Suitable clothing for under 18s

A leotard covered by leggings or a unitard. Preferably in cotton stretch fabric rather than polyester as cotton has more grip on the silks.

A t-shirt of top can be worn according to participants preference including individual sleeve length preference.

Socks can be worn or removed based on personal preference.

No hooded tops or jumpers are permitted.

Long hair should be tied back.

Suitable clothing for over 18s

Either a unitard or leggings and a t-shirt. Preferably in cotton stretch fabric rather than polyester as cotton has more grip on the silks.

A t-shirt can be worn according to participants preference including individual sleeve length and tightness of fit, however participants may be restricted from certain drops if they are wearing baggy t-shirts.

Socks can be worn or removed based on personal preference.

No hooded tops or jumpers are permitted.

Long hair should be tied back.

Jewellery

Jewellery should be removed without exception including but not limited to; rings, necklaces, bracelets, hoop earrings. Silicone rings are not permitted; they can still snag equipment if caught and could impede your grip if caught on the silks or sling fabric

Stud earrings or piercings are permitted but discouraged and no liability is taken for any damage caused to the area of the piercing from circus activities.

Belly button piercings are not permitted and should be removed.

Implant piercings must be covered if they cannot be removed, however no liability is taken for any damage caused to the area of the piercing from circus activities.

Watches are only permitted for adults if they have a silicone breakaway strap. Although permitted, these are discouraged.

Please be aware that these jewellery rules are in place for individual safety and the integrity of the silks and sling fabric.

Other items

Glasses, CGM’s, insulin pumps, hearing aids and any other medical devices can be worn however please discuss with your instructor how these may affect your experience and how this can best be managed.

Bags, coats and shoes can be stored on the provided shelves during class however please minimise the volume of items bought into the Academy.

You can find us at Unit 2 TAH House, Aviation Way, Southend on sea, SS2 6UN.

The postcode covers a wide area and we are quite near the start of Aviation Way. Look for the Skylark Hotel on your right then TAH House can be found on the right shortly after that. You can take either of the right turnings after the Skylark Hotel. The first turning will take you round the side and into the back of the car park and the second turning takes you through a set of gates into the car park.

You will find us in between WD Dance Studio’s and Sigma Signs.

There is parking available, but please do not park directly in front of the shutters or in front of any other units.

All intro to circus classes are 1 hour total. Our classes include a 10-15 minutes warm up, then the students will move onto the equipment, starting with conditioning exercises, then on to the skill portion of the lesson.

Sessions will use aerial hoop, sling and silks. The students will get the opportunity to try all of the equipment and a combination of class preference and the most suitable equipment for the ability level will be considered to plan the regularity of equipment rotations.

At the end of the session, a general body stretch, with additional focus on the neck and shoulder area is completed before the students are dismissed.

Our sessions are planned carefully to ensure that students develop individual skills as well as the knowledge in how to put them together to form beautiful combo’s and routines.

We are open all year, except for a 2 week break at Christmas.

Classes will run as normal during school holidays and bank holidays.

These sessions are designed for a parent/carer to participate in alongside the child. This type of session is particularly good for children who might need extra support because of additional needs or being a younger age.

Parents and carers can choose to participate by learning the skills themselves if they would like to, as well as providing physical and/or behavioural support for their child. The level of physical support required will depend on the needs of the individual, but the emphasis will be placed on the child building their own strength and understanding of the movements rather than being heavily supported or lifted by their parent or carer.

This session can be attended by one care giver over 18 acting as the support person, but please ensure that emergency contact information is kept up to date if different care givers attend on different sessions.

Open training is not a taught session, whereas all other classes are pre-planned and delivered by an instructor.

As with all sessions, a warm up is still required and the instructor will be present for the session, but it is an opportunity for students to practice what they have learnt previously and if they wish to, they can develop these into combo’s and routines.

Please contact us to discuss whether open training is suitable for you or your child, as it is important to develop a baseline understanding of the equipment safety and be able to safely execute core moves before training in these sessions.

An instructor will be on hand to rig and help students, but they will not be actively instructing. Rigging changes are only to be undertaken by an instructor or approved member of the ECA Team.

Adults

Adults can film or take photo’s of themselves but please check anyone in the background is happy with being in the picture or video if you post it to social media.

We would encourage you to try a new skill a few times before taking a photo or filming. The first go is like a pancake, it’s often a bit out of shape and it’s not going to be your best try!

Please don’t film an instructor while they are demonstrating a move, unless you discuss this with them first.

Photography through the viewing window is not permitted for either adults or children.

Children

Our photography restrictions are tighter for children as part of our Safeguarding measures. Parents, guardians and carers must accept that they are unable to personally determine which participants may be subject to safeguarding restrictions. They therefore should not take photo’s through the viewing window or post photographs or videos to social media showing other participants in the background, unless they have the expressed permission of the child’s parent.

On occasion, parents will be invited into the main aerial space to take photos or videos of their child, or instructors may choose to take photos and share them directly with a parent.

We have a wider photography policy as part of our Safeguarding measures and the key points are summarised below;

• Parents and guardians must ensure that any photographs or video of children is not used in a way that would place a child at risk of harm.
• Photography or filming must not be used in a way that is inappropriate given the age of the participant and the context that the image was taken.
• Photography or filming must not be used or edited in a way that would cause damage or distress to any individual or in a way that could bring the Academy into disrepute.
• The live steaming of video footage is not permitted.
• Breaches of photography guidance will be reviewed by club management and an individual suspected of breaching the photography policy will be asked to delete images, may be asked to leave the premises.

Your feedback is always welcomed. We take concerns and complaints seriously and want to provide a great service.

Please email any feedback, concerns or complaints to info@essexcircusacademy.co.uk. Please provide as much detail as possible so that we can investigate and respond as soon as we are able.

Concerns and complaints will be handled by Chrissy or Molli. If a neutral third party complaints investigator is required, an appropriate referral will be made.

Please ask if you would like a copy of our Complaints Reporting Procedure which sets out in detail what our actions will be when receiving a complaint.

Although we are a new company, our directors have a background in compliance so please rest assured that we have comprehensive policies and procedures for health, safety and welfare.

If you would like any further information on our policies, procedures and supporting documents, please email info@essexcircusacademy.co.uk

Drop Off

The waiting room is not supervised by staff and any students waiting in this area remain the responsibility of their parents.

Instructors will open the door to allow the class to enter at the time of the class and take a register at the door.

Students should bring their shoes, bags and drinks with them, which can be placed into storage cubes.

Upon entering, the students will then become the responsibility of the instructors in charge of the session.

Collection

At the end of the class, the instructor will let the children out, ensuring that an adult known to the child is there to collect them.

If no adult is present, the child will be asked to return into the main circus area and wait for their parent.

Attempts to contact any parents running late will be made at an appropriate stage.

Children will not be allowed to meet their parents in the car park unless the parent has signed WLF010 – Form for parental permission for child to leave the Academy alone.

An older sibling who is under 18 will not be allowed to collect a student unless the parent has signed WLF010 – Form for parental permission for child to leave the Academy alone.