Lifelong Learning Fees, Charges and Refunds

Course Fees can be made up of a Registration Fee, Course Fees and Examination or Assessment fees.

How to pay for your course.

If your total fee comes to less than £50 you must make full payment at enrolment. Your position on the course is not secure until payment has been made.

If your total fee amounts to more than £50 we can accept payment in 3 equal instalments over 3 consecutive months via a debit or credit card. Please bring your card when you enrol.
- We accept Mastercard, Visa, Delta, Maestro (Switch) and Solo.
If your employer is paying for your course you must provide a letter of confirmation on letter-headed payment from your employer. We will then send them an invoice.

Registration Fees

A registration fee of £7 applies to all of our courses with a qualification. The registration fee is included in the overall course fee. All learners must pay the registration fee, apart from those on the following courses:

English and Maths Skills for Life
Family Learning
Learners aged 16 to 18 years on courses with a qualificiation
Widening Participation and taster courses

Examination/Accreditation Fee

Courses with a qualification also have an examination or accreditation fee. This fee is included in the course fee for the majority of courses. Where there are separate examination charges you will pay for these during the course.

Learners in receipt of benefit (see Concessionary Status) do not pay examination fees. Some of our courses are free, but you will have to pay the examination/accreditation fee shown against it. You are not able to enrol onto the course without taking the examination and paying the examination fee because our funding conditions require you to complete the course fully.

Books and Equipment

You may need stationery, textbooks or other materials for some subjects. Please ask your tutor at your first class before buying any items, or unless you are taking an arts, crafts or cookery course when you will be asked to provide some items yourself.

Concessionary Status

Learners in receipt of the following income based benefits on courses with a qualification do not pay course or examination fees but do pay a £7 registration fee for each course where applicable.

Learners in receipt of income based benefits on courses without a qualification pay a reduced (concessionary) fee.

If you are in receipt of benefit, proof of this must be shown when you enrol for your course.

Benefits that qualify for concessionary course fees are:

Housing Benefit or Council Tax Rebate (excluding single person discount)
Income Support
Job Seekers Allowance
Working Tax Credit with a household income of less than the designated threshold (£15,050 per annum). Child Tax Credit is not eligible. Please provide your original award notice at enrolment.
Pension Guarantee Credit (Saving Credit only is not eligible). Please provide your original award notice at enrolment.
Unwaged dependant of someone in receipt of the above benefits.
Learners aged 60 years or over pay full fees on courses unless in receipt of one of the above benefits.
Learners aged 16 to 18 pay for courses without a qualification, unless they are a dependant of an adult in receipt of a means tested benefit, when concessions may apply.

Refunds

We can only make refunds if your class closes. Although we will do our best to provide our courses and services as published, we may need to alter, postpone or cancel courses or services or any aspects of them without incurring liability. For example, a course may close because of low numbers. We make every effort to find a suitable alternative for you should this happen.

Examination and course fees are only refunded should we close the course or if you have given advance notice before the course begins that you will not be taking up your place.

We do not make refunds if you do not attend your class.