REFUNDS

We offer a full refund if you cancel your booking with at least 25 days’ notice before the start of your class.

If you cancel within 25 days of the class start date, we can only offer a 50% refund if we are able to resell your place. We will always do our best to sell your ticket on.

Please note:

• All refunds are issued minus booking fees (these are non-refundable).
• Cancellations may be subject to a £50 administration fee.

GROUP BOOKINGS (3 OR MORE)

Refunds for groups of 3 or more people require 30 days’ notice, as it can be difficult to resell multiple spaces close to the class start date.

There are no transfers available for groups of 3 or larger.

CHANGING DATES (TRANSFERS)

If you wish to transfer to a different course date, you must give at least 25 days’ notice before the start date of your class/course.

Transfers are subject to the same conditions as our refund policy.

• Only one transfer per ticket is permitted.
• Transfers are subject to availability.
• There are no transfers available for groups of 3 or larger.

WHAT IS INCLUDED IN MY BOOKING?

We include all materials and firings for all our courses. There are no nasty extras at the end of your courses. We supply all tools and aprons.

For our One-Off Tasters the fee includes the glazing and firing of one pot. All additional pots are charged at £5 per pot. Please note that we are happy for you to have as many goes as you want with the time frame at no extra cost. The extra charge is just if you decide to keep any additional pots. All tools and aprons are supplied.

WHAT SHOULD I WEAR TO A CLASS?

Please wear loose fitting comfy clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty. Long tops should be worn if wearing low slung jeans. We are sure that you have a lovely bottom but it is extremely disrespectful to your fellow students and teacher to be showing if off while bending over a wheel!

Closed shoes or trainers. No sandals or flip flops please.

If you have long hair please tie it back.

All nails should be completely short. This is to stop nails digging into the clay. It is very difficult to do pottery with them and if you do come to the start of a course with long nails, you will be asked to cut them.

WHY IS THERE SO MUCH CLEANING AT THE END OF A CLASS?

Clay dust is harmful through repeated exposure. As students you’re exposure is low risk. Our teachers and volunteers are exposed to clay dust on a daily basis and this puts them at greater risk. For this reason we spend 15-20 minutes at the end of a class cleaning up after ourselves.

All surface clay should be wiped down from the wheels, work shelves and benches using the water bowls provided and all tools should be washed in the sink.
All scraps of clay will be collected by the teachers.
Students are required to mop the floor after wet classes. Teachers mop after dry trimming classes.

We have a simple saying, If you make the mess you must clean it!

WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO COMMUNICATE WITH MY TEACHER OUTSIDE OF CLASS?

If you are running late for a class then please text your teacher.

Any other correspondence should be via email.

MISSED CLASSES

If you are unable to attend a session, please inform us in writing (via email) as soon as possible.

Our courses are progressive and each week builds on the last. Students who miss one session (maximum two) can usually catch up the following week with tutor guidance.

Attendance at key demonstration sessions (usually Week 1 and Week 5) is particularly important, as these introduce core techniques for the course. If you do miss week 1 then we would require you to do a catch-up before week 2 as it very difficult to catch-up a beginner in week 2 without a demo.

Missed sessions cannot be refunded or transferred.

HOW CAN I CATCH-UP A MISSED CLASS?

Optional 2-hour catch-up sessions may be arranged for £60, subject to availability.

We strongly recommend booking only if you are confident you can attend all sessions, or miss no more than one or two dates.

MY WORK HAS EXPLODED! WHAT HAPPENED?

Unfortunately we can’t guarantee that all your work will make it through the firing process. Work can explode for a number of different reasons but it is very rare. ClayKilnCraft cannot be held responsible for any explosions in the kiln.

GLAZING CLASSES

People often ask why the glaze class on a course is several weeks after the rest of the course. This is so that all work can dry thoroughly (2-3 weeks depending on amount of work for the course) before having its’ first, bisque, firings. Only once everything has had this firing is work ready to glaze.

What if I miss my glaze class?

If you can’t make your glaze class we will do our best to squeeze you into another scheduled glaze class for another course. However, we can’t guarantee that there will be space in other classes and at certain times of the year you could have to wait around 3 months before there is another class. You may have to pay for a Catch-Up Class which is £60.

COLLECTIONS

Collections are only ever on Saturdays.

If you have done a one-off taster then you are given a collection date in your info email sent just before your class. You will be sent a reminder a few days before the collection date. If you are unable to attend then please let us know asap. We will send you a maximum of 3 alternative collection dates. If you fail to collect or contact us your work will be kept for 6 weeks after the final collection date before being disposed of.

If you are collecting after a course, you will be sent an email when your work is ready to collect. This will normally be around 3 weeks after your glaze course. If you are unable to attend then please let us know asap. We will send you a maximum of 3 alternative collection dates. If you fail to collect or contact us your work will be kept for 6 weeks after the final collection date before being disposed of.

Why are your collections only ever on Saturdays?

We are a small studio. We prefer not to give out work during classes as this can be really disruptive for the students. This is why we only ever offer collections on Saturdays either in the morning or the afternoons when there are no classes.

IS MY WORK DISHWASHER/MICROWAVE PROOF?

We do not recommend that any work is put in a microwave or a dishwasher.

THERE IS A CRACK ON THE INSIDE OF MY POT. CAN I STILL USE IT?

An ‘S’ crack on the inside base does mean that the pot is not recommended for regular use and should not be drunk or eaten out of for hygiene reasons. Any pots with cracks should be purely decorative.

PREGNANCY, PHYSICAL HEALTH & DISABILITIES

Please note that our pottery wheel classes are not suitable for pregnant participants, unless you are booking a hand-building only course (you can just do hand building in our 10 week course).

If you have any injuries or medical conditions that may restrict movement or a skin condition that may become inflamed by contact with clay and water, please contact us before booking so we can advise appropriately. If you have a pacemaker please let us know as the wheels can affect the running of them.

Whilst we will always try our hardest to accommodate disabilities, we are restricted by the building and being unable to change some of the layout. This may make some disabilities harder to cater for than others. Please contact us before booking for advice and how best we can help you.

You can reach us at:
claykilncraftpottery@gmail.com