Running Sourdough courses and the Sourdough School website is a business and despite me feeling very much that I am meeting with the loveliest people from all over the world, experience as taught me that we still have to have terms, which we adhere to. Most of the terms are about fairness and integrity, and respect.  We are a small business and when you book a course the costs of running each course actually begin 2 months before you attend.

We prepare food (especially fermented foods,) in advance, supply you with a membership to the sourdough club, and send out gut microbial tests and therefore there are several hours of administration, and direct costs incurred for each booking a long time before you arrive at the school.

We also teach in small groups, and students are able to discuss personal details during the course without worrying about their details or participation being shared. Our terms of business therefore reflect this.

Therefore we ask that you please read these terms carefully before booking.

We regret that courses are not open to any bread making professionals who teach bread making. The only exception to this is for Sourdough Sisters.  Please see information below. 

Please note that by applying to the course you sign in your application, to say that you have read and accepted these terms and conditions.

By entering into a competition you are agreeing with the terms and conditions outlined below.

Vanessa Kimbell

Terms and conditions

Terms Client (you)  hereby warrant that all information submitted by you is true, current and complete.

Contract

By booking a course or buying a Sourdough School enrollment you agree to accept the following terms and conditions.

These are the terms of enrollment onto a course at The Sourdough School or to the content of The Sourdough School website. These terms and conditions constitute the terms of the legally binding contract (“the Contract”) between you, the student, any Guarantor set out in the enrollment form and The Sourdough School (“The School”)

How we assess your application

Attendance is dependent upon successful application.  You will be emailed an application from, which you will need to fill in and return.  You will them need to arrange a suitable time for a short interview.

We look for students who are motivated and inquisitive, and are committed to the process of learning not just to make sourdough, but people who are interested and open in their approach to learning how to make sourdough and how bread potentially affects health and how baking sourdough bread fits in to your overall lifestyle and diet, and more specifically the nutrition and digestibility of bread.

Your application will be assessed by  the team at the sourdough school who will exercise discretion in interpreting what you want to learn and ensure that the course you are applying for suits your needs and expectations.

In assessing your application, we may consider:

We’re particularly keen to ensure that all our applicants have an equal will increase their levels of skills and the course is able to deliver the practical and theoretical knowledge to help you achieve your goals.

The interview

For all courses an interview is a prerequisite for admission. The structure of the interview is an informal conversation on the phone, or via Skype of WhatsApp. This is also the opportunity for you to ask any specifics that you have about attending the course.

Our decision

We aim to process decisions as quickly as possible. If for any reason we’re not able to make a decision for some time, we’ll contact you to explain the situation. You will receive a letter or email asking to book at timeslot to suit. If for any reason you feel this is not the right course for you, we ask that you reply within in 3 working days of receiving your offer and we will issue a full refund. Our decision is final.

Our Invitation to attend

We’re committed to making offers that are appropriate to each applicant and therefore we have the discretion to formulate and vary the courses offered.

We only make offers to students who we believe are capable of benefiting from, and successfully completing, the course. All offers are subject to our terms and conditions.

 

Payments

Payment should be made in full at the time of booking, ideally online or via BACS. The Sourdough School cannot take provisional bookings for courses and we are unable to confirm your place on a course until we have received payment in full. Cheques should be made payable to  “The Sourdough School Ltd,” and should be returned with the booking form.

Confidentiality

By attending a Sourdough course you automatically become a student of The Sourdough School website as a Sourdough Club Ltd member for 12 months. After this time you will be given then option to keep your account active via a monthly payment scheme.

The teaching material is considered to be intellectual property and as such you  acknowledge and agree that the content, information, materials and comments in this website remain confidential to The Sourdough School.

All users agree to maintain this content and all elements in strict confidence and not to disclose or provide access thereto to any unauthorized person or entity and are strictly for personal use only.

This includes but is not limited to the following rules:

Students are provided with a link to register for the The Sourdough School students area of the website.

Students do not have the right to share the password OR any document or material available on the sourdough school website unless otherwise specified by Vanessa Kimbell in writing.

All users must not:

•  Copy, publish or reproduce any of the content from this website
•  Collect data and contact details of members for unsolicited commercial communication such as emailing.
•  Remove any copyright or other intellectual property notices contained in the original material from any material copied or printed off from this website.
•  Or use any content or information from this website in any way for a purpose other than personal use.
• Photograph other students on the courses  – many students request privacy.

Cancellations and refunds

Cancellation by us.

In the unlikely event of a cancellation by The Sourdough School, we will undertake to provide a suitable alternative course within a reasonable period of time or make a full refund to you.

If you need to change the date of your booking please notify us in writing to bookings@sourdough.co.uk at least 8 weeks prior to the course date and we will be more than happy to help find an alternative date.

Cancellation of a course by you. If you cannot attend a course:

The Sourdough School is unable to offer full refunds on any courses booked.

Should you notify us 3 months (12 weeks) or more before the date of your  course booking then we will arrange a transfers to another class may be made, but only in extenuating circumstances and at the sole discretion of The Sourdough School Team. In this case, The Sourdough School must be advised in writing at least 3 months prior to the commencement of the course. In the event that you are unable to attend a class and would like to send someone to replace you, please notify The Sourdough School in writing by email to bookings@sourdough.co.uk they will need to arrange an interview and re apply. 

Should you notify us 3 months (12 weeks) or more before the date of your  course booking we will charge an admin fee to refund of £99 to cover our costs and bank fees. We will also deduct the Sourdough club annual fee of £199. You will retain your membership for 12 months. Should you notify us after the gut microbiome tests have been posted we will also deduct the full cost of the tests allocated to you. Tests are priced at £139 each. We are unable to accept returned tests.

Notification of Cancellations less then 2 month prior to the course are non refundable. The place has been booked and there is no longer time to for any other participant to get their microbiome tested.

The sourdough school vouchers must be used within 12 months from the date of issue.

There is NO cash alternative or refund for vouchers.

In the case of price changes of courses specifically booked the voucher price will be honoured.

There are no refunds whatsoever for enrollment of the Sourdough School Ltd or Sourdough Club Ltd membership.

You accept that any breach of the terms and conditions will result in immediate cancellation/termination of the class.

Sourdough Sisters

Our Sourdough Sisters courses are run only for charity workers and are entirely for non-profit teaching. The information, recipes and knowledge passed on during the course, and the included enrollment of the Sourdough School students pages is only to be used to benefit the specified charity and its attendees, and is not to be used in any way for personal profit. We reserve the right to end membership should any sourdough sisters teach sourdough for personal profit.

Privacy Policy

The purpose of keeping your personal information is to keep you informed of courses, developments and special offers however we guarantee your details will not be sold for commercial purposes.

We will remove your name from the databases upon request. In agreeing to allow your details to be stored in the first instance you recognize that we may retain your postcode information (without the property address) for statistical purposes.

Newsletters sent by email by The Sourdough School contain the means of allowing you to unsubscribe from the mailing list.

In the event of The Sourdough School being found to have breached this privacy policy, it will undertake to remedy the breach forthwith.

Tests

You agree that all test results, including the Atlas Biomed microbiome tests are shared with The Sourdough School team and their contracted test partners. Your details might be used in the research, however your identity and privacy remains confidential.

Anti-social behaviour

We reserve the right to ask any student to leave the course at any point due to any racist, abusive, homophobic, anti-social behaviour. It is entirely at our discretion to remove anyone from the classroom, without notice or refund.

Phones & photography

We do not allow the use of mobile phones or photography during the course. We provide an iphone for all students to use and share for videos and pictures.  We edit these and then share to everyone in a dropbox folder and via a shared WhatsApp group.

Phones may be used in allocated breaks, outside of the classroom.

Health & Safety

Vanessa holds an up today St John Ambulance Emergency Aid Certificate

We have a 5 star Food Safety certificate rating.

We request that you provide full details of any conditions including food allergies or digestive issues before attendance and give the location of any essential medicines on arrival at The Sourdough School.

You must take all reasonable steps to ensure your own health and safety. Any behaviour or act or conduct by you (including without limitation any abusive behaviour, physical or psychological) which we considers to pose any medical, security or safety risk may lead to you being asked to leave the course without refund.

Allergies

Whilst Vanessa is First Aid trained it is the responsibility of the student to inform the course tutor of any clinically diagnosed allergies and to inform the tutor where their medication / auto-injector is on the day of the course.

Liability

The Sourdough School agrees to provide tuition in accordance with promotions or schedules on the www.sourdough.co.uk website with due skill and care in accordance with best teaching practice. We provide all the ingredients, equipment, and any other equipment for the courses, except aprons.

The Sourdough School regrets that that we are unable to tailor courses to special dietary requirements however we do try and accommodate food preferences as far as possible. We are not a nut free environment.

The Sourdough School agrees to be responsible, so far as reasonably practical, for the health and safety of our equipment & ingredients used in the courses.

The Sourdough School will not be responsible for, or have any liability to you for, accidental damage or injury arising during classes in your home or resulting from the actions or omissions of anyone attending the course. The Sourdough School will be responsible for damage directly caused by The Sourdough School if notified at the time.

You must not bring any items of special value onto the School’s premises. The School will not accept responsibility for the loss of any personal possessions.

The School will not be liable for any loss suffered by you, which is indirect, special or consequential.

The School will not be liable for any loss suffered by you resulting from any event, which is beyond the reasonable control of the School.

General

• Courses are not open to any bread making professionals who teach bread making. 
• Courses are not open to Coeliacs – we are very sorry but our insurance will not cover any teaching to anyone with this autoimmune disease.
• We reserve the right to request that you clear your attendance and participation with your doctor or GP in writing in the case of certain health issues.
• We send information on the syllabus, timetable, directions, course requirements, local accommodation. You agree to read this information before the course begins.

ACCESS

We have worked very hard on making a Victorian home accessible to all, however like many old houses our home has a few minor challenges for the less mobile.  We have always been able to work around this in the past and these are minor issues. However we would ask that you call to discuss your specific needs with Vanessa before booking.

The Contract contains all of the contractual terms agreed between you, the invoice addressee and the School.

No failure or delay by the School in enforcing any of its rights under the Contract shall be deemed to be a waiver of such right.

The Sourdough School Ltd is trading as “The Sourdough School.”

The Contract shall be governed by English law.

Competition Terms and Conditions

1. These terms and conditions together with any specific rules set out in Competition Notices (as defined below) are the Competition Term (“Terms”), together to be defined as the “Competition”, unless otherwise expressly stated. By entering a Competition, entrants agree to be bound by these Terms.
2. The Competition(s) is organised and operated by THE SOURDOUGH SCHOOL LTD (its sponsor(s) or any company, radio station or website owned or controlled (directly or indirectly)(“us”, “we”, ”our” “THE SOURDOUGH SCHOOL LTD”). 3. Terms specific to each Competition are displayed in a notice included on the sourdough school website web page posting for such Competition (the “Competition Notice”) and are incorporated herein. In the event of discrepancy between these terms and conditions and the Competition Notice, the Competition Notice shall prevail.
3. We reserve the right to cancel or amend the Competition, the Competition Notice or these Terms at any time without prior notice. Any changes will be posted either within a Competition Notice or these Terms.
4. In the event of any dispute regarding conduct, results and all other matters relating to a Competition, our decision will be final and no correspondence or discussion shall be entered into. Qualifying Entrants
5. To qualify to enter the Competition you must be resident in the United Kingdom .
6. Employees of THE SOURDOUGH SCHOOL LTD or any company involved in the Competition or, if relevant, any advertising agency connected with us, or any such person’s subsidiary or associated companies, agents or members of their families or households, are not eligible to enter the Competition. We reserve the right to verify the eligibility of all entrants.
7. Additional eligibility requirements might apply to a specific Competition, e.g. a valid passport, visas and/or driver’s licence. Provision of such documents will be required if the Competition prize includes travel outside the United Kingdom and/or car hire.
8. By entering the Competition, you hereby warrant that all information submitted by you is true, current and complete.
9. We assume that by using our site and entering the Competition (and you warrant that) either you have legal capacity to enter the Competition and agree to the Terms (i.e. that you are of sufficient age and mental capacity and are entitled to be legally bound in contract) or your parents have consented to your entry of the Competition and use of these Terms.
10. We reserve the right to disqualify any entrant if we have reasonable grounds to believe the entrant has significantly breached any of these terms and conditions.
11. In the event that any entrant is disqualified from the Competition, in our sole discretion we may decide whether a replacement contestant should be selected. In this event, any further entrant will be selected on the same criteria as the original entrant and will be subject to these Terms.
12. By signing the Agreement, you confirm and warrant that, to the best of your knowledge, you have no medical condition that could be adversely affected by any of the events or activities planned or reasonably expected to be involved in the Competition. You must notify THE SOURDOUGH SCHOOL LTD of any medical or other condition which may mean that you are unfit for travel or participation in the Competition as soon as you become aware of such a condition.
13. You must take all reasonable steps to ensure your own health and safety. Any behaviour or act or conduct by you (including without limitation any abusive behaviour, physical or psychological).which THE SOURDOUGH SCHOOL LTD considers to pose any medical, security or safety risk may lead to your immediate disqualification.
14. You are obliged to take all reasonable steps to ensure the safety standards and the general appropriateness of activities undertaken during the Competition and acknowledge that all activities are undertaken at your own risk. THE SOURDOUGH SCHOOL LTD reserve the right to forfeit your place on the Competition or the Prize (without liability or compensation) if, in its reasonable opinion, you may expose yourself or others to risk of illness or injury or to the cancellation, disruption, or curtailment of the Competition.
15. You agree not to carry on your person (or in your possession or control) or to purchase or consume during the Competition any illegal substance. You acknowledge and agree that alcohol consumption will only be allowed with the express prior consent of THE SOURDOUGH SCHOOL LTD and any health and safety team, who will have full authority to restrict your levels of consumption Competition Entries
16. Only one entry per social media category, ie Instagram, Twitter, Facebook per Competition is allowed. Incomplete or indecipherable entries will be void (in THE SOURDOUGH SCHOOL LTD’s absolute discretion).
17. Competition entries must be made in the manner and by the closing date specified on the Competition Notice. Failure to do so will disqualify the entry. 3. There is no purchase requirement to enter a Competition.
18. Source material used by THE SOURDOUGH SCHOOL LTD’s question compilers shall be taken as correct.
19. Proof of posting cannot be accepted as proof of delivery. We cannot accept responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft, destruction, alteration of, or unauthorised access to entries, or entries lost or delayed whether or not arising during operation or transmission as a result of server functions, virus, bugs or other causes outside our control.
20. Entrants should note that unless stated otherwise by us, we do not accept responsibility for the return of any Competition entries, including those consisting of artistic or other material, and may dispose of entries at our discretion.

Prizes

1. Prize winners will be chosen at random unless specified otherwise in the Competition Notice, from all qualifying entries within 28 days of the closing date specified in the Competition Notice. Tiebreakers, disputes, conflicts, questions or concerns will be managed by a member of our staff and, if required by law, by an independent adjudicator. In all matters, the decision(s) shall be final and no correspondence or discussion shall be entered into.
2. Prize winners will be notified in the manner and within the time specified on the Competition Notice. Return of any prize notification as undeliverable or failure to reply as specified in the notification within the time stated therein may result in disqualification and selection of an alternate winner. If more than one prize is awarded only one prize per entrant will be awarded. Competition winners’ names may be published on our social media channels. Claims for prizes must be made in the manner and within the time specified on the Competition Notice. Failure to claim a prize within this time or in the manner specified may result in disqualification and selection of an alternate winner.
3. Prizes are non-transferable and there is no cash alternative. We reserve the right to substitute prizes of equal or greater value at any time.
4. We reserve the right, in our absolute discretion, to request a proof of identity in the form of your passport, driving licence and a utility bill bearing your address.
5. Prizes are awarded at our discretion and prizes may be withheld in the event of improper actions by or on behalf of any entrant. If the improper action is discovered after the prize has been released you undertake, if required, to return the same (or provide compensation) to THE SOURDOUGH SCHOOL LTD forthwith.
6. Where a prize may not be appropriate for a younger contestant, the minimum age for entry will be stated in the Competition Notice and must be observed.We reserve the right to request written proof of age of any winner.
7. All prizes will be presented to winners via the UK mail service, unless otherwise noted. THE SOURDOUGH SCHOOL LTD does not accept any liability or claims for prizes which are lost, delayed or damaged in the post or otherwise not validly received by you
8. We will not be responsible for replacing a prize if a concert or ticketed event has been awarded as a prize and the concert or event is cancelled or postponed. 9. Prizes must be taken in accordance with the dates and destinations and number of passengers specified by THE SOURDOUGH SCHOOL LTD
9. There will be no cash alternative. There will be no alternative destination. 12. Courses are non-transferable. Courses are subject to availability. You must hold a valid UK passport with at least 6 months’ further duration (or competition entry will be invalid). 13. Courses are not available to persons under the age of 18 without the express prior written permission of THE SOURDOUGH SCHOOL LTD.
10. You must comply with the terms and limitations of any insurance policy relating to the holiday.
11. You must comply with the terms and conditions of the airline and other transportation and venues involved in the Competition or the Prize. In particular, you shall comply with all health and safety guidelines and instructions and all applicable legal and regulatory requirements. 16. You are not entitled nor authorised in any way to commit THE SOURDOUGH SCHOOL LTD to any contract, expense or cost entered into or incurred without its advance written acceptance of the same. No variation of these Terms is effective unless approved by an authorised representative of THE SOURDOUGH SCHOOL LTD in writing.
12. Passport control and in-country authorities will reserve the right to refuse entry. If you are refused passage and or entry/exit to or from the country being visited, any additional costs incurred will be your sole responsibility.
13. Any flights, other transport, airport details, accommodation or other aspects of the Prize, dates and times quoted by THE SOURDOUGH SCHOOL LTD or its agents are for guidance only and are subject to change without notice with no liability arising. You must have sufficient financial resources to meet any financial commitment which they may incur in connection with the Prize beyond those included in the Prize itself (including, without limitation, transfers to and from a London airport, meals and drinks).
14. The winner agrees to accept all blackout dates, space availability, requirements etc established by our prize partner(s). 20. You must comply with and are responsible for attending to any inoculation and health regulations required for your destination. Intellectual Property Rights 1. You hereby grant and assign to THE SOURDOUGH SCHOOL LTD the entire copyright and other intellectual property rights in and/or arising from your entry and your involvement in the Competition (including, without limitation, all interviews, pictures, audio, audiovisual, whether your appearance is featured or incidental) in all media and technology (the “Products”), and where such Products are not in existence at the date of this Agreement, by way of present assignment of future assignment. 2. You represent and warrant that you have the right, power and authority to grant the rights set out above and that you have obtained all consents and permissions in respect of the same. 3. For the avoidance of doubt, all rights in the name and title of the Competition and the format rights for the Competition will vest exclusively in THE SOURDOUGH SCHOOL LTD for its own use (in its absolute discretion).
15. In consideration of us agreeing to consider entrants to the Competition, each entrant hereby assigns to us the complete copyright and all other rights in any entry, which shall be for the full period of copyright. We shall be free to assign such rights to third parties. 5. You hereby warrant that the information that you submit and/or distribute will not infringe the intellectual property, privacy or any other rights of any third party, and will not contain anything, which is libellous, defamatory, obscene, indecent, harassing or threatening and shall indemnify THE SOURDOUGH SCHOOL LTD for any loss, damage or liability arising in connection therewith. If relevant, we reserve the right, but not the obligation (and without limiting our rights under your warranty and indemnity above), to screen, filter and/or monitor information provided by you and to edit, refuse to distribute or remove the same.

Liability

 

1. THE SOURDOUGH SCHOOL LTD is not liable in any way for any costs, expenses, damages, liability or injury arising out of or in any way connected with the competition or prizes other than those costs and expenses specifically provided for in the prize (if any). This exclusion does not include any liability for negligence by THE SOURDOUGH SCHOOL LTD or death or personal injury arising out of such negligence.
2. We cannot accept any responsibility for any damage, loss, injury or disappointment suffered by any entrant entering the competition or as a result of accepting any prize. We are not responsible for any problems or technical malfunction of any telephone network or lines, computer on-line systems, servers, or providers, computer equipment, software failure of any email or entry to be received on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet, telephone lines or at any web site, or any combination thereof, including any injury or damage to entrant’s or any other person’s computer or mobile telephone related to or resulting from participation or downloading any materials in the Competition.
3. It is agreed and accepted by you that THE SOURDOUGH SCHOOL LTD shall have no liability whatsoever in respect to competitions operated on behalf of third parties, eg. Sponsor. Confidentiality 1. You undertake not at any time to disclose, reveal, communicate or otherwise make public any confidential information relating to THE SOURDOUGH SCHOOL LTD, its business, personnel, servants, agents or officers to anyone.
4. You may not publicise your involvement in the competition or the fact that you have won a prize without the prior written permission of THE SOURDOUGH SCHOOL LTD. Data Protection and Publicity 1. Winners may be requested to take part in promotional activity and we reserve the right to use the names of winners, their photographs and audio and/or visual recordings of them in any publicity. 2. Any personal data relating to entrants will be used solely in accordance with current UK data protection legislation and will not, subject to 55 above, be disclosed to a third party without the individual’s prior consent. General 1. There is no fee payable to you in respect of your involvement in the Competition.
5. The Terms (unless otherwise expressly confirmed in writing by THE SOURDOUGH SCHOOL LTD) supersede all prior representations, agreements, negotiations or understandings (whether oral or in writing). Except as specifically set out herein, all conditions, warranties and representations expressed or implied by law are excluded. For the avoidance of doubt, no information of any nature about the Competition or the Prize or any of these Terms should be relied upon unless confirmed in writing by THE SOURDOUGH SCHOOL LTD. The invalidity, illegality, or unenforceability of the whole or part of a Term or Condition does not affect or impair the continuation in force of the remainder of the Terms. 3. In the event that any provision of these terms are held to be illegal, invalid, void or otherwise unenforceable it shall be severed from the remaining provisions of these Terms which shall continue in full force and effect. 4. The failure to exercise or delay in exercising a right or remedy provided hereunder or by law does not constitute a waiver of the right or remedy or waiver of other rights or remedies
6. These Terms are not intended to nor shall create any rights, entitlements, claims or benefits enforceable by any person that is not a party to them. Accordingly no person shall derive any benefit or have any right, entitlement or claim in relation to this Agreement by virtue of the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999. Jurisdiction 1. The Competition and the terms and conditions of this agreement will be governed by English law and the parties irrevocably submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts. How to contact us : The Sourdough School Ltd, NN6 9AU UK