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11. FEES AND PAYMENTS
Since 1995, the majority of funding for the Saturday Programme was made possible through the fundraising efforts of HMDT Music, with a significant contribution from The London Borough of Hackney and The Learning Trust. In 2008, local authority cuts to funding began to impact upon the Saturday Programme. In 2012, The Learning Trust cut all funding to HMDT Music necessitating the Programme to be supported by HMDT Music alone.
Parents/Guardians are asked to contribute to the costs of the Saturday Programme by paying a termly fee. These fees are essential to ensure the long term stability of the Saturday Programme and represents excellent value for money in comparison to some of the charges made by other similar schemes.
FEES
There is a mandatory, non-refundable fee for all students attending the Saturday Programme. The fee amounts vary according to the programme in which each student is enrolled. Discounts apply to the main programme fee for additional students attending from the same household. You will be required to pay the full fee for the highest price student fee you are required to pay, and then pay the sibling fee for all other students. CLICK HERE FOR THE CURRENT FEES.
FINANCIAL AID
HMDT is committed to ensuring that no student is placed in a position in which they cannot attend the Saturday Programme because they cannot afford to do so. With this in mind, a Financial Aid Programme including Bursaries and Scholarships has been established to provide support for those students who genuinely cannot afford to pay their Fees.
BURSARIES AND SUBSIDISED FEES
Your child is eligible for a partial fee Bursary if your household receives:
• Income support; Employment Support Allowance OR Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance.
• If you receive Child Tax Credits and your household has an income of £20,000 or less, your child may be eligible for a subsidised fee.
You MUST APPLY for a bursary or subsidised fee EACH ACADEMIC YEAR at the beginning of September.
PLEASE NOTE:
If you are submitting Income Support, Job Seekers OR Employment Support Allowance AND receive Child Tax Credits, you will be REQUIRED to submit BOTH your DWP letters for each benefits programme. If you have any questions regarding the means testing requirements, please contact the HMDT Music office to discuss your query and we will be happy to assist you. Bursaries and Subsidised fees will not be awarded after the first two weeks of the Autumn Term, unless you are a new student joining after the Autumn Term commences.
If you think your child is eligible to receive a bursary or subsidised fees and you would like more information, please contact HMDT Music. (If for some reason you are not awarded a bursary, please note that you will be exempt from the £25 Late Payment Fee in the first term). Scholarships are awarded to students who don’t meet the criteria for a Bursary or Subsidised fees, but who may still face financial hardship of some kind. Please note that applicants will need to return a completed Scholarship Application Form along with your completed application form and will need to demonstrate financial need. Full or partial scholarships may be granted and are based upon the ability and potential of the student. Scholarship requests for existing students will be assessed by Saturday Programme staff and new students may be asked to audition.
All financial aid is subject to means testing, and we ask for your cooperation in providing us with the necessary evidence to evaluate your application. We understand that this can be a difficult process in some cases, but we will be sensitive to your needs and all the information will be kept confidential. All we ask in return is your patience and cooperation.
Fees paid AFTER the deadlines will incur a Late Fee PER TRANSACTION. We regret having to charge additional Late Fees, but this charge represents only a fraction of the real costs involved in additional administration of late payments. PLEASE avoid Late Fees by paying your fees on time.
If, after 2 weeks into the term, you have still not paid or contacted us to explain why, your child’s place on the Saturday Programme will be in jeopardy. PLEASE DON’T WAIT. Contact us if you are experiencing difficulties and we will be happy to work with you to find a solution. We want to help parents/carers who take responsibility for their payments and are having trouble paying on time, however chasing fees is incredibly time consuming and a burden on our limited resources.
All fees are non-refundable. As stated in the terms and conditions of your Acceptance of Offer Form, you MUST provide HMDT Music with written notice of withdrawal from the programme by THE LAST WEEK OF THE PRECEDING TERM, otherwise you will be liable for a percentage of the following term’s fees, the exact percentage dependant on when you pay them.
LEAVING THE SATURDAY PROGRAMME
Students are automatically re-enrolled for the following term UNLESS you request and FILL IN A LEAVING FORM by the last day of the preceding term. The Saturday Programme operates to a very tight budget, and as a result, all students are required to provide adequate notice of their intention to leave the programme. All details of the deadline dates may be found on the Saturday Programme Term Dates Schedule. If you fail to notify us, then as per the Acceptance Agreement, you will be responsible for payment of your fees as follows:
You will be liable for 25% of the fees if you pay in the week after the deadline for withdrawal.
You will be liable for 50% of the fees if you pay after that week, but before the upcoming term begins.
You will be liable for 100% of the fees if you pay after the start of the following term.
HOW CAN I PAY FEES & INSTRUMENT LOANS?
Please see our FEES AND PAYMENTS PAGE for details of how to pay.
FAQs
I have more than one child at the Saturday Programme. How much do I pay?
Pay the full standard fee for the highest price student fee you are required to pay, and then pay the sibling fee for all other students.
If you are on a bursary, then you pay a reduced amount for each student. There are no additional discounts for Bursary students or students in The Music Box or I Can Sing! Fledglings.
The fees are really expensive – how much do other Saturday music centres cost?
HMDT’s Saturday Programme is one of the least expensive, best value Centres in London. Here are some comparisons:
• Junior Guildhall is £3,860 per year. The bursary they offer is about £1,470 at best
• Latymer Saturday Music Centre is £558 per year for individual lessons + £165 for ensemble
• Average private lesson fees are from £40 – £55 for an hour. The Saturday Programme on average charges less than £30 for the full day’s activities.
Why do we have to pay before the start of term?
Many of the costs to run the Saturday Programme are incurred before the year begins, and we are contracted to pay our coaches and venue fees during the preceding Summer. We rely upon prompt payments to pay these costs, and we appreciate your cooperation.
What happens if I miss the payment deadline, but still pay before term starts?
If you miss the deadline but pay before the start of term, you will incur an additional £25 late fee.
What happens if I don’t pay until the term starts?
If you pay after the term starts you will incur a £25 late fee. If, after 2 weeks into the term you have still not paid or contacted us to explain why, your child’s place on the Saturday Programme will be in jeopardy and you will still be liable for paying your fees.
Do I still have to pay the late fees if I have a bursary?
Yes. The late fees apply to everyone. In exceptional circumstances a late fee will be waived if you contact us in advance to let us know you think you will have trouble paying on time.
What happens if I decide to leave the Saturday Programme?
All students are required to provide notice of their intention not to return for the following term BY THE INDICATED DEADLINES. All details of the deadline dates may be found on the Saturday Programme Term Dates Schedule. We require this notification because our costs do not decrease when students leave the programme and we must be able to plan for any budget changes. If you fail to notify us, you will be liable for the percentages of the fees as set out above.
PLEASE NOTE – You will not incur a late fee while we are assessing your Subsidy or Bursary application.
