and parents are not permitted to sit in on lessons.

3.3 Trafford Music Service does not take responsibility for your child until they are signed in at our reception area (refer to our Safeguarding policy for full details). We do not have waiting facilities for parents at The Claremont Music Centre.  

3.4 Group lessons last 20-30 minutes, depending on group size, with a minimum of three students required. Groups of four or more will have 30-minute lessons, while groups of three may have 20-minute lessons. If group sizes drop, the following may occur:

• If group lessons are no longer possible, alternative options (individual/paired lessons or school lessons) will be communicated before the next term, with adjusted charges.

• Changes will be reflected in the following term's invoice.

3.5 Trafford Music Service reserves the right to make changes to lesson days and times, depending on staff availability. Any changes will be communicated with parents/carers. Where changes made by Trafford Music Service are not suitable, parents/carers have the right to withdraw from provision. Refunds will be made for any lessons not received.

3.6 If parents/carers wish to change the day/time of a Claremont Music Centre lesson, please contact the office who will be able to check what lessons are available. Where a change is not possible, please follow discontinue steps.

Absence or Missed Lessons - The Claremont Music Centre

3.7 Claremont Music Centre lessons missed by students due to short term sickness, school trips/activities, revision leave, exams, medical appointments, religious holidays, celebration days etc. will not be made up or credited. 

3.8 Long term absence: When 5 or more consecutive lessons are missed in the same term due to illness/injury we will credit a maximum of 5 lessons. A medical certificate may be required. If there are extenuating circumstances which may cause long term absence, please contact Trafford Music Service office to discuss this.   

3.9 Should a tutor be absent we may:

a) provide a suitable alternative tutor to deliver the lesson, this may be done without notice.

or

b) reschedule the lesson - this may be an alternative day/time/extended lessons or online.

If the above is not possible, we will issue a credit for the next term or refund.

3.10 In the event of an emergency or closure of a school (full or partial) or the Claremont Music Centre due to an event outside Trafford Music Service’s control (e.g. a pandemic, flooding, heavy snow, or industrial action), provided arrangements can be made in time, lessons may be moved online, or may be rescheduled, including extended lessons. Where this is not possible no credit or refund will be due.

4.1 Ensemble fees are a termly subscription, therefore students who stop midway through a term will not receive a refund. The ensemble session dates are arranged according to our concert calendar and can be found on our website.

4.2 If an ensemble leader is absent, we will try to arrange a cover tutor to avoid cancellation, with cancellations only occurring as a last resort. Refunds will only be issued if more than one session is missed in a term, calculated based on the annual cost divided by the total number of planned sessions, (with any discounts taken into account).

4.3 If a child is absent, no credit will be given for rehearsals missed. In the event of long term absence (for 5 weeks or more), up to 50% of a termly subscription will be refunded. A medical certificate may be required. If there are extenuating circumstances which may cause long term absence, please contact Trafford Music Service office to discuss this.   

5.1 School club fees are invoiced termly and per session based on Trafford Music Service term dates. Details of the number of sessions will be communicated in advance.

5.2 Sessions missed by students due to short term sickness, medical appointments, school events/trips, exams, religious holidays, celebration days, will not be refunded. 

5.3 Long term absence: When 5 or more consecutive sessions are missed in the same term due to illness/injury we will credit a maximum of 5 sessions. A medical certificate may be required. If there are extenuating circumstances which may cause long term absence, please contact Trafford Music Service office to discuss this.   

5.4 Should a tutor be absent we may provide a suitable alternative tutor to deliver the session, this may be done without notice. If this is not possible, we will issue a credit for the next term or refund.

5.5 Please ensure your child is collected promptly from each session. Trafford Music Service tutors will wait for 5 minutes before taking uncollected children to the school office or out of school provision.

6.1 When needed, music books may be required to be purchased by parents/carers. The teacher will advise which books are needed for you to purchase independently.   

6.2 Other costs you may incur include: 

• Reeds for clarinets, saxophones, oboes, and bassoons as well as cleaning cloths for woodwind instruments. 

• Strings and rosin for string instruments.  

• Valve oil and/or slide cream for brass instruments. 

• Beaters/sticks for percussion instruments 

• Practise record book – for tutors to write in practise notes for pupils  

6.3 When hiring a Trafford Music Service instrument, it may be recommended to purchase an ‘instrument care pack’ for the instrument at an additional cost. The charge is only applicable on initial hire, subsequent packs/items can be bought as the need arises from The Claremont Music Centre. Please see the Musical Instrument Hire section for additional information.  

7.1 Students are expected to behave in a responsible and courteous manner at all times, and to attend lessons regularly.

7.2 Poor attendance, disruptive or anti-social behaviour by either the student or by the parent/carer, may result in tuition being withdrawn. No credits will be given in such circumstances. We will endeavour in the first case to discuss and resolve all issues first. 

8.1 Trafford Music Service does not accept liability for loss or damage to students’ instruments or possessions.

8.2 Instruments that are hired from Trafford Music Service, including while in use at the Claremont Music Centre, are the responsibility of the hirer.

8.3 Damage sustained while the instrument is under loan will be the responsibility of the hirer, unless said damage is caused by Trafford Music Service staff.

Please refer to Musical Instrument Hire Policy.

9.1 Invoices for all provision will be issued prior to the start of each term via email from music.service@trafford.gov.uk (please ensure this email address is not filtered into a spam folder). 

9.2 Invoices must be paid in advance of services commencing. Our pre-arranged termly invoices typically allow seven days from invoice for payment. Lessons may begin before the invoice due date, but failure to make payment for these lessons will result in the immediate cancellation of tuition and you will still be liable for the cost of tuition already received.  

9.3 Invoices are typically sent out six weeks in advance of the start of a term. This allows us to timetable and answer queries prior to the start of term and give notice to tutors where workload has decreased.   

Students joining mid-term will be invoiced in advance for the remaining lessons of that term, with subsequent invoices issued in advance for each following term. 

9.4 Payment plans are available to all payers to spread out the cost across the term. Plans can be arranged to divide each termly fee into three amounts payable across the term. The first instalment payment must be paid in advance of services commencing. Please contact our office team for more information, email music.service@trafford.gov.uk or call 0161 911 8659. 

9.5 Trafford Music Service also have a fee remission policy providing reduced fees for families who are qualify. This policy can be found here: Policies — Trafford Music Service 

9.6 We accept the following payments:    

• Online via your Trafford Music Service music service account (SpeedAdmin). Should you forget your log-in at any time please email music.service@trafford.gov.uk and we can send you a link to renew your password.  

• Credit card / prepaid bank card – please note there will not be a charge for this transaction.   

• Schools and Trafford Music Service tutors are not authorised to accept payment.  

9.7 If payment is not made by the due date, a reminder will be sent. Failure to respond will be considered a breach of the agreement, and provision will be discontinued. We are not responsible for any disruption caused by late payment and lesson slots will not be kept available. If you have payment issues, please contact us.  

9.8 In the case of late payment, if lessons are able to resume, any lessons missed due to the late payment will not be made up or credited and the amount will be charged. 

9.9 In the case of late payment, we reserve the right to withdraw lesson provision or amend lesson times / lesson types. 

9.10 Any price increases will be communicated to you in advance and prices can be found on our website.

10.1 Trafford Music Service assumes your child will continue lessons through the academic year unless we receive written notice from you to cancel, including if your child changes schools. Please email music.service@trafford.gov.uk to notify us; verbal notice is not accepted. 

10.2 A minimum of 6 weeks' notice is required before a new term to discontinue lessons. No refunds or credits will be given for mid-term withdrawals, as lesson fees are termly and non-refundable. For example, if your child stops after 7 lessons, no refund will be issued for the remaining sessions in the term.  

10.3 For Theory Lessons, students may be ready for their Grade 5 exam at different times. Once parents notify us that a tutor has recommended the student is ready to sit their exam, we will refund any prepaid lessons that are no longer required. 

11.1 Re-registration for lessons and ensembles is required every year in the summer term.

11.2 Your child will not automatically be re-signed up for the following academic year. 

11.3 You will receive an email with the information about how to re-register for activities for the next school year in May. 

All Trafford Music Service staff have enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service checks.  

Activities at the Claremont Music Centre:    

• Trafford Music Service only takes responsibility for children once they are inside The Claremont Centre.

• Music Centre and signed in at reception. Primary aged students and those students who are not permitted to leave the building without an adult should be accompanied to the sign in desk. 

• For safeguarding protection, we do not allow parents to wait for students inside our main building.  

• All staff working at The Claremont Music Centre will be wearing ID badges.  

• All staff working at The Claremont Music Centre have been DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checked.  

• All staff will have completed annual Child Safeguarding and Prevent training.  

• Trafford Music Service conducts fire drills to ensure children’s safety in the event of an emergency.  

A full copy of our Safeguarding Policy can be found within policies section on our website. Policies — Trafford Music Service 

13.1 Trafford Music Service communicates primarily via email. Please ensure your contact details are up to date on your online account. 

13.2 For urgent updates, such as lesson changes, we may send SMS messages. These are sent from our internal system, and replies cannot be received. 

13.3 For any questions about your child’s activities, please contact the Music Service office directly at music.service@trafford.gov.uk. Schools and tutors are not authorised to make decisions or changes regarding lessons or invoices. 

13.4 TMS tutors are only permitted to communicate via the Study Planner, office phones, or official trafford.gov.uk emails. Do not contact TMS tutors via their personal emails, phone numbers, or social media. Tutors are not permitted to share their personal contact details or social media with parents/carers or students. 

Email: music.service@trafford.gov.uk  

Phone: 0161 911 8659 (please note at certain times of the year these lines may be extremely busy)  

Post: Trafford Music Service, The Claremont Music Centre, Claremont Road, Sale M33 7DZ    

Privacy Notice: For full information on how we collect, store, and use data please see our Privacy Notice.  

You are more than welcome to contact Trafford Music Service if you would like to discuss any aspect of your child’s musical learning. 

Availability & Requests:  

• Instrument hire is subject to availability.  

• Requests should be made promptly after lessons are confirmed to ensure a suitable instrument is sourced.  

• Late or missed requests may lead to lessons being affected (and will not be credited). 

• For students who do not partake in Trafford Music Service activities, they will be subject to a separate hire fee at a higher rate. Priority is given to students currently attending lessons or ensembles. 

Registration:  

• All instrument hires are registered electronically through your online music service account (SpeedAdmin).  

• The hirer must sign an agreement accepting responsibility for loss or damage as per the Terms and Conditions. 

• A form must be signed upon collection of the instrument. This form will be kept on record and a copy can be provided on request. 

Invoicing & Charges:  

• Hire fees will be invoiced in advance of each term, with payment due within 7 days. The hire period includes the start of the term until the end of the corresponding holiday.  

• Instruments must be returned within 1 week of the hire period ending; failure to do so may result in additional charges. Trafford Music Service reserves the right to charge a full term of hire if this deadline is not met. 

• The instrument should be returned in the same condition as recorded on issue. The instrument will then be inspected upon return for damage not in line with expected use. 

• Any price changes will be communicated to you in advance. 

Incidental Costs:  

• Hirers are responsible for costs like replacement strings, reeds, valve oil, and other consumables such as replacement strings and rosin (string instruments), reeds and cork grease (woodwind instruments), valve oil and slide cream (brass instruments), and beaters/sticks (percussion instruments). 

• When hiring a Trafford Music Service instrument, it is recommended to purchase an ‘instrument care pack’ for the instrument at an additional cost. The care pack can be purchased on initial hire, however subsequent packs/items can be bought as the need arises from The Claremont Music Centre 

Insurance:  

• Hirers are liable to reimburse Trafford Music Service for any loss or damage during the hire period. 

• It is highly recommended that hirer acquire adequate insurance cover for the instrument for the duration of the hire period (in most cases this is covered by general household insurance but please contact your insurers to confirm this). 

• Some instruments will require proof of insurance before we can release the instruments on hire (rare / advanced / particularly expensive instruments).  

Collection & Return:  

• Instruments must be collected and returned by the hirer to the Claremont Music Centre and must be returned within 1 week of the hire period ending. 

• Late returns may incur charges for the following term.  

• Instruments must not be returned to the teacher or left at school. 

• The hirer will continue to be charged for the instrument until Trafford Music Service issues you with a receipt to acknowledge its return.  

• Instruments will be checked on return. 

Damage/Loss:  

• The hirer is responsible for any damage and/or loss, including accidental damage to the instrument or accessories. 

• If an instrument/accessory is damaged or lost, please contact us at music.service@trafford.gov.uk immediately to notify us and book an appointment 

• All repairs and purchase of replacement instruments or replacement accessories must be arranged by Trafford Music Service. 

• Repairs will be charged at a minimum of £15. If another instrument is available, we can issue a replacement whilst the repair takes place upon receiving a deposit of £15.00 – this will be off set against any repair charge.  

• If an instrument is lost or irreparably damaged, this will be decided pending an inspection by TMS staff after the damaged instrument is returned. The hirer will be responsible for full replacement of the instrument. Due to Trafford Council asset and procurement guidelines, we are not able to procure used instruments. If replacement is required, this will be for a new unit of the same instrument hired, or the closest match. 

• Upon collection, a paper form will need to be signed which will outline the maximum amount we would charge in an instance where total replacement is necessary (not including an administration fee of £5 or 5% of the instrument’s purchase price, whichever is greater). While it may be the case that we can purchase the instrument for less than the amount stated on the form, Trafford Music Service reserves the right to charge the full amount stated.  

• Repair or replacement charges will be invoiced to the hirer. 

Assisted Purchase:  

For students who take part in TMS activities, instruments may be purchased through the Assisted Purchase Scheme to save VAT. For more details, visit our website. Instrument Hire, Purchase & Donations — Trafford Music Service