klayskool
Ditchling Common - Sussex
Terms & Conditions
A Legal Disclaimer
Klayskool wants to make for the happiest and most relaxing experience. In order to create this special environment, we really would appreciate if students, attending any course of whatever nature, take a few minutes to read through these terms and conditions. They are for everyone’s benefit.
Terms & Conditions - The Basics
If you want more specific information on the details of any particular course please go back to the website…look at your type of class and then explore the READ MORE by pressing the READ MORE button. For instance, on the Basic taster course there is a seriously kool walk through which will take some while to read and digest but it will enhance your actual experience.
Firstly, please try to be on time. These days traffic is very unpredicatable so don’t time it last minute…you will be able to enter the studio about twenty minutes before any class and you can wonder about look at many of the beautiful pots chat amongst yourselves and make tea and coffee. We may say hello and ignore you after that until the class is due to start.
We then expect the teacher to be able to start the class exactly on time. If you are late it is really very impolite for other people!!
On arrival if you can remember sign the student book. When you leave feel free to make brilliant comments.
Parking
We have about fifteen dedicated parking spaces all of which have their own designated space and number. If you book a course, we will assume you will need a car parking space so will send you the appropriate car park number and good directions. Each car parking space will have an orange and white bollard on it with the matching number. Please find the appropriate bollard then get out of your car and park in that space and when you leave put the bollard back where you found it for the next person.
PLEASE do not park anywhere else at random as we will infuriate out neighbours. If you are having any difficulty parking then ask. Our park spaces are right outside the school on the front side and the back side and are very easy to find. If you have a very large car [ we are thinking range rovers, you may want to ask for a front space as the back car park may involve some reversing. Another good reason for being early!
What to bring & Studio Rules
Aprons are good …you will get mucky especially if you are throwing and if you don’t get mucky we want to know why. Note! Be careful putting very dirty aprons in a washing machine on a regular basis. We suggest rinsing the worst of the clay out by hand in a bucket and throwing that water in the garden or down the loo. Up to you!
Wear sensible non slippy shoes please.
We have all the tools and materials but you are welcome to bring your own tools…if you do, look after them, and if you lend them don’t blame us if they disappear.
Please please try to avoid leaving tools in the waste clay.
Please use the Reclaim buckets for the waste clay. Ask if you are not sure what to do.
Booking of Course and Payments
Once you have paid your course fee you will receive this automated reply which is a confirmation of your booking. This will show course and time and date.
Once you have booked and paid this constitutes the contract between Klayskool and yourselves.
The basic and practice courses the beginners’ courses and the term classes are payable in full when booking and non refundable.
Other courses may have different payment options [Master classes etc]
All payments are made through the web site. Payments are secured through the Stripe payments system. We would like everyone to use this system if they can, it is very simple and takes any cards. If however you want to pay by bacs this can be arranged you will have to send an email to: info@klayskool.co.uk.
What's Included
It should be obvious, in the pre booking section, what is included in your course and what is not.
The basic taster includes everything, including the firing of your pots.
On the other courses there are some basic charges for glazing and firing pots. We try to keep this to a minimum. Some people might make one or two pots but it has been known for some whizz kid on the wheel to make a whole bunch of pots…well we reserve the right to limit the number of pots we will fire for you. This is not a written in stone thing it is just about respecting what the skool can provide. We are fortunate in having some serious kiln capacity probably the most capacity in the South of England so if you make loads of pots we can probably cope. However, the prices we are charging for student’s pots is the bare minimum to cover the huge costs of firings. Should you need some serious capacity we will have to discuss rates for firing.
Refreshments
Tea and coffee is available for you to make for yourselves and regulars are invited to contribute the odd packet of biscuits or home-made cakes. We are fond of ginger cake and home-made shortbreads!
There is a proper café right next door to the Skool which is open from eight am until two thirty. It does some full English stuff but also salads and other lunches and sandwiches. You can bring your own food but please don’t eat it in the studio. In the summer there will be places outside …if we do a whole day course we may provide refreshments in the workshop. Refer to your booking details. When you booked.
Cancellation
Cancellations for all classes, workshops and courses must be made by email only to
Cancellations within 7 days of the start date will be charged the full fee.
Cancellations within 8-14 days of the start date will be charged 50% of the fee.
Cancellations more than 15 days before the start date will be charged 20% of the fee.
However, we are a very flexible and decent bunch so if we can, we will try to put you on another course free of any charges. It will depend on just how busy we are. If you cancel the day before but there are free spaces over the next few days we will try to accommodate you but no guarantees and no promises!
Missing classes.
No one wants you to miss a class for whatever reason.
If you miss a class, you miss a class. We realise this happens sometimes so you will notice that we made our six week course take place over seven weeks…so… if you miss one of those weeks you still get your six classes and if you don’t miss any then you get the seventh one free. The same applies to the 12 week termly classes. They run over fourteen weeks so if you miss two well you only really paid for twelve and if you don’t miss any you will get two for free. How good is that potters!
Mobile phones
These must be turned off or on vibrate. We do have multiple phone charging USB points for your convenience.
If you must answer please go outside.
Closure
Closure. Force majeure. Epidemics wars floods and other inconvenient catastrophes which we could not anticipate are in nobody’s interest. If they happen and we have to unexpectedly cancel or shut down then no refunds can be made. Let’s hope they don’t happen.
If we have to cancel courses
Sadly on occasions we may not be able to run a course that you have booked and paid for due to teacher illness or perhaps even insufficient numbers. Naturally we wish to avoid any cancelations and we are prepared to run most of the courses of they are not full but it might be necessary sometimes…the weather in winter can sometimes be unavoidably horrible! If we have to cancel your course at any time we will offer you of course a full and immediate refund or if convenient for you we will offer you an alternative course. Sorry in advance if that happens.
Health and safety
We are a commercial business and you are the general public so your safety is of paramount importance to us. Klayskool holds all the appropriate public liabilities but no one wants to claim on the insurance! None of us. Potting is not a dangerous hobby or profession but there are some important things to be aware of.
Wet clay on the floor is slippy and therefore dangerous. Should you get wet clay on the floor try to clean it up…you can ask for cleaning stuff…if it’s really bad get staff help.
Some skools use hairdryers of electric heat guns to semi dry work. These are banned at Klayskool. We have battery operated Makita hot air dryers…they are perfectly Ok and not at all dangerous so anyone can use them. However the batteries are very costly and they run down fast so please don’t overdo it.
The kiln rooms are private unless you have been asked to help.
Sanding down your pieces and clay dust in general.
Basically just don’t sand your pieces in the workshop. We will have a proper extracting sanding room but you will need permission to use it. In Summer sanding filing can be done outside.
Dry klay dust is bad for everyone. This is a public studio and some may have sensitive lungs. Wet clay is different it’s OK…and it’s Ok for drying bits and pieces it’s the dust you have to watch out for.
You must only use the klay provided by Klayskool
Pease keep everything clean and tidy as you go along. There is hot water which helps the tool cleaning etc but please try to be thoughtful as it is expensive to produce. Don’t use warm or hot water to lubricate your pots whilst throwing it makes them too warm and wet.
If several different types of clay are being used please don’t mix them up!
Some of the oxides and glazes are not good for your health and should not be breathed in the dry form. If you actually get to mix your own oxides etc take care. In some instances, we may ask you to wear masks …which we will provide.
No dogs in the studio except the studio dog. He is called Munar please don’t feed him the biscuits!
At the end of your session, you will need at least ten to fifteen minutes to clean everything up around your personal area. If it’s your first time ask advice. Regulars should set an example. This is a shared public space and people are paying to have a professional course. Please leave everything as you found it. Spotless sounds good. Klay is mucky stuff but cleans up very easily.
Surely we don’t need to mention it is a no smoking and vaping zone!
Looking after your pots
If you are on your first basic taster course we will take care of your pots all the way through and make sure they are handled and dealt with at the end ready for firing.
However, on other courses, which may extend over several weeks then ensuring your pots are carefully stored is your responsibility. This is very important.
IF YOU HAVE MADE SOME POTS AND YOU WILL NEED TO WORK ON THEM AGAIN THE FOLLOWING WEEK THEY NEED TO BE STORED IN THE CORRECT ENVIRONMENT. OUR STAFF WILL ADVISE YOU ON EXACTLY HOW TO DO THIS.
We are unusually blessed with about forty wonderful storage drawers as well as storage shelves. Please ensure you know which pot is yours.
Pots do not lose themselves…We suggest you both label them and take photos. We have known much confusion and argumentation over whose pot is which!
Now. Some pots get broken accidentally and some fail in the firing. We will take the utmost effort to ensure that doesn’t happen, but the fact is some amateur pots crack or break [ Too thick…too thin…not compressed in the base properly etc. So although we will try very hard to maintain the integrity of your pot be prepared for occasional failure….at the other end of the kreative spectrum … glory in your success.
Finished pot collection. We will advise when ready. Please try to collect as soon as possible. Delivery may be possible but we charge for that and we charge quite a lot because it is time consuming and we don’t really want to do it!
Generally your pots will be fired in about two to six weeks. Small dry pots are quicker for obvious reasons but big thick pots may need weeks to dry before they can even be biscuit fired. Firing pots too early whilst they are still damp is one of the primary causes of pot failure so we may be a bit cautious.
Collecting your glazed pots is very exciting. If you would like to be present and help when we are emptying a kiln just ask and we will see what we can do.
We can post at a cost but of course can’t guarantee damage in transit!
Studio Rules
All working areas and tools must be cleaned after use.
The last 15 minutes of all studio classes is dedicated to gathering tools and cleaning work tables, floors, tools, and other equipment for each individual student’s work area.
This is a communal studio and its cleanliness depends on everyone doing their part.
A good rule of thumb: When you are done it should be cleaner then when you started. No Exceptions please.
If you don’t have time to clean up, then you don’t have time to do it!
We try to open early…you can generally come twenty minutes/ half an hour before… but we will ignore you as we will still be busy getting stuff together. The café next door is open eight am until two thirty
Data protection
We do not share any of your data with anyone full stop. We use your data to communicate with you and we will send you course updates. You can subscribe [and we hope you do] to emails informing you of our new courses etc. Opt out if you don’t want that. We do not bombard people. Mostly we suggest you just keep up to date with the web site.
We take loads of pictures and videos whilst we are teaching courses, and we reserve the right to use any of these images taken in our workshops for our promotional purposes. Web site and social media etc. If you really feel the need to be excluded from that just say so and we will make sure you are not included.
Above all enjoy!