FAQs and Terms & Conditions

How are payments made? 

You can make a payment via an online bank transfer using your child’s full name as the reference. Bank account details will be sent in a separate email. Payments are to be made termly within a specified payment date window before the payment deadline. You will receive a confirmation receipt once your payment is received.

Can I have a trial lesson? 

There are no trial lessons as such, but if you are unsatisfied after your first lesson, you can request a refund for the remaining 8 sessions of the term, providing you do so within 48 hours of your first lesson. If your refund request is made between 48 hours to 96 hours of your first lesson, then you will only be refunded for the remaining 7 sessions of the term.

The clause above does not apply to students who have joined once the term has already started or if your child has already studied at Crystal Tuition in a previous term. Please refer to the section titled 'Cancellation Policy' in your email if you are joining once the term has started.

The notice period is either 4 lessons in advance if you are withdrawing during the term, otherwise, you are free to leave the course at the end of each term.

Are classes suitable for my child if they are not in Yr 4/Yr 5? 

The classes are only suitable for Yr 4 & Yr 5 children. If your child is in Yr 6 and has already had lessons with me in the past, then he or she may continue for one term (for independent school preparation). However, new students must be either in Yr 4 or Yr 5.

Can I book one term or two terms in advance? 

No, terms must be booked in chronological order. This is to ensure current clients have priority for the limited number of spaces in each class. New clients will only be able to join if current clients drop out during the current term or before the next term.

What do I need to do before the lesson?

Please install Zoom in advance of your workshop and make sure it is working. This will help to ensure that the session starts promptly for your child and the other students. (See below for guidance on how to install Zoom)

You will receive a link by email in advance of the session. This will be your login link. It will be sent to your primary email address. Please ensure that your child is in front of their screen and ready to go at least 5 minutes before the official session start time, this is so they have time to organise themselves appropriately. It is also a chance for them to test their webcam and microphone.

Students arriving late maybe held up unnecessarily in the Zoom waiting room and emails/WhatsApp messages will not be replied to during the class.

How do I install Zoom?

Head over to the official Zoom site here:

https://zoom.us

Click on ‘Create Account’ or ‘Sign Up’ button. (It is entirely free – you do NOT need a paid account). It is possible to participate in a Zoom meeting without an account (you join as a participant), but I would highly recommend creating an account for ease of access.

In the account settings, please change the username to your child’s full name so that they can be identified in the Zoom chat by me. (Otherwise, I will call them by the Zoom account name). You can also change your username once you join the meeting. 

You can get assistance with troubleshooting here:

https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/sections/200704559-Installation

There is also a very helpful Zoom FAQ section here:

https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/sections/200277708-Frequently-Asked-Questions

How do I join Google Classrooms?

If you would like your child’s homework marked, then you will need to upload it via Google Classrooms. Please note that I will not be able to mark homework sent via email, FB messenger or WhatsApp. It is sometimes feasible to create a Google Classroom account using a Yahoo or Hotmail email, but I’ve found it works best with Gmail. It might be necessary to create a Gmail account for your child just for homework uploading. 

Head over to the Google Classroom link here:

https://classroom.google.com/

Click on the + sign in the top right-hand side.

Select ‘join class’ and enter the code (which will be provided to you in due course). Then click ‘join’.

How do I upload homework into Google Classrooms?

When you log in, there should be three headers: Stream, Classwork, People.

Click on ‘Classwork’ and scroll down to the latest entry under ‘HOMEWORK’.

Click on ‘view assignment’ and follow the homework instructions. 

You can either upload your child’s work as a word document (typed), PDF or a picture (.jpeg file). 

Click on ‘Add or create’ and upload the relevant file. Select ‘file’, then ‘upload’ and ‘browse’. Locate the file you wish to upload. The final and most important step is to click ‘Hand In’.

A quicker way to upload homework is to download the Google Classrooms app on your smartphone or iPad. You can then directly upload your child’s work from the app by taking a photo with your phone or iPad. Again, please ensure you click on ‘Hand In’ for the final step.

What does my child need during the lesson?

Your child just needs a pen or pencil, some rough paper and ideally, a printed copy of the lesson worksheet. The lesson worksheet will be emailed at least 24 hours before the lesson. If you do not have a printer, your child can still participate in the lessons. We recommend you download the completed class notes, which will be emailed immediately after the lesson.

What if I cannot attend a lesson?

If you cannot attend a class, then you can still access the completed lesson notes via email. No refunds will be given for missed lessons. Unfortunately, due to class restrictions in terms of size, your child won’t be offered a replacement class, unless another child has dropped out of a class. 

What if the class is cancelled due to unforeseen events?

You will be offered a full refund for any lessons that are cancelled due to unforeseen events or offered a replacement lesson if feasible.

Are the online classes recorded?

No, the online classes will not be recorded to mitigate any copyright issues/illegal distribution of intellectual property, as well as for GDPR compliance. 

All course material remains the intellectual property of Richard Gray (Crystal Tuition) and must NOT be distributed to anyone other than your child. Anyone found in breach of this will be immediately removed from the Crystal Tuition Creative Writing Course.