Further information about our courses and services

Cost of our courses

All of our courses are individually priced due to several factors: • varying course hours; • the numbers that can attend; • and/or specialist facilities or venues. For many of the courses you will see 3 prices: • first is the full price that most people will pay • second is for those who are in receipt of State Pension. • third is for those claiming certain benefits including Universal Credit, although this is not an automatic justification for a reduced fee due to the nature of how it is calculated.

Please ring 01904 554277 for clarification and support or go to yorklearning.org.uk/policies and look at the fee policies under booking a course.

You are required to show evidence of a reduced fee entitlement within two weeks of enrolment. If you fail to do this we may cancel your place.

Can I spread the cost of the course fee?

Spread the cost of any course over £120 via direct debit with 4 payments spread over 4 months. We are occasionally able to set up payment schedules over a longer period of time, but this cannot extend beyond the end date of a course.

Please note that once a direct debit is started you cannot cancel it without confirming with us that this is ok. Cancelling without permission will result in us invoicing you for the full amount.

It is important to understand that direct debit is not a method of paying for part of the course – just a way of spreading the full cost of the course over a number of months.

Can I get any help with course costs?

We understand that for some people the cost of an adult learning class can be a barrier to attendance. At times we might be able to help with course costs including travel, books, materials or if appropriate, childcare. Please ring 01904 554277 to see if you’re eligible for support.

Examination fees

All exam and registration fees are included in the cost of a course unless stated otherwise. However, if you complete a course and are unsuccessful in your final exam we will ask you to pay an additional fee to re-sit the exam.

Refunds

A full refund will be given under the following circumstances: • The course time or date changes after you’ve signed up and you can no longer attend. • The course closes because there are insufficient numbers on the course. • You signed up over the phone or via our online booking system and change your mind within 14 days of the booking. Please note this does not apply if the course starts within the 14 day period or if the course has already started when you book. We only offer a refund outside of these reasons in exceptional circumstances. Once a course has started we cannot offer any refunds as the fee helps to pay for the course itself. All refunds offered in exceptional circumstances will be subject to a £15 administration fee.

Supporting you to sign up for the right course

If you are unsure whether a course is suitable or not, please contact us so we can advise you over the phone or arrange for a one-to-one appointment. Where there are several different levels of a course it is best to contact us to discuss which level would suit you. Some of our courses, including English, maths and some computer courses, require you to take an assessment prior to starting the course. This is to ensure you are on the correct course.

Support to enable you to attend a class

If you think you might need support to attend a class then please get in touch with us on 01904 554277 before signing up. This is particularly important if you have specific disabilities that might require us to make adjustments, or if you have a learning difficulty that might affect your ability to complete some of the programme. Whilst we are delivering online this is especially important that the tutor knows this before the course starts.

Booking a place on a York Learning course

Some of our courses fill up very quickly. Our Policy allows us to offer current students, who have attended the previous term, priority booking. We also offer 24-hour advance priority booking to learners who sign up for our newsletter (see page 4 in the ‘stay in touch’ bubble for details).

Equal opportunities

York Learning welcomes learners from all backgrounds and is committed to providing the best possible experience for everyone. We aim to provide a safe, comfortable and non-threatening environment that is free from discrimination. Our goal is to support everyone to achieve their potential and to enjoy their programme. We will not tolerate behaviour that discriminates, intimidates or disrupts other learners and will take appropriate action to ensure this does not occur.

Compliments, feedback and complaints

We love to hear from our learners about your learning experiences. Drop us a line via social media, email or by visiting our website. On most courses you will be invited to provide feedback via an end of course questionnaire, which we use to make improvements to our courses. From time to time we get things wrong, and this can lead to a complaint. We aim to resolve all complaints quickly. Please bring any to our attention as soon as you can so that we are able to quickly resolve them at york.learning@york.gov.uk. We do recognise that occasionally the nature of a complaint requires a more formal process. If this is the case you will be guided to our complaints procedure, which can be found on our website.