Terms and Conditions | Brocklehurst Academy

Terms & Conditions for Tutoring

Overview

This website is operated by Brocklehurst Academy Pty Ltd (ABN: 75 686 164 527). Throughout the site, the terms “we”, “us”, “our”, and “Brocklehurst Academy” refer to Brocklehurst Academy. Brocklehurst Academy offers this website, including all information, tools, and services available from this site to you, the user, conditioned upon your acceptance of all terms, conditions, policies, and notices stated here.

By visiting our site and/or engaging in our services, you agree to be bound by the following Terms and Conditions (“Terms”), including any additional terms referenced herein or available via hyperlink. These Terms apply to all users, including but not limited to browsers, clients, students, parents/guardians, and contributors of content.

Please read these Terms carefully before accessing or using our website or services. By continuing to use our site or submit payment for tutoring, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree to all terms and conditions of this agreement, you may not access the website or use our services.

We reserve the right to update, change, or replace any part of these Terms by posting updates to this page. Your continued use of our website or services after such changes constitutes acceptance of those changes.

1. What You Can Expect from Brocklehurst Academy

At Brocklehurst Academy, we are committed to delivering high-quality, personalised tutoring by highly qualified and experienced educators, dedicated to supporting each student’s academic growth. You can expect the following from your tutor:

Punctuality and Preparation
- Tutors will arrive on time for every lesson, fully prepared and equipped with all necessary materials.
Clear Communication
- Concepts will be explained in a clear, structured, and accessible manner to ensure student understanding.
Professionalism and Respect
- Tutors will demonstrate respect for the student, the learning process, and all learning materials.
Individualised Learning
- Lessons and resources will be tailored to suit the student’s age, ability, and learning style.
Engaging and Supportive Lessons
- Each session is designed to be enjoyable, intellectually stimulating, and confidence-building.
Access to Resources
- All lesson materials will be stored in a dedicated Google Drive folder, shared with the student and their guardian(s) for easy access.
Class Notes
- Tutors will record notes after each session, including relevant links and materials. These can be accessed by students and guardians via the Tutorbird portal.
Academic Integrity
- Brocklehurst Academy upholds the highest standards of academic integrity. Tutors will never complete assignments or assessments on behalf of students, nor provide any service that constitutes or facilitates plagiarism. Our role is to guide, support, and empower students in developing their own understanding and skills.

1a. Academic Improvement

While our tutors are committed to supporting student progress, academic improvement takes time. We do not guarantee immediate grade increases at school. Our focus is on sustained growth, deeper understanding, and long-term success.

1b. Marking and Feedback Outside of Lesson Time

Private tutors are not expected to mark pieces of work (e.g. essays or practice responses) outside scheduled lesson hours. Providing meaningful feedback takes time and is most effective when delivered interactively during a lesson.
If a student taking private lessons would like feedback on written work, this should be covered during the lesson. Alternatively, an extra session can be booked specifically for that purpose.
A tutor for private tuition may — at their discretion — agree to mark work outside of the scheduled lesson. This time will be billed at the tutor’s standard hourly rate.
For the online group classes, the tutor will mark the set homework each week prior to the commencement of the next lesson. Students must complete their homework 48 hours before the next lesson to enable tutors enough time to mark their work.

1c. Your Tutor

For private lessons, you will choose an available tutor who will be the teacher for all future lessons until lessons are terminated, unless the tutor can no longer continue with lessons. In this case, we will offer an alternative tutor, suitable to the student's needs.
You may request a change of tutor at any time.
For online group classes, the tutor will be decided before the commencement of the term and students and parents/guardians will be notified.
The same tutor will teach the online group class for the entirety of the school term, except in cases where the original tutor is unable to teach the class due to illness or emergency events, in which case another tutor will teach that class for that lesson. No refunds will be given for classes that are taught by another tutor in such events.

2. What We Expect from Our Students

To ensure each student gains the full benefit of tutoring, we ask that the following expectations are met:

Punctuality
- Arrive on time, ready to begin the lesson promptly and with focus.
Weekly Commitment
- Commit to weekly lessons during NSW school terms, as published by the NSW Government: https://www.nsw.gov.au/about-nsw/school-holidays
Dedicated Learning Environment
- For online sessions, students must have a quiet, distraction-free space (e.g. a study room), free from interruptions.
Access to Materials
- Students should have immediate access to their Google Drive folder and all required materials at the start of each session. The student therefore must have a working Google account (Gmail).
- If the student is located in China or another country that blocks Google, they will be expected to use a working VPN.
Independent Study
- Students are expected to revise regularly and complete any assigned homework before the next lesson.
Independent Reading
- Students must maintain a regular reading habit and keep an up-to-date reading log. Tutors will recommend appropriate books based on the student’s interests and ability. Research consistently shows that reading significantly enhances vocabulary, writing, comprehension, and overall academic performance.
Active Participation
- Students are encouraged to fully engage in each lesson, contribute to discussions, and approach tasks with enthusiasm.
Communication and Curiosity
- Students should feel comfortable asking questions, expressing confusion, and seeking clarification when needed.
Respect
- Students must treat their tutor, themselves, and all materials with courtesy, responsibility, and care.
Academic Integrity and AI
- Students must ensure that all work submitted is their own. Submitting work created by someone else — including friends, family members, or artificial intelligence tools — as one’s own is considered academic dishonesty.
- Unless explicitly permitted by the tutor, all essays, analytical responses, and creative pieces should be written independently by the student, without the aid of AI-generated content. While tools like ChatGPT and other AI platforms can support learning, students must be transparent about their use. If AI has been used in the development of an idea, outline, or draft, this must be disclosed to the tutor.

3. Brocklehurst Academy Portal (Tutorbird)

We use Tutorbird to manage bookings, class records, and invoicing. Upon enrolment, students and guardians will receive access to their own Tutorbird account. This account allows you to:

View previous and upcoming lessons
Access tutor session notes
View and manage invoices
Reschedule a lesson in Tutorbird by cancelling an upcoming session and selecting an alternative time from your tutor’s calendar. (Note: any rescheduling must occur at least 24 hours in advance, and the tutor must also be notified directly by email or phone.)

4. Lesson Commitment

When you enrol for private tuition at Brocklehurst Academy, a fixed day and time is reserved exclusively for your lessons each week during term time. This time cannot be offered to another student and is held for you regardless of attendance. As such, fees are charged for the reserved time slot, not on a per-lesson-attended basis.
We only accept students who commit to weekly lessons during NSW school terms, as outlined by the NSW Government:
https://www.nsw.gov.au/about-nsw/school-holidays
We do not offer discounts or free lessons under any circumstances. Our fees reflect the calibre of our tutors and the value of the dedicated one-on-one time we provide to each student.

5. Current Rates (2025)

Gold Tutor (Years 7–10): $120 per hour
Gold Tutor (Years 11–12): $130 per hour
Platinum Tutor (Years 7–10): $150 per hour
Platinum Tutor (Years 11–12): $160 per hour
Online Group Class (Years 7–9): $100 per two-hour session (billed as $1,000 per 10-week term)
- Trial option: Two-week trial available for $200
Scholar's Programme (Years 7–9): $2,000 per 10-week term, including:
- One 2-hour online group class per week
- One 1-hour private session with a Gold tutor
- Trial option: Two-week trial available for $400

See the Our Tutors page for tutor qualifications and experience.

Fees may increase, typically at the start of each calendar year. Clients will be notified at least 30 days in advance.

6. Rescheduling and Cancellations

For private lessons:

If you are unable to attend a scheduled private lesson, you must reschedule it to another available time within the same week or the following week.
Rescheduling can be done via the Tutorbird portal by cancelling the upcoming session and selecting a new time from your tutor’s availability calendar. You can also reschedule a lesson by contacting your tutor directly via email.
A minimum of 24 hours’ notice is required to cancel or reschedule a session. Cancellations made with less than 24 hours’ notice will be charged at the full lesson rate.
Lessons may be scheduled in 60-, 90-, or 120-minute blocks. Once a weekly time is agreed upon, it is held exclusively for the student throughout the term.
Tutors are likewise required to give at least 24 hours’ notice if they need to reschedule a session.
Any lesson cancelled by the tutor will be made up or rescheduled at a mutually agreed time.

For online group classes:

If a student misses a lesson, they will be emailed a video recording of the lesson.
Students will still be given class materials for the missed lesson.
Students will still be expected to complete the work for the missed lesson, including the homework.
Video recordings will be deleted after 30 days.
Video recordings only be shared with students in the class.
There are no refunds or credits for lessons missed for online group classes.

7. Tardiness

Students who arrive up to 15 minutes late will receive the remaining time of the lesson. The tutor is not obligated to extend the session.
For private lessons, if a student has not arrived within 15 minutes, the session may be terminated, and the full fee will be charged.
For private lessons, if the student arrives after 15 minutes and the tutor is still available, the lesson may proceed at the tutor’s discretion (until the original end time). The full session fee still applies.
Tutors may attempt to contact the student or parent via phone or email in the first 15 minutes if a student is late.
Tutors running late will notify the student/guardian and make up any missed time either in the same session or a future one.

8. Payments

For One-on-One (Private) Lessons:

Prepay: payment may be made upfront (e.g. 5 or 10 sessions in advance)
Pay as You Go (PAYG): payment may be made after the lessons take place
Invoices: issued automatically every two weeks

For Online Classes:

Full payment of $1,000 is due before the term begins.
Trial option: Two lessons for $200 before committing to the remaining $800.

For Scholar’s Programme:

$2,000 due before the term begins.
Two-week trial available for $400.

For Bank Transfers, please pay to the following bank account:

Account Name: Brocklehurst Academy
BSB: 067-873
Account Number: 17351169

Credit/Debit Card:

Card details can be securely stored in Tutorbird for automatic billing.

All payments include GST.

9. Termination of Lessons

If you wish to discontinue lessons, please notify Brocklehurst Academy at least 24 hours prior to your next scheduled session.

Private Tuition (Prepaid): Refunds issued for any unused lessons.
Online Classes: Refunds will be issued minus a $100 cancellation fee.
Scholar’s Programme: Refunds include:
- Online class portion: minus $100 cancellation fee
- Private lesson portion: full refund for any unused lessons (if prepaid)