Frequently Asked Questions

Health & Safety

What is your health and safety policy?

We have a very detailed in-house health and safety policy. Contact us for a copy of our Policies & Procedures Handbook or view the Handbook's List of Contents. Please note: Some subjects may involve a high level of physical activity. Culture and Arts will not held responsible for any injuries sustained or suffered due to participant's own causation.

Are you insured to deliver workshops/projects?

Yes. Culture and Arts holds public and employers' liability insurance and is therefore covered to deliver projects when required to do so (subject to a mutual agreement) in and out of the school setting.

Equal Opportunities

What are your equal opportunities policies?

Culture and Arts is committed to providing equal opportunities. Contact us for a copy of our Policies & Procedures Handbook or view the Handbook's List of Contents.

Do you have an anti-bullying policy?

Yes. Contact us for a booklet or see the contents here.

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Sessions

How long do sessions last?

Typically a session lasts up to two hours with a "comfort break" in the middle however some sessions, like our Early Morning Energiser, are much shorter. We prefer to have a maximum of 3 sessions in a day though we are flexible and are happy to work around existing schedules and timetables.

Do the children need to bring anything or wear special clothing?

Not at all. If possible we like them to wear comfortable clothing that they don't mind getting a bit dusty. Trackies are ideal, but not essential.

Can we book more than one project?

Yes.

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Participants

What age groups do you work with?

We work with children from 5 upwards, adults in their 70s - and all ages in between! Most of our participative projects are focused on children aged 7 to 16.

How many children per session?

A maximum of 30; a minimum of 10. Depending on the needs of the participants, we will decide the right number with those who know the participants best.

Can special needs children participate?

Absolutely! We pride ourselves on working with everyone, and often adapt projects according to language, mental and physical capabilities. We also have a range of projects primarily for a range of special needs groups.

Can children at risk participate?

Yes. We have been running projects for children at risk for over 7 years now and are confident that we have developed some of the best activity programmes for them.

Can children with limited English participate?

As much of what we do is about participation, action and acting out, we rarely find that language is a significant barrier to participants getting a great deal out of our sessions.

Can children from more than one school participate together?

Yes. The more you can "maximise" the number of participants, the lower the price per child.

How many children can be involved in a day?

The maximum is 90: 30 per session, 3 sessions.

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Costs

How much does it typically cost per child per hour/day/session or course?

Normally we charge per session and the prices work out from under £3 per child per hour based on a total of 90 children per day. However, costs may vary if for example there are fewer participants, session numbers need to be smaller or there are special needs participants. Then the cost is likely to be slightly higher. Let's talk about your budget to see if we can find a way to accommodate you needs.

Can we take less than one full day?

Yes. The minimum booking period is usually one session of 2 hours (less with certain projects), although this works out at a slightly higher cost than a whole day or longer.

Do we get discounts for longer or repeat bookings?

Yes. Let's talk about it. We like working over longer periods and are happy to arrange good discounts for repeat contracts.

Can you get projects part or wholly funded for us?

We will always try and we have a lot of experience in obtaining funding, so tend to know what is (and isn't) possible. We will also work with you to help you secure the funding that is available to you.

What extra costs are involved?

Usually none. For example, we cover travel and other expenses for trainers unless there are exceptional costs.

Why do you charge an administrative fee?

Normally we charge a 10-15% administration fee to cover the time and costs associated with setting up the project e.g. meetings with the school, research, recruitment of artists, telephone calls, e-mail, photocopying etc. This fee is based on the overall cost of the project and also covers aspects such as obtaining CRB checks for staff and additional training. However, please be reassured that we keep this fee to an absolute minimum and are always happy to provide a detailed breakdown of the charges.

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Qualifications & Experience

How many years have you been working with children?

9 years - sometimes it feels a lot longer, sometimes a lot less! Some of our trainers have been working with children and young people for over 20 years.

Are all your trainers CRB checked?

Yes.

What qualifications do trainers typically have?

Our trainers have professional qualifications in their area of expertise and often have additional qualifications in training, education, children's welfare, first aid etc.

Have the trainers been trained specifically to work with children?

The vast majority have, but some have not. What you can be sure of is that they are all well trained, very experienced, and have passed our own vigorous (but informal) tests procedures.

Can trainers focus on specific National Curriculum subjects?

Yes. We happily develop and adapt our projects for specific subjects and curriculum topics. Tell us what you want to focus on and we will develop a specific proposal.

Do you provide references and testimonials?

Yes - and plenty of them, too. Look through this website and ask us if there is anything specific that you want reassurance about. Go to what our clients say about us for some testimonials.

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Resources & Requirements

Does a teacher/group leader need to be present during the session?

No. However we require a teacher/group representative on stand-by at all times. With some projects the school/group must provide the minimum legally required ratio of adults per student. On these occasions a school/group representative must be present throughout the workshop(s) and performance(s). The school/group is responsible for the safe guarding and discipline of the children at all times during workshop(s) and performance (s)

What extra work is involved for teachers?

As far as the session or project is concerned, none, unless you wish to specify a topic, in which case we then need to develop this with you. The only extra work is payment especially if it has to be obtained from each child.

Do you provide resources such as music, props, paper, costumes etc?

Yes - for most of our projects. However for some specific projects (arts, science etc) we may ask the school/group to contribute towards some resources.

Where are sessions typically held?

The workshops and courses are held at a mutually agreed venue though usually tend to take place on a school site. However sometimes, local community centres, sports centres, libraries or public spaces can be arranged for use.

What space and resources does the school/group need to provide?

Big spaces usually work best as there is then plenty of room for everyone to express themselves and for groups can work together without crowding others. School halls, gyms and larger classrooms are great. Outdoor spaces can also work well with the right subjects, participants and weather. Most importantly, the space should be cleared before arrival of the trainer(s). The trainer(s) need to have access to the space at least 15 minutes before the workshop/performance time. If possible the workshop/performance space should be made out of bounds to participants until the workshop/performance starts.

How many trainers are there for each participant?

It depends, but generally because we are working in a defined space on "safe" projects, we find that one trainer for up to 30 children is fine. Some participants need more attention and therefore we increase trainers accordingly.

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Quality Assurance & Results

How can we assess performance?

Well, first of all we assess it for you. We establish levels of knowledge and understanding at the beginning of sessions and projects, and then test again at the end so that we can demonstrate to the participants and to everyone else, just how much has been learnt/achieved. Secondly, we welcome teachers and others making their own assessments and we always want your feedback.

How successful have you been to date?

Success can be measured in different ways but for us our ever growing number of new schools and participants speaks for itself. Some of our clients have retained us for over 5 years and we receive a lot of our new work and contracts based on personal recommendation. We are more than happy to pass on the details of previous clients who can share their experiences with you. Finally there's the satisfaction and pleasure in the eyes of our participants: that's what really tells us we are doing a good job.

How long does it take for results to show?

Two hours for the difference to be evident - but we find that the benefits are often long lasting. We seem to be able to make a shift in perceptions of, and attitudes towards learning, and this helps children for the rest of their lives. That is certainly our intention: changing lives, changing minds.

Do the participants receive any recognition or rewards?

Yes. When appropriate we use incentives and rewards to build confidence and motivation, but we don't ever create a competitive environment between participants.

Do you provide a report at the end of a project?

Yes. We can agree with you before starting, what outputs you would like and provide them as agreed.

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Articles by Tomorr Kokona: Artistic Director of Culture & Arts

Dismal education standards, a lack of creative learning, appalling pupil behaviour... so why be a teacher?

This article was published in QA Education Magazine. It looks into developing creative learning techniques for English, Maths and Science.

Why Be A Teacher?

The D.A.N.C.E Production System

Tomorr was invited by Dance UK magazine to write an article about his unique and highly successful system for producing dance events - even in a recession.

Dance Production In A Recession - You Can Do It

Engaging Young People in Positive Activities Through the Arts

This article was published in Participation Works, an online gateway for youth participation information, resources, news and networking for organisations working with young people.

Participation Works With Young People

Dance Mathematics
- Enhancing Learning in Schools and the Community

This article was published in the Spring issue of the Community Dance ‘Animated’ magazine.

Dance Mathematics - Enhancing Learning

Useful Links

www.dancechallenge.co.uk

Terms & Conditions

Cancellations

Cancellation for unforeseen circumstances - If the project is delayed due to unforeseen circumstances (such as accident, sickness or bereavement) the parties agree to discuss the matter with a view to rescheduling the proposed project.

Cancellation at the last minute - If a trainer is late or unable to attend and the session is shortened or postponed for any reason, we will reschedule it, and provide compensation, if that is reasonable and appropriate.

Cancellation from the school/group - A minimum of 4 weeks notice should be given if the school or group wish to cancel the workshop(s) / performance(s). Cancellation with less than 4 weeks notice will render the school/group liable to pay the full agreed fee if we are unable to secure a replacement booking.

Payment terms

A deposit equal to 2/3 of the overall project cost will need to be paid four weeks prior to project start. The remaining 1/3 of the project cost will need to be paid no later within 14 days of project completion.

We will present an invoice to the client's organisation at the time we are appointed. Sometimes we will check in advance that the named organisation is willing and able to pay.

VAT

All prices quoted are plus VAT if applicable and subject to our current Terms and Conditions.

Refunds

If you are not 100% satisfied with our services, after the minimum specific time for a project delivery has passed (ask us for more details) we will provide a full refund, no questions asked.

We are proud to say that we have never had a major case of dissatisfaction. We are open about discussing areas where we can improve, or better adapt what we do to the educational or personal needs of the participants. We will always respond positively to any form of comment and criticism.

Publicity

From time to time we publicise our work within various local and national papers and on the internet. We will always obtain school's/parents/guardian permission before we take any photos or film of our sessions.

Photographs and videos

No photographs/videos will be taken without prior written parental consent. A consent letter can contain the following:

A description of the activity
Schedule of the day with departure, time and place (if applicable)
The form of recording (photo, film, audio etc)
Approximate time of return (if applicable)

Copyright

Culture and Arts/Trainer owns the copyright of any work created by the trainer/artist during the project. The trainer/artist agrees to allow the school to reproduce any of his/her work created during the project for the purpose directly connected with the project (e.g. classroom teaching, exhibition, publicity etc).

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