The following policies are intended to keep you, your child and the club safe. Please do follow them with care. You can find quick answers to common questions here.
Insurance & Membership
- Gymnasts must be affiliated to British Gymnastics after a maximum of 2 taster sessions with the club. Membership is purchased through the BG website and, unless otherwise advised, would be at the Bronze level.
- Parents should fully complete the GCS admin process before leaving their child at the gym for a taster or session. It is essential that we have all contact and medical details before we take responsibility for your child.
Payment
- Payment is due in advance and is billed monthly in keeping with the date you joined the club. If payments become more than one week overdue,
you child will not be able to take part in their class and may lose their place. - You are responsible for ensuring your fees are requested correctly each month; if you notice that for some reason your payment has not been taken, please let us know immediately as you will be liable for back fees in this event.
- If you wish to give notice, please do via the cancellation procedure in GCS. The notice period is 4 weeks/1 month; failure to give notice ahead of the payment date may result in a further full month payment being taken (at the discretion of the club).
- Monday GFA/General classes are slightly reduced as the club is not open on Bank Holidays, as are Friday GFA/General sessions to accommodate Good Friday. Yearly fees also take into account a 2-week closure over Christmas, the dates of which will be publicised in October of each year, plus the option for us to cancel up to 2 weeks of classes per year (at any time) due to circumstances beyond our control (extremes of heat or cold, maintenance problems creating a health and safety risk, moving facilities and in extreme circumstances, unavoidable staff shortages. Fees therefore cover a minimum of 48 weeks of classes per year, with the expectation of covering 50 weeks of classes per year.
- Sibling discounts are applied on fees subsequent to the first month of fees and do not apply to club membership or any additional costs. They are applied to second and subsequent children and cannot be applied to fees for any child training less than one hour per week.
- It is not normally possible to recoup a day lost to illness or holiday on another day due to class ratios and registers.
Club Ethos
- Encourage Effort – Nurture Talent – Reward Endeavour. Please help us to live up to our motto by encouraging your child to work hard and focus on their own progression, without comparing themselves to others. Gymnastics is not a linear sport; everyone reaches their own peak by a different path. We encourage all our members to be supportive and encouraging; we achieve more as a team than we can ever do alone.
- With this motto in mind, the club reserves the right to make alterations to the classes/squads offered to a gymnast, based on work ethic and attitude as well as talent. An offer of a squad place is not a ‘place for life’ and may be reviewed periodically.
- Please work with us to encourage your child to be polite, kind, positive and respectful of both the environment, the coaches and each other.
- The door is always open to both the owner (Merry) or the Welfare Team if you have questions or concerns. We encourage you to discuss matters with a club official or with one of the adult leadership team (Merry, Fran, Josie, Verity, Becky, Pip, Natalie or via our Welfare Team) – this should be done in person or by email in the first instance and never by social media.
- The contact details of any coach, whether intentionally shared or found by a parent, may not be used to message them privately to discuss progress or transmit complaints; this rule is in place to protect coaches from an invasion of their personal life and private time. Repeated breaches of this protocol may result in the parent being blocked from social media contact by the coach, or in extreme circumstances, sanctions by the club, up to and including removal from our programme.
Personal Safety
- Please ensure you are there to collect your gymnast at the end of their session. Coaches will pass their child directly to a known parent/carer only; gymnasts may NOT wait outside the gym to be collected. If gymnasts are walking home alone, the club must have written confirmation to this effect. Repeated late collections may result in an additional £10 charge being levied for every 15 minutes the gymnast is uncollected, if this occurs beyond our closing time of 8.30pm (weekdays) or 5.30pm (Saturdays).
- British Gymnastics have a zero-jewellery rule for gymnasts and this club supports that policy. Please ensure earrings etc are removed or taped. If a child has any form of non-removable bracelet, it must be covered with Tubigrip or similar.
- Correct attire for the gym is leotard/unitard, or close-fitting plain shorts, t-shirt/crop top with no fashion accessories e.g. zips, toggles, tassels or belts.
- No gymnast may enter the gym without the permission and presence of a Level 2 coach.
- Gymnasts should use the toilet situated within the gym during their session. If they are likely to require assistance, a parent should meet them at the door and take them to the toilet. Coaches cannot be alone with any child in a toilet area for safeguarding reasons.
Balcony & Gym
- Parents should avoid entering the gym when a session is in progress unless specifically requested to do so by a coach. No outdoor shoes in the gym.
- Please avoid standing at the roll up door if it is open or enter via the gate across it; this is distracting to staff and gymnasts and a safeguarding hazard.
- Please do not communicate with gymnasts or coaches during a session from either balcony or roll up door.
- Please observe the balcony rules at all time, particularly in relation to noisy babies/toddlers and small items too close to the railings.
- It is entirely prohibited to use a camera or video to film during a session. Anyone seen filming from the balcony or similar will be asked to leave the area and delete all film.
- Plain water drinks may be placed on the shelves inside the gym along with any essential valuables and medical items (insulin, inhalers, Epipen etc). Food, shoes and outdoor clothing should be left on the lobby shelving.
- Filming and photos are allowed during displays and competitions, however the faces of other gymnasts must be obscured if these are posted on social media and any special instructions on the day must be adhered to.
Squad Responsibilities
- Squad gymnasts should wear a leotard or 2-piece training outfit with optional shorts or ¾ leggings for girls. We ask our squad gymnasts to be in smart, sport appropriate training gear at all times.
- Squad gymnasts are expected to uphold the ethos of the club and set an example to others by displaying a sportsperson-like attitude at all times.
- Squad gymnasts of Classic Copper and above and participating in Grades are expected to have a club tracksuit or hoodie for competitions and have chalk/gloves/loops/handguards for training sessions.