On Acceptance of a place at Bridge House you will be required to sign the following:
These conditions of acceptance form the basis of an agreement between BRIDGE HOUSE SCHOOL (the “School”), the BRIDGE HOUSE EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION and the parents / guardians of the pupil.
Both persons signing this form agree that they are jointly and severally liable for payment of the Development Fund Contribution and for the settlement of the fees account and / or other charges and disbursements made in respect of the pupil. If fees and charges and disbursements are to be settled by another person, this form must be accompanied by a signed letter from that person accepting responsibility for the above account/s.
Development Fund contributions are payable in advance at the time of acceptance, or as subsequently amended in writing. School Fees are payable in advance according to the payment plan selected at time of acceptance. Statements will be issued in advance and will include any additional charges incurred. Should any amount not be paid by the due date, interest will be charged at the prime bank rate plus 2% (two percent). The School reserves the right to refuse entry to the pupil or to require him / her to leave the School on one (1) month’s written notice should any of the aforesaid amounts not be paid by the due date.
The parents / guardians agree that any portion of the Development Fund Contribution which has not been converted to an irrevocable donation may be used by the School to offset any outstanding account at the time of withdrawal of the pupil.
The School will not incur any liability in respect of any loss or theft of, or damage to, the pupil’s personal belongings or in respect of any injury suffered or disease contracted by the pupil or for the death of the pupil arising from any cause whatsoever during or after School hours and whether on the School’s premises, in transit or elsewhere. The parents / guardians waive any right to claim damages or compensation from the School in respect of loss, theft, damage, injury, disease or death. The parents / guardians are advised to take adequate insurance to cover any loss or damage to any property belonging to the pupil or themselves.
The parents / guardians irrevocably waive all claims, and all legal costs payable or claimable from any of them in respect of those claims, which they may have from time to time against the School, its governors and employees, and Bridge House Educational Foundation (the owner of the land and buildings where the School operates) and its trustees or employees, for any loss sustained by or damage caused to them, which arises, directly or indirectly, in the course of the pupil being educated by or at the School or taking part in or being taken to or from any of its curricular or extramural activities, sports, functions and outings from time to time, or as the result of the use of any medical emergency intervention, or from any other cause.
If, according to the laws of South Africa, a pupil is not a South African resident and / or requires a (temporary or permanent) residence permit and / or requires a permit to study at the school, the responsibility of applying, obtaining and maintaining those permit(s) rests entirely with the parents or guardians. The school reserves the right to suspend the pupil from attending school until a valid study permit has been issued. The school or any of its employees or office-bearers shall not under any circumstances be liable for any fines or legal costs arising from the absence of a valid permit(s) or incurred as a result thereof, and the parent / guardian hereby indemnifies the school or any of its employees or office-bearers against such fines and costs.
The parents / guardians consent to the jurisdiction of the Magistrate’s Court in the event of legal action arising out of this agreement.
In the event of the School having to take legal action in terms of the agreement, the parents / guardians undertake to pay all legal costs incurred by the School on an attorney and client scale.
The domicilium citandi et executandi of the parents / guardians will be the residential address stated above, at which address all notices may be given and all legal process served. A notice which is sent by registered post in a correctly addressed envelope to the address specified above will be presumed to have been received five days after the date it was posted. A notice which is given by facsimile to any facsimile number provided by the parents / guardians shall be presumed, until the contrary is proved, to have been received on the next day after transmission.
In the event of the withdrawal of the pupil from the School prior to the completion of Grade 12, one (1) School term’s notice must be given in writing, failing which the next term’s fees will become due in lieu of notice. In the event that the school finds that the relationship between the School and the parents / guardians has deteriorated irretrievably, the School reserves the right to give one (1) School term’s notice in writing to the parents / guardians whereafter the child shall be unconditionally withdrawn from the School.
The Head or his / her authorised nominee is authorised and empowered to perform any act in loco parentis when the parents’ / guardians’ specific authority cannot reasonably be sought or obtained in time.
The parents / guardians undertake to support and abide by the School’s Disciplinary Code and associated rules and regulations, as well as any amendments which may be made to them from time to time. This includes any disciplinary action which may be taken in terms of the School’s Disciplinary Procedures, which will be updated from time to time. The parents / guardians acknowledge that they have been provided with a copy of the Pupils’ Code of Conduct and that they have read and understood it.
The parents / guardians agree that if a medical emergency arises during any activity at the School (or elsewhere if under the School’s care at the time) which requires that the pupil be airlifted to a medical facility, the School may use the medical rescue service to which it subscribes. In less serious cases, the parents / guardians agree that the School staff may act in the light of the medical information supplied to the School on the pupil’s application form and medical information form, or as subsequently supplied by the parent.
The parents / guardians undertake to ensure that the pupil arrives at School punctually, and attends School on the days and at times determined by the School. Any absence will be notified to the School office in advance, or at the latest by 09h00 on the day of absence. The School is entitled to expect a doctor’s note in the event of absence through illness for more than two days. Leave of absence for any reason must be requested in writing, and will be granted at the sole discretion of the Head or a person to whom he / she delegates such authority.
The parents / guardians give their consent for their child’s name, photo, and / or work to be reproduced in newsletters, newspapers and Internet sites and other such publicity media. Furthermore, they will not hold the School staff and their agents liable for any possible actions resulting from privacy and or copyright issues.
The parents / guardians undertake to ensure that the pupil wears the uniform items set out in the School’s uniform requirements and as amended from time to time. They further agree that the pupil’s personal appearance while at School or taking part in any of its extramural activities, sporting events, functions, outings, etc. will comply with the School’s requirements and that if required to do so, the pupil will wear the correct school on such occasions. The School reserves the right to outfit the pupil at the parents’ / guardians’ expense should the pupil not be wearing the required uniform.
The parents / guardians are aware that Bridge House is a multi-faith School. They undertake that the pupil will participate fully in the School’s curriculum, including its compulsory sports and extramural programmes, functions, trips and outings, as determined from time to time by the School. In particular, parents / guardians accept that selection for a school team obliges the pupil to take part in the event or match for which he / she has been selected.
The parents / guardians accept that the School develops reviews or discards School policies from time to time, e.g. the AIDS Policy, and other policies related to health and safety, substance abuse, etc. These policies are collected in the School’s Policy Handbook, which is always available to parents in the office, and is updated from time to time. Parents / guardians agree to adhere to these policies, even though these policies are not incorporated into the agreement of acceptance of place.
Any reference to the Head shall be deemed to include any person acting as Head from time to time or any other member of the teaching staff who may be designated by the School to discharge all or any of the duties of the Head from time to time or to represent the School in any respect concerning any activity in which the pupil may be involved during or after School hours whether on the School’s premises, in transit or elsewhere, concerning the application of the School’s rules or the observance and enforcement of these terms and conditions. Any reference to any other specific office bearer, whether a member of the staff or a pupil, shall include the deputy of such person and any person temporarily performing the duties of that officer or any person designated by the School to act in any position of authority over the pupil.
The School has the right to amend these terms and conditions upon one (1) month’s notice to parents / guardians and such amendments will be binding on the aforementioned.
This agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the parties and no prior or other agreements, representations, policies, intentions or warranties, or any subsequent variation of the terms of the agreement, shall be binding on the parties, except if reduced to writing and duly signed.
Both parents are expected to sign this document. If only one parent signs, he/she declares herewith that he/she is the child’s legal guardian, and is legally competent to sign the document
