Terms and conditions
GENERAL INFORMATION
1- General information and timetable
1.1. Virtus, The British Sixth Form College is a British A-Level College, owned by THINK AHEAD ACADEMY, SL.
1.2. Each academic year lasts a total of 10 months. The academic year 2024-25 starts on September 4th, 2024 and ends on June 26th, 2025.
1.3. The mandatory timetable for the year 2024-25 is 08:30-16:20 from Monday to Friday.
1.4. The compulsory school timetable includes all school hours and different enrichment activities, co-curricular activities and sports.
SHARED COMMITMENTS
2- Virtus, The British Sixth Form College is committed to:
2.1. Apply the principles, values, policies and protocols approved by their school council, which have been articulated through the various documents listed in the School Policies annex included in this document. These School Policies are available for consultation on the website www.virtuscollege.es
2.2. Enrolling the student in the College and providing the student with an education in accordance with the College’s Policies, the Curriculum and the ethical standards established by the College and stated in promotional materials, its website and other publications.
2.3. To ensure that the College complies with the laws and regulations of the Community of Madrid, the Kingdom of Spain and the European Union.
2.4. Comply with the principles, organisational model and action protocols set out in Chapter IV of Organic Law 8/2021, of 4 June, on the comprehensive protection of children and adolescents against violence.
2.5. To have taken out School Insurance to cover their civil liability and accidents on the school premises.
2.6. To duly inform about possible updates of these Terms and Conditions.
3- Parents undertake to:
3.1. Inform the school of any support needs required by the pupil, or if the pupil has any special educational needs (SEN).
3.2. Ensure, under your responsibility, that the pupil has been vaccinated with the compulsory vaccinations specified in the Spanish vaccination calendar.
3.3. Ensure, under their responsibility, that the pupil has medical insurance before entering the school, on the understanding that the school does not assume any type of health or pharmaceutical expenses caused by the pupil’s illness or accident.
3.4. Ensure that the pupil complies with the School Policies listed in the appendix to this document and available on the website www.virtuscollege.es. By their nature these School Policies will be updated to improve the quality of education and to ensure the safety of the school environment and parents should be proactive in being aware of such updates (posted on the website) and keep themselves informed.
3.5. Ensure that the student arrives at school on time, in uniform and correctly equipped for lessons.
3.6. Inform the school of any scheduled absences or report any unforeseen circumstances that prevent them from attending classes.
3.7. Avoid all unnecessary absences, including holidays during school term time.
3.8. Share with the school any concerns or worries that may affect the student’s learning or behaviour.
3.9. Inform the school of any medical condition, illness or functional diversity situation of which the parents are aware that may affect the student’s well-being during school activities.
3.10. To help the student to comply with the Student Code of Conduct (School Policy No. 3) and all aspects of school life, as well as to participate in all areas of the curriculum.
3.11. Encourage and support pupils’ personal work at home.
3.12. Support and respect the policies and guidelines of the College.
3.13. Support and respect the actions of the school in the event of disruptive or negative behaviour or conduct on the part of the student, including the sanctions set out in the Student Code of Conduct (School Policy No. 3).
3.14. Attend parent-teacher consultations, as well as tutorials and other meetings aimed at sharing the pupil’s progress.
3.15. Read, apply and keep informed of all communications issued by the College, responding to them as required.
3.16. To interact with school staff and the parent community in a constructive and respectful manner.
3.17. Provide updated contact details and inform of any possible changes to them.
3.18. Support compliance with all protocols implemented at the College, in particular the protocols relating to health and safety included in the College Policies.
4- The student undertakes to:
4.1. Respect the provisions of the internal regulations contained in the School Policies.
4.2. Respect the rules of school coexistence and good conduct, and protocols implemented in the school.
ADMISSIONS, FEES AND PAYMENTS
5- Admission to the school
5.1. The school will formally communicate the admission of the pupil to the parents by means of a specific email, which will include the pupil’s Vocational Profile.
5.2. Parents understand and accept that having provided false, inaccurate or misleading information during the admissions process may lead to the rejection of the application form or the expulsion of the student from the school, and the school is exempt from any financial or other liability arising from the rejection of the application or the expulsion of the student.
5.3. Parents are responsible for ensuring that the student has a visa/permission to study in accordance with the laws of the Kingdom of Spain.
5.4. The school reserves the right of admission. In particular, it reserves the right to refuse, on the terms set out in clause 6.4, pupils who do not meet the entry requirements specified in clause 6.5.
5.5. At the beginning of the admission process, the school will ask parents to pay an application fee of 200 euros, which will be used to construct the student’s Vocational Profile. For this purpose the school will issue an invoice which can be paid by parents by bank transfer or in cash.
6- Enrolment Fee and School Fee Advance for the second course
6.1. Once the student has been admitted, and formally notified of his/her admission, the school will send the parents the Registration Form and the Terms and Conditions by email, and this document must be returned duly completed and signed. The same email will also include the invoice for the Booking Fee, the payment of which will conclude the student’s enrolment at the school, thus guaranteeing their place at the school.
6.2. Payment of the Place Reservation Fee must be made by bank transfer within 10 working days of notification of admission. Failure to pay, if the school so determines, will render the student’s previous admission null and void.
6.3. The Reservation of Place, only in Year 12, consists of a one-off payment of 5,000 euros. This amount is divided into a tuition fee of 3,500 euros and a tuition fee advance of 1,500 euros. The tuition fee advance will be deducted from the first term’s invoice.
6.4. The Place Reservation is non-refundable. Only in the exceptional case that an IGCSE student, previously admitted, is finally rejected in August 2024 for not meeting the entry requirements stipulated in clause 6.5, will the full amount paid to the College to date be refunded, except for the application fee of 200 euros, within the first five working days following the communication of the rejection.
6.5. For a student coming from IGCSE, the College entry requirements are a minimum of six IGCSE subjects with a pass grade (4/C) or above including Mathematics and English Language, and at least a grade of 6 (B) in any subject they have taken at IGCSE and wish to continue at A-Level. The exception is Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Biology, where they must obtain a grade 7 (A) in the IGCSE subject if they wish to continue at A-Level.
6.6. If, between the date of admission and the payment of the first term of Year 12, the School becomes aware of new academic evidence which makes it inadvisable for the pupil to join the School, the pupil may be finally rejected, and the parents will be reimbursed the amount of the Place Reservation previously paid to the School.
6.7. At the end of the first year at the School, Year 12, parents must pay 2,000 euros as an advance payment of the school fees for the second year, this amount being deducted in full from the invoice for the first term of the following year. To this effect, on the 3rd May of the corresponding year, the school will issue a specific invoice, proceeding to make the corresponding SEPA debit on the following working day.
6.8. The advance payment of the tuition fee for the second year is non-refundable.
7- Types of School Fees
7.1. School fees are made up of: School fees, canteen and additional fees.
7.2. The school may change the school canteen fees and additional fees. These changes will be published on the school website and will be communicated to parents at least three months before the new fees come into effect.
8- Schooling rates
8.1. The tuition fee will be 23,000 euros per academic year, as stated on the College’s website (www.virtuscollege.es).
8.2. The academic year is divided into three terms, and the school fees into three quarterly payments. Invoices for school fees shall be issued quarterly one week before each of the final direct debit dates set out in Clause 8.3.
Quarterly payments in Year 12
Fee for the first quarter (reduced by 1,500 euros in advance) 6,166.67
Second quarter rate 7,666.67
Third quarter rate 7,666.67
Quarterly payments in Year 13
First quarter rate 5,666.67
Second quarter rate 7,666.67
Third quarter rate 7,666.67
8.3. Payment must be made by direct debit to the bank account previously indicated in the SEPA direct debit order. The College will proceed to make the corresponding SEPA direct debits, according to the following schedule:
a) Autumn term (first quarter): 1st to 3rd August
b) Spring trimester (second quarter): 1st to 3rd December
c) Summer trimester (third quarter): 1st to 3rd March
8.4. Parents can benefit from a 5% discount by paying in advance, before 10 July of the corresponding year, for the full course. If payment in advance of the full course has been chosen, the school will issue parents with a single invoice for 21,850 euros and will make a SEPA debit for this amount between 10th and 15th July.
9- Dining room
9.1. School fees do not include the daily lunch provided by the school. The school will pass on the cost of the school lunch through a specific canteen fee which is divided into three termly payments: 1st term: 735€, 2nd term: 552€ and 3rd term: 552€. The exact amount of these termly payments may vary depending on the length of the term.
9.2. The canteen fee will be included, under a specific concept, in the corresponding quarterly invoices of the school fees, and its amount will be included together with the school fees in the SEPA debit to be made each quarter.
9.3. Parents who choose to pay in advance for the whole course will also benefit from a 5% discount on the canteen fee, even if they pay every three months.
10- Additional fees
10.1. Uniform must be purchased online through the school’s official supplier (https://www.e-uniforms.es/). The price will depend on the number of items purchased and will be paid directly to the supplier. All items of the uniform are compulsory except for shoes, which can be chosen by the students as long as the colours are dark and respect a smart-casual style.
10.2. Regarding official examinations:
- All Year 12 students are required to sit each of the As-Level examinations in each of their subjects, with the exception of Spanish (students sit the Spanish examinations at the end of Year 13). Year 13 students will sit all the remaining examinations for the subjects they have taken.
- The fee[1] for these exams is not included in the tuition fee and may vary from one academic year to another. For the academic year 2024-25, there is a fee of 150 euros per exam. This applies to Edexcel, International A-Level Edexcel and Cambridge exam boards for A-Level and IGCSE subjects.[2] For late registrations (High Entry) the examination fee is 195 Euros per examination. In the case of Double High Entry, the exam fee is 285 euros per exam.
- A specific invoice will be sent to account for the official examination fees. For the January exams, the invoice will be sent within the first five working days of November;[3] for the May-June exams, the invoice will be sent within the first five working days of April. These official examination fees will be charged by direct debit, with a SEPA direct debit for the amount of each invoice issued.
10.3. Pupils may use the shuttle service from Plaza Castilla to the school every morning, and from the school to Plaza Castilla in the afternoon. The costs derived from the transport of the pupils, initially paid by the school, will be passed on to the parents, and the corresponding invoice and a specific SEPA debit will be made on a termly basis in accordance with the timetable set out in clause 8.3.
10.4. Expenses will be charged for any school trip with at least one overnight stay. These expenses will vary depending on the trip itself and will be communicated in advance to parents, identifying in this communication the concept, the amount and the date on which the corresponding SEPA debit will be made.
11- Surcharges, non-payments and fee refunds
1.1. At the discretion of the College, as the case may be, late payment due to an incident in the SEPA debit of any of the fees described above will be subject to a surcharge of 5%.
11.2. If termly tuition invoices are not received one week before the final date stipulated for SEPA debit in clause 8.3, it is the parents’ responsibility to contact the School Finance Office.
11.3. Non-receipt of the invoice for a school term does not release parents from their obligation to have sufficient funds in the account to pay the direct debit within the established deadlines.
11.4. If parents fail to pay the sums due, the pupil may be excluded from the school. The school also reserves the right not to enrol the pupil in official examinations and to withhold all results, certificates and school records from the pupil until the sums due have been paid.
11.5. The following criteria apply for the refund of school fees:
a). No school fees will be reimbursed for absence due to illness or any other cause.
b). No school fees will be refunded for the early withdrawal of the pupil from the school.
11.6. If a third party is responsible for the payment of any school fees, parents must inform the school in advance, giving the details of the third party. Parents agree that it is their responsibility to explain clearly all the conditions set out in these terms and conditions and to provide a copy of this agreement.
HEALTH, SAFETY AND DAMAGE
12- Health, safety and damage
12.1. In the event of a medical emergency, the school will make every effort to contact the parents. However, if this is not possible, parents authorise the School to seek medical advice and treatment for the pupil and agree to pay all expenses incurred by the School, releasing the School from all liability. In any case, the actions taken by School staff in the event of a medical emergency will be subject to the protocols set out in its Health Care Policy (School Policy No. 19), which are known and accepted by parents.
12.2. Parents understand, at their own risk, that in the event of an outbreak of a contagious or infectious disease at the school, the school may have to close or ban a pupil or a group of pupils for a period deemed necessary by the Headteacher. In this event, parents explicitly waive all claims against the school.
12.3. When students are at school, their mobile phones will be kept in the custody of school staff unless the student requests that they be allowed to use them in an emergency. Likewise, electronic devices used by pupils at school will be restricted from accessing social networks and websites not required for their academic training.
12.4. In general, the school will apply the provisions of the e-Security Policy (College Policy No. 11).
12.5. Parents agree that the School shall not be liable for death, personal injury or loss or damage of any kind, which the pupil may suffer on the school premises, on School authorised trips or elsewhere, and which is not attributable to negligence on the part of the School.
12.6. Parents are responsible for and must pay for any intentional damage caused by the pupil to property belonging to the school, school staff or other pupils. Parents of pupils who lose or misplace books, iPads or other school materials which have been issued to them must reimburse the school 100% of the price of the items as shown on the relevant purchase invoices.
SCHOOL LIFE
13- School life
13.1. School lunches are compulsory for all pupils and no food or groceries may be brought into the school.
13.2. School rules can be found in the School Policies and, in summary form, in the Parent-Student Handbook, as well as in other documents published from time to time. Parents are requested to read these documents carefully with the student at the beginning of the school year (September).
13.3. Parents accept the authority of the Headteacher and other members of staff on their behalf to take any disciplinary or preventative action necessary to safeguard and promote the welfare of the pupil and the school community as a whole, as set out in the School’s Policies (Nos. 3, 6, 9, 11 and 15).
13.4. At the discretion of the Headteacher, the School reserves the right to temporarily suspend or expel a student in the event of misconduct or serious breach of discipline, as set out in the Student Code of Conduct (School Policy number 3).
13.5. A pupil who makes very poor progress or whose behaviour has a negative effect on the progress of other pupils may be excluded from the School or from official examinations. The decision to exclude a student from the School or from official examinations is the sole discretion of the Headteacher, as set out in the Student Code of Conduct (School Policy No. 3).
13.6. Students may not smoke or consume illegal drugs or alcohol on school premises, at school functions or on school trips. It is strictly forbidden to bring to school or possess any drugs or weapons. In the case of suspected drug or alcohol use, testing may be required and parents will be duly informed in accordance with school rules and applicable laws, as outlined in the Student Code of Conduct (School Policy No. 3).
13.7. Any communication by the school or its staff with one parent shall be deemed to have been received by both parents.
SUBJECTS CHOICE AND BLOCKS
14- Subjects choice and blocks
14.1. Virtus’ students will choose their subjects based on the results and information gathered during the admissions process with the students.
14.2. Students must choose four A-Level subjects, one subject from each subject block (one subject from blocks A, B, C and D respectively). The subject blocks are as follows.
- If the student is a native speaker, he/she must choose Spanish A-Level as the 4th subject.
- Non-native Spanish speakers with poor language skills may be recommended to choose 3 A-Level subjects.
Block A | Block B | Block C | Block D |
Maths | Further Maths | Physics | Chemistry |
Economics | Biology | Media | Business |
Business | Media | English Lit | Geography |
French | Maths | Geography | Psychology |
Physics | Psychology | Business | English Language |
Spanish | Spanish | Spanish | Spanish |
14.3.The initial choice of subjects agreed between the school, the student and the family may be subject to change before the start of the academic year, depending on the student’s final IGCSE grades.
DURATION, MODIFICATIONS AND BLOCKS
15- Duration, modifications and blocks
15.1. The agreement between parents and the School set out in these Terms and Conditions comes into effect on the date of signature.
15.2. The agreement shall be valid until the student is no longer enrolled at the School and each party has fulfilled its obligations under this agreement.
15.3. In the event of non-payment of the sums due, the pupil may be excluded from the school.
15.4. A pupil who is, or has been, engaging in illegal or disruptive behaviour may be excluded from the School as soon as these facts become known to the School, irrespective of the date on which the behaviour took place.
15.5. Parents may unilaterally terminate the agreement, provided that they give notice in writing and on the understanding that any amounts previously paid will not be refunded. If notice of termination of the agreement is given in September, October or November, the school will not refund any amount and reserves the right to demand payment of up to thirty per cent of the second term’s tuition fee (30% of 7,666.67€), if notice of termination is given in December, January or February, the school will not refund any amount and reserves the right to demand payment of up to 20% of the third term’s tuition fee (20% of 7,666.67€).
15.6. Any additions and modifications made to the agreement shall be valid when signed by all parties to the agreement.
DATA PROTECTION POLICY
Your personal data has been collected in accordance with Organic Law 3/2018 of 5 December on the Protection of Personal Data and guarantee of digital rights and with the provisions of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data.
In accordance with the above legal framework, you are entitled to exercise your rights of access, rectification, cancellation, limitation, opposition and portability free of charge by writing to THINK AHEAD ACADEMY, S.L. with address at C/ Valportillo II, 14 CP 28108, Alcobendas (Madrid) or by e-mail to raul.garcia@academiathinkahead.es
In order to comply with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and following the Recommendations and Instructions issued by the Spanish Data Protection Agency (AEPD), THINK AHEAD ACADEMY, SL.
REPORTS
That there is the possibility of making communications through instant messaging systems such as WhatsApp in order to expedite the management of contracted services, for which you are requested to consent, by signing and submitting these terms and conditions, to the use of this type of personal information.
That the personal data requested and provided by you are included in a privately owned file, which is duly registered with the Spanish Data Protection Agency (AEPD), and for which THINK AHEAD ACADEMY, SL is the sole responsible party and recipient.
That only those data strictly necessary for the adequate provision of the requested educational service will be requested, and it may be necessary to collect contact details of third parties, such as legal representatives, guardians, or persons designated by them.
That all data collected has the confidentiality commitment required by the regulations, with the legally established security measures, and in no case are transferred or processed by third parties, natural or legal persons, without their prior consent, except in those cases in which it is essential for the correct provision of the educational service requested.
That, once the student is no longer enrolled in the School, his/her data will be archived and kept for a minimum period of 5 years, after which time it will continue to be archived or, failing that, it will be deleted.
WHEREAS
I have been informed that the data I provide will be included in the file called Enrichment Programme of THINK AHEAD ACADEMY, SL, for the purpose of managing the assigned treatment, issuing invoices, contact, etc., to which I express my consent.
I have also been informed of the possibility of exercising my rights of access, rectification, cancellation, limitation, opposition and portability by writing to THINK AHEAD ACADEMY, S.L. with address at C/ Valportillo II, 14 CP 28108, Alcobendas (Madrid) or by e-mail to raul.garcia@academiathinkahead.es
© 2023 THINK AHEAD ACADEMY, SL. All rights reserved.
ANNEX – School Policies
- Whistleblowing Policy
- Visitor Policy
- Student Code of Conduct
- Staff Code of Conduct
- SEND Policy
- Safeguarding Policy
- Numeracy Policy
- Homework Policy
- Equality, Diversity, Politics and Activist Policy
- EAL Policy
- E-Safety Policy
- CPD Policy
- Complaints Policy
- CEIAG Policy
- Bullying Prevention Policy
- Assessment Policy
- Admissions Policy
- Academic Honesty Policy
- Health actions: emergencies, chronic diseases, allergies and medication
