Author:	Alistair Gourlay
Date of Publication:	12 November 2014
Revised	11 December 2020
Date of Next Review	1 August 2021

York Learning is funded by a grant from the Education and Skills Funding Agency and in accordance with the conditions of this grant the service is expected:-

• Maximize access to adult skills and community learning for adults, bringing new opportunities, reducing social isolation and improving lives, whatever people’s circumstances
• Focus public funding on people who are disadvantaged and least likely to participate, including in deprived communities and people on low income with low skills
• Collect fee income from people who can afford to pay and use any additional funds where possible to extend provision to targeted learners and those who cannot pay.
• Provide a service that maximises value for money and maintains the quality of the provision.
• Ensure classes offered have enough attendees to cover the costs of running for the agreed number of weeks.

York Learning operates the following refund policy:

 

Refunds

 A full refund will be available in the following circumstances:

• A course closes due to lack of numbers
• The time/date/day of the course changes from the originally advertised/planned course details
• You booked the course online, face to face or over the telephone and have changed your mind within 14 days of the booking. The start date of the cooling off period is the date of booking onto the course not the start date of the course. (The right to an automatic refund does not apply once a course has started, even if this is within the 14 day cooling off period).

 

Distance Selling Regulation – Changing your mind and cooling off period

If you book your course on line or over the phone then you are allowed a fourteen (14) day  ‘cooling off period’ which gives you an unconditional right to cancel your course booking.*   

(*This does not apply if the course you are enrolling to starts prior to the end of the cooling off period)  

Face-to-face delivery switching online due to COVID restrictions

Face to face delivery may need to switch to online delivery if COVID-19 guidelines change at short notice. Please note that refunds cannot be given if this situation occurs. Due to the practical nature of some courses, where it is not possible for the course to be taught online a pro-rata refund will be given in this case.

If you cancel

You do not have an automatic right to cancel your course and receive a refund except where it is within the cooling off period as detailed above. We will not give a refund if you simply change your mind and there is no obligation on us to make any refund.

However, we will consider requests for a refund based on individual circumstances and/or where the refund request is made well in advance of the course start date, usually more than 4 weeks before the course starts.  Where a course is due to begin within 2 weeks of the refund request or where the course has already started we will not be able to offer a refund. This is notwithstanding the 14 day cooling off period as detailed below.

If you need to cancel your course due to medical reasons a refund will only be given on proof of your condition (i.e. Doctors Certificate/Hospital Letter confirming operation).

 

Withdrawal once a Course has started

Non-attendance is not classed as cancellation and any outstanding fees are still payable. If you have started your learning but become unable to attend or continue with your course due to changes in work/family/ financial commitments, this will be considered to be a withdrawal and fees will remain payable.

Refunds in relation to health

There is no refund except in exceptional circumstances relating to health (when evidence would need to be produced) and even then is at the discretion of the York Learning Curriculum Manager.  In the case of face-to-face delivery, if a learner is told he/she must self-isolate, no refund will be given.

To request a refund please apply in writing in the first instance to york.learning@york.gov.uk  and the appropriate curriculum manager will respond.  In the case of a dispute, the request will be forwarded for consideration by the Operations Manager, Jill Murphy Jill.Murphy@york.gov.uk before being escalated to the Head of Service should this be necessary.

If a refund is given outside of the 14 day cooling off period, an administration charge of £15 will be applied. However if you are on a counselling course the administration fee will be £100 if your application has been completed.

If a withdrawal is due to a temporary serious health condition, you may apply for a credit which will enable you to re-enrol at a later date but within 6 months of issue. The refund or credit will be calculated on a pro-rata basis from the date of the last class attended. Exam fees (which will have been included if appropriate as part of the whole costs of your course) are not refundable. Medical evidence will be required in the form of a doctor’s letter or equivalent. A credit cannot be converted to a refund. All credits will incur a £15 administration fee.

In all accredited learning courses examination fees are included in the total costs of the course and will only be refunded (providing the refund criteria above have been met) if they have not already been paid to the relevant Examination Board.

 

Complete Course Cancellations

If we have to cancel your course we will refund you in full.  However, we are unable to reimburse the cost of materials you may have bought for the course.

 

Class closures related to tutor illness, adverse weather or other closures beyond our direct control

At times a class session has to be cancelled due to reasons outside of our control. If we have to cancel an individual session then no refund will be available.

We will, however, endeavour to make up for the missed class by, for example:-

• adding an extra session to the end of the course OR
• adding an extra half hour to the remaining classes, up to the number of hours missed – e.g. for a 2 hour course an extra half hour could be added to the last 4 sessions.

If you are unable to make a rearranged class no alternative classes or refunds will be offered.

If we have to cancel more than 1 session of a course we will refund you, pro rata, for the cancelled classes

 

Advanced Learning Loans

Advanced Learning loans are not included in York Learning’s Refund policy. This is because the Advanced Learner Loans are not provided by York Learning and are subject to an agreement between yourself and the Student Loan Company. Once you take out an agreement with the Student Loan Company you are subject to their terms and conditions. Refunds via York Learning on behalf of City of York Council are therefore not available. If you withdraw before completion of your course you will become liable for the difference between what has been drawn down against your loan and the full costs of the course.

 

Payment by instalments and cancelling your direct debit

If the course is over £100 and you have opted to pay by instalments you are agreeing to pay the whole of the course fee in a number of payments. Setting up a direct debit is not designed to enable part payment of a course fee. If you decide part way through the course that you have changed your mind or your circumstances change, you are still liable for the full fee. You are not entitled to simply cancel your direct debit. This would in effect be a part refund on the fee that you should have paid.  If you cancel your direct debit you will then be liable for the full cost of the course and we will take action to recover the debt. Refunds for part paid courses or part attended courses are not available.

This refund policy is reproduced in full as part of the term and conditions available when booking online.

Refund Request Form

To request a refund for a course fee that is within the 14 day cooling off period under Consumer Contracts Regulations, please email us at york.learning@york.gov.uk, including the following details. You do not have to use this form to request a refund but it makes it easier to verify your request.

Your Name:

Date you booked the course:

Date you are making the request:

Title of the course you are cancelling:

Total fee paid that you are requesting is refunded: