Pottery

We understand that it’s sometimes easier to stagger the payments if you are facing financial stresses so are happy to arrange a payment plan on a case-by-case basis.

To arrange a payment plan, please contact our Thornbury office at 9480 0466 or our Preston office at 9484 5806. Please note that there is a small additional charge for this service

Absolutely, a support worker is welcome to join, at no additional cost! Due to the capacity limits of each class, please make sure that you contact the office prior to booking to find out what classes have space for both you and your support worker.

Pottery is one of our most in demand courses and to ensure that we are able to offer a spot to all interested community members, we ask that students refrain from booking into more than one class initially.

If you are interested in doing more than one class, please contact the Thornbury office at 9480 0466. They will get in contact if there are any extra spots available in the second class you’d like to join closer to the start date.

Due to pottery being one of our most popular courses, we are unable to hold or reserve spots for existing students unless you are an NDIS client where your schedule is pre-determined. If you missed out on a course, submit an Expression of Interest form for the session you are interested in on our website. You will then receive an early-bird email, notifying you when enrolments open so you can get in first.

In order for us to be able to run a class that is financially viable, classes need to have a minimum of 7 students enrolled. If we don’t have enough students enrolled one to two weeks before term starts, we will cancel the class and arrange for students to join other classes that have spots available. Where a student is unable to swap to another class, a full refund will be offered.

If your class is cancelled, we will email and SMS you. Please note, that these communications will come through our booking portal Social Planet. If you reply to the email or text, please be aware that this isn’t regularly monitored so you may not get a response, instead contact one of our offices directly with any questions.

If you are withdrawing from a course, notice must be given 48 hours prior to course commencement. A $50 administration fee will be incurred for cancellations less than 48 hours before commencement of a course and a $100 administration fee will be incurred for cancellations made once a course has commenced.

Refunds will not be given for missed classes or courses. In the event of a course cancellation due to low numbers, all fees will be refunded in full by direct payment to your nominated bank account. If an individual class needs to be cancelled at short notice, we will endeavour to schedule a make-up class. Bridge Darebin does not guarantee that make-up classes will occur as this is subject to trainer availability.

Refunds will not be given for missed classes or courses. If you have missed a session, please contact the Thornbury office at 9480 0466 to arrange a make-up session. Students are allowed 1 makeup class per term. Please note that due to capacity limits, make-up sessions are subject to space availability in other classes so are not guaranteed.

If you are unable to attend a full term as you are travelling interstate or are unwell, we are unable to offer you a refund as classes are allowed to go ahead based on the number of enrolments (and payments). If you would like to try arrange make-up sessions in advance, please contact the Thornbury office at 9480 0466 to see if there is space availability in another session. All make up classes need to be used within the current term and students cannot roll-over make up classes into the next term.

Late enrolments are allowed up to week 3 of a course, and is subject to class availability. To find out what’s available and to enrol, please contact the Thornbury office at 9480 0466.

Bridge Darebin operates as a Learn Local which means we are supported through ACFE State Government Funding so we are able to deliver programs for our community.

This means in order for us to comply with our ACFE funding, students in the ACFE courses (marked with an *) must supply Photo ID (or Centrelink concession card) & Medicare as well as complete the required documentation.

We ask that students please refrain from bringing in their own pieces made outside of class times for firing. This is because our kiln is set up to only fire certain materials that have been approved by the trainers. There is a risk that the kiln may damage your work, or the outside clay used may damage the kiln. We also run a number of pottery courses and have limited space within the kiln so want to ensure everyone is able to fire the pieces they have created in class.

Our trainers have been practicing ceramics, firing work and managing the arts hub for many years. They take all measures and precautions to ensure your work fires safely, however we cannot provide guarantees of final results.

You can enroll online (visit your course webpage for the enrolment link), over the phone, or complete an enrolment form at our Preston or Thornbury office. We require payment and completed enrolment details to secure your place in a course. Please note that new students will undergo an informal assessment to ensure they are enrolling in a course that is consistent with their literacy level. Current students and those who have submitted an expression of interest regarding a course will be notified of enrolment open dates for those courses. Enrolments are open to current students and the public and will be processed on a first-come, first served basis.

Enrolling students are required to participate in a brief informal assessment to determine language and literacy levels in line with national standards to ensure they are enrolling in a course that best meets their needs. This may be conducted via phone, internet or in person. Where applicable, students will be supported to complete an alternative course in preparation for study of the original intended course. Eg. English course to improve English skills prior to commencing a Beginner Computer course. This may only apply to newly enrolling students.

All fees are paid per course, in full, prior to course commencement. In situations of financial hardship, students can apply to training@bridgedarebin.org.au. Subsidized course fees are available for students who are eligible for government-funded programs, referred to as ACFE (Adult Community and Further Education) programs. To be eligible for ACFE funding you must be an Australian or New Zealand citizen, an Australian permanent resident or an asylum seeker in specified visa categories, referred by a Jobs Victoria Employment Network provider.

Concession price is available for pension, healthcare and Veteran’s Gold card holders. A senior’s card is accepted for non-ACFE funded programs. If enrolling online, your concession/pension/seniors’ card must be presented at our office prior to commencement. We offer additional discounts and free places for certain courses to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.

Refunds will not be given for missed classes or courses. Course commencement is subject to sufficient enrolments – minimum and maximum class sizes apply to all courses.

In the event of a course cancellation due to low numbers, all fees will be refunded in full by direct payment to your nominated bank account. If an individual class needs to be cancelled at short notice, we will endeavor to schedule a make-up class, subject to trainer availability.

Notice of withdrawal from a course must be given 48 hours prior to course commencement. A 3% administration fee will be incurred for any refunds. Refunds may not be approved after the commencement of the course.

Enrolments into some courses can be made after the start date. Course commencement is subject to sufficient enrolments – minimum and maximum class sizes apply to all courses. In the event minimum enrolments have not been met, the course start date may be delayed. Students will be notified of any changes to start and end dates. We are closed on public holidays. Some courses may operate during school holidays; your tutor will advise if this is the case.

Students can pay for courses online at time of enrolment, or through our offices during opening hours. Credit card and EFTPOS are our preferred payment methods at this time, and we accept payments by bank transfer and cash. We also accept weekly direct debits (external transaction fees apply). Direct deposit details: Bank: Bendigo Bank Account name: Preston Neighbourhood House BSB: 633-000 Account number: 1285 76022 Reference area: Your surname, course name and time

We will advise students prior to course commencement if there are course material fees to be paid. This is a separate payment, in addition to the course fee, unless otherwise stated (materials are included in all Arts Hub courses).