FAQ
Before contacting us it may be worth looking below to see if you can find an answer to your questions:
(Click the questions to view the answers)
- Where are you located?
- How much are your classes?
- Why are school clubs cheaper than academy classes?
- How are the classes run?
- Are your coaches qualified and CRB enhanced?
- What are the current term dates?
- Can I have a FREE session?
- Is gymnastics dangerous?
- My child has special needs, can you help?
- My child is shy, is gymnastics the right sport for them?
- My child is very lively, will the coaches be ok with them?
- What are the main differences between recreational and elite gymnastics?
- Do you cater for all ages and abilities?
- What sort of incentives do you offer the children?
- What should I wear?
- Are parents allowed in the gymnasium?
- Do you offer sibling discounts?
- Do you offer class discounts?
- Do I have to book in advance or can I just turn up?
- What happens if my child doesn't enjoy gymnastics?
- Will I receive any documentation on my first day?
- Is your online shop secure?
- I am under 16, why do I need a parent/guardian to enquire on my behalf?
- I am interested in coming to work for you, what do I need to do?
- Do you have to be a member to participate in holiday courses?
- How do your birthday parties work?
- How do I find out if a merchandise item is in stock?
- If I recommend a friend to the academy do I get a discount?
Hopefully you have found answers to your questions, however if you haven't please feel free to contact us by selecting the appropriate department from the list below:
Academy
Schools
Holiday Courses
Recruitment
Birthday Parties
Merchandise
Our academy is located in Beckenham adjacent to Langley Boys School and close to Eden Park train station. For more details please visit the "Where Are We?" page here.
Our school clubs run across Kent and Surrey, please visit the schools pages here for a full list of the schools we operate out of.
Our classes at the academy are charged at £5.80 per class, prices vary depending on the length of the term. You are also required to pay membership and insurance fees, please visit the "Fees & Enrolment" page here for more details. Fees can be paid either full termly or half termly.
Our clubs in schools are charged at £5.00 per session, prices may vary depending on the length of the term and the cost of hall hire at the school, please visit the schools pages here for full details. Fees can be paid either full termly or half termly.
3. Why are school clubs cheaper than academy classes?
Our school clubs are limited to low level recreational gymnastics due to the amount of equipment available. School clubs will focus mainly on floor work or coaches may be able to utilize equipment at the schools if available, where as the academy is packed with equipment and training aids for the coaches and gymnasts to use. The coach to child ratios are also a lot lower in the academy which means that gymnasts will get a lot more 1 to 1 attention.
All of our classes at the academy and in schools are structured with set themes for each week. They run for 45 minutes and generally begin with around a 20 minute warm-up and then gymnasts go off on the equipment with their coaches. For a full list of themes, please visit the "Schedule of Events" page here.
5. Are all of your coaches qualified and CRB enhanced?
All of our coaches are fully British Gymnastics qualified to Level 1 or above, we also have a lot of trainees who are learning skills to take their qualifications shortly, trainees are always supervised by a senior coach. All coaches are fully CRB enhanced.
6. What are the current term dates?
Dates for the current term can always be found on our "Term Dates" page located here.
At the academy we offer a FREE taster session to all prospective members, please click here to book your session online now.
Unfortunately we are currently unable to offer free sessions within our school clubs.
Gymnastics activities have an inherent risk of injury and although the academy will endeavour to minimize any risk, accidents may still happen. It is important that gymnasts always give coaches their full attention and always do as they are told.
9. My child has special needs, can you help?
We are proud to say that all of our senior coaches are GMPD (Gymnastics and Movement for People with a Disability) qualified. No matter what your child's needs or disability, we will always do our best to integrate them into our main stream recreational classes.
10. My child is shy, is gymnastics the right sport for them?
Gymnastics is a great sport for shy children, the structure and social atmosphere are great for building confidence. The main reason behind us having such a young team of coaches is that we find the children relate to them a lot more.
11. My child is very lively, will the coaches be ok with them?
We welcome lively children as it adds to the atmosphere in the gymnasium. Our coaches have had a lot of experience dealing with lively and or difficult children, and it has never been a problem. For health & safety reasons children may be sat out from time to time if they are not listening to the coaches, but if this is the case you will always be informed by a senior member of staff at the end of the class.
12. What are the main differences between recreational and elite gymnastics?
Recreational gymnastics is all about having fun and enjoying gymnastics, where as elite gymnastics is for those gymnasts who wish to pursue it further and compete in competitions. Our philosophy is to make gymnastics fun for all so we do not operate and elite gymnastics program, however we do have an invite only master class for those gymnasts who show a lot of talent and are interested in taking part in a few low level competitions, more details about the master class program can be found here. We also have links with a couple of local clubs who have elite programs if you wish to continue and further your talents, full details can be found on our "Next Step" page here.
13. Do you cater for all ages and abilities?
We have classes for children of 18 months in our pre-school program all the way up to people of 50 years in our adult classes. For full details of the classes we offer, visit the "Classes" page here. We welcome any abilities, whether you are a complete beginner or a slightly more advanced gymnast, we have a class for you.
14. What sort of incentives do you offer the children?
We believe that all gymnasts need a little bit of encouragement, which is why we integrate a range of incentives into their classes. Every child in the academy and in schools will have a star chart which they can gain stars on throughout the term for a range of things, including listening to the coach, trying hard, good behaviour and loads more. In every class we give out 100% J'amies stickers which can be redeemed online for points and prizes. We also do end of term certificates, so every child gets a participation award and some will lucky enough to pick up awards like most hard working, gymnast of the month, best presented and loads more.
We do not have a set uniform, however we do have club merchandise which is available to purchase online here or at the academy. If you do not wish to purchase our merchandise then you are more than welcome to come along in comfortable sports clothing, which is not too baggy (i.e. shorts and t-shirt or leggings and t-shirt).
16. Are parents allowed in the gymnasium?
For child protection reasons nobody other than gymnasts and J'amies staff are allowed in the gymnasium during classes. The only exception to this rule is the pre-school class which parents must also attend to help the children round the equipment.
17. Do you offer sibling discounts?
We offer a sibling discount of 10% to families with 3 or more children.
18. Do you offer class discounts?
If one child or siblings participate in 3 or more classes per week then a 10% discount will be applied to your account.
19. Do I have to book in advance or can I just turn up?
All classes (including holiday courses) must be booked and paid for in advance of the day, this is to prevent over booking and to ensure that we have enough coaches available to teach the children. If you turn up without booking, our staff reserve the right to turn you away. The only exception to this is adult classes, you are free to drop in for these whenever however we suggest you contact the office first to ensure the classes are running.
20. What happens if my child doesn't enjoy gymnastics?
If you are unsure of whether your child will enjoy their classes we encourage you to take the FREE taster session. If you are still unsure, you can pay for the half term so they can have a go. Unfortunately we operate a strict no refund policy so once fees and membership are paid we are unable to refund them regardless of the situation.
21. Will I receive any documentation on my first day?
On your first day at the academy you will receive a welcome pack with all sorts of useful information and a membership form, this can also be completed here by entering the password provided within your welcome pack.
22. Is your online shop secure?
Yes, all payments are encrypted and processed through PayPal, one of the largest providers of e-commerce solutions.
23. I am under 16, why do I need a parent/guardian to enquire on my behalf?
As a British Gymnastics affiliated club we are obliged to keep to their policies. Within their safeguarding and protecting children policy there is a section which reads:
"It is unacceptable for adult members of staff to communicate with gymnasts under the age of 18 years by text message, through internet chat rooms/social networking sites or e-mail. All communication by these methods should be through an appropriate parent or guardian. Subject to parental consent, staff can communicate with young people over the age of sixteen years but a copy of all correspondence must be sent to either the welfare officer or a senior official."
A full copy of the policy can be downloaded here.
24. I am interested in coming to work for you, what do I need to do?
If you are interested in coming to work for us then you should visit the recruitment pages here.
25. Do you have to be a member to participate in holiday courses?
Our holiday courses are open to any child between 4 and 15 regardless of whether you are a member of the academy.
26. How do your birthday parties work?.
Our birthday parties are for 5-11 year olds, you do not have to be a member to have a J'amies birthday party. For more details on our birthday parties, please click here.
27. How do I find out if a merchandise item is in stock?
To find out if an item is in stock please contact our merchandise department by clicking here.
28. If I recommend a friend to the academy do I get a discount?
Yes, as long as your friend completes a membership form and puts your name in the box which saya "where did you hear about us?". For more details download the flyer here.
