At Young Film Academy (YFA), we are continually working to ensure all participants in our programmes receive the highest quality care and that every child in attendance has the best experience possible.
In line with our commitment to providing quality service to all attendees, YFA aims to begin and maintain an open and clear dialogue with parents, keeping all parties informed on the services we are able, and unable, to provide with regards to access needs.
If your child has additional requirements relating to special educational needs and disabilities, we will be pleased to discuss this with you prior to your booking. This will allow us to make the best possible assessment of your child’s needs and ensure we have adequate service provision in place to support your child.
YFA will, where possible and where resources are available, make reasonable adjustments to accommodate the physical, behavioral and learning needs of your child.
Please note: We are only able to take responsibility for arrangements that have been discussed and agreed with us in advance.
The dialogue with parents begins with our booking form. Details gathered during the booking process will be used to make an assessment of your child’s needs and our provision, so we ask that you are as comprehensive and open as possible in the information you supply.
Booking form: You will be asked to enter details of your child’s medical and SEND history into a booking form.
SEND Questionnaire: We will then send you a questionnaire to gather further information.
Call/meeting with Programme Manager: If necessary, we will then arrange a call or in person meeting with our Programme Manager.
The findings gathered from the above will then be reviewed internally by the Programme Manager.
Once we are satisfied we can fully support your child we will confirm your booking.
Should adjustments and accommodations be agreed, Young Film Academy will keep this information for one calendar year from the start of the course, after which time it will be destroyed. Should the student sign up for another course, the conversation will be revisited and the adjustments/accommodations updated as needed.
Across the YFA programme, the main access points to consider are: staffing, code of conduct, independent pastoral and personal care, access to domestic facilities, ability to participate safely and enjoyably in the course programme, and if applicable, suitability of transport arrangements.
The variety of courses on offer through the YFA programme breaks down into a range of different locations, schedules, activities, staff and equipment usage, which can be addressed in more detail in dialogue with the YFA team. Below we have included some initial points of consideration for our Day Courses and Residential Summer Camp.
YFA’s day courses (4DFS, MAFIAD, Filmmaker’s club) are typically hosted at Chelsea Academy, London SW10. Prior to completing a booking, if needed, full details of Chelsea Academy’s facilities will be made available by the YFA team. In the instance that YFA’s day courses are hosted at a new location, details of the building’s facilities will be made available by the YFA team.
YFA’s day courses typically run from 10am-5pm with a break for lunch from 1-130pm.
YFA’s day courses are typically staffed at a ratio of 1:8 with some additional support from Admin Assistants and Work Experience.
YFA’s day courses include activities such as screenwriting, screen acting, equipment tutorials, filming, editing, fight choreography etc. Full details of each individual course can be discussed in greater detail at the time of application.
YFA’s day courses feature the use of laptops, monitors, speakers, projectors, cameras, tripods, lighting, sound recording equipment etc.
YFA’s residential Summer Camp is hosted at Culford School in Suffolk, IP28 6TX. Your child will be staying in residential accommodation on site, usually sharing a dormitory bedroom with other participants of the same gender; bathroom facilities with multiple other participants; and dining, teaching and recreational facilities with multiple other participants. As part of YFA’s accommodation of the Culford School Site, YFA provides a separate area students can visit to unwind or find quiet when necessary.
The physical site of Culford School is sizeable, with multiple, multi-storied buildings set at a significant distance apart, cobblestones, and the installation of ramps and lifts has been limited due to many of the buildings being listed as Grade II estate. If your child has a physical disability, prior to completing a booking, please request full details of the Culford School facilities, which will be made available to you for discussion with the YFA team.
YFA’s residential Summer Camp runs from Monday to Sunday for either one week or two weeks depending on attendance. A full sample schedule can be found here.
YFA’s Residential Summer Camp is typically staffed at a ratio of 1:10, in addition to a Designated Safeguarding Lead available for students who need short-term 1:1 support.
YFA’s Residential Summer Camp includes activities such as screenwriting, screen acting, equipment tutorials, filming, editing, fight choreography etc. In addition to recreational activities such as swimming, dancing, yoga, ping pong, arts and crafts etc. Full details of this programme of activities can be discussed with the YFA team at the time of booking.
YFA’s residential Summer Camp features the use of laptops, monitors, speakers, projectors, cameras, tripods, lighting, sound recording etc, as well as equipment associated with sporting and recreational activities.
When considering the suitability of a Young Film Academy programme, please be aware YFA is unable to provide staffing above our standard supervision of either 1:8 (Day Courses) or 1:10 (Summer Camp) and therefore would not recommend our courses/programmes for any child that requires additional care/supervision at a greater staffing ratio.
Please be aware also that although YFA staff receive ‘in house’ training in approaching and managing a wide spectrum of behaviours, they are not specialists in conditions such as ADHD, ADD and Autism.
If you feel a setting with more specific support or higher levels of staffing ratios would be more appropriate, these can be found through the British Activity Provider Association (BAPA) www.thebapa.co.uk.
When considering the suitability of a Young Film Academy programme, please be aware your child is undertaking activities that require the following of rules and procedures to ensure safety. Their actions must not jeopardize the health, safety and enjoyment of themselves, other participants or our staff.
YFA recognises that there is a full spectrum of behavioral traits and that most do not impact on a child’s participation, but to ensure the health, safety and enjoyment of all involved, we require all participants to follow a Student Code of Conduct. If the Code of Conduct is not followed, your child may be sent home, as per the following clauses in YFA’s Terms and Conditions:
4.3. Any failure by the student to adhere to the Student Code of Conduct may result in their participation at the camp being terminated forthwith without refund and in such event the student may be sent home at their own expense.
4.4. Without prejudice to paragraph 4.3 above, YFA reserves the right to withdraw the student from any activity at any time on the grounds of safety or unsuitability, or to dismiss the student from the camp without refund and at their own expense on any grounds that YFA considers appropriate (including inaccurate or misleading information given at the time of registration or booking.)
Therefore we ask that prior to completing a booking you and your child must read and agree to our full Code of Conduct (below) as per our Terms and Conditions.
Please note: no refunds will be considered for those sent home due to breaking the code of conduct.
We appreciate that the information supplied above is just the beginning of a discussion regarding your child’s needs, and we look forward to continuing that discussion with you, if appropriate.
If you have any questions regarding any of the above, please do not hesitate to get in touch, via phone, +44 (0) 20 7387 4341, or email, courses@youngfilmacademy.co.uk.
