Our policies and standards

DBS and safeguarding

The safety of pupils is our first priority. Discover and Be uses HRBC (a section of Atlantic Data which deals with Enhanced DBS checks) for DBS checking our tutors. All tutors are DBS certified through us.

Ensuring quality teaching and learning

We pride ourselves on ensuring that all our tutors offer teaching and learning experiences of the highest quality to our pupils. Our tutors have experience of working in primary schools, secondary schools and privately on a one-to-one basis with pupils of all ages and abilities. We hand-pick tutors who have excellent qualifications and a wealth of varied experiences. In the case of our music tutors they have experience as professional musicians.

All tutors are interviewed and assessed in person by our Directors, Rhiannon Harman and Sheila Datoo, who are both very experienced and highly qualified teachers. Following the initial interview, tutors are requested to provide personal and professional references and are asked to plan and teach an observed lesson. Tutors are also encouraged to observe other Discover and Be tutors in order to enrich their teaching approaches and as part of their professional development. We maintain excellent communication lines with parents and tutors to ensure that everybody is happy with both the standard of teaching provided and the progress that pupils are making. Parents are encouraged to contact Discover and Be directly with regard to any issues and we ask for regular feedback both from the tutor and the parents.

Payment arrangements

Discover and Be will invoice parents directly for blocks of lessons at the beginning of each half term. We use GoCardless for payment purposes.

The system enables tutors to confirm all lessons taught / cancelled at the end of each day at the click of a button.  This information will be fed straight back to us and to your account so that any credits due will be added to your account automatically. We encourage you to keep a record of the number of lessons taught each half term so that we can look into any queries raised efficiently and quickly.  
 

What is a half term and how do I know how long a half term lasts? 

Discover and Be follows the state school half term dates and they can be 5–8 weeks long depending on the length of the half term.

What happens if my direct debit payment does not go through? 

If a direct debit payment is unsuccessful, we will notify you asap and try again. Please note that if three unsuccessful attempts are made, a late payment fee of £10 will be added per week.  

Will I receive an invoice? 

Yes. Your invoice will include:

  • the half term dates (e.g. week beginning 6th September 2025 – week ending 24th October 2025 = seven week half term)

  • the number of lessons charged for (plus the individual cost) for that half term

  • the total amount for the half term

Your invoice will not list individual dates and times for lessons.

Lessons will take place on the agreed same day and time with your tutor each week for the half term period.  

Lesson arrangements including cancellations and extra lessons

What happens if my block of lessons are not used up?

We allow one lesson cancellation every half term provided that more than 24 hours notice is given to the tutor.  In this case, the tutor will confirm that the lesson has not taken place (or has been re-arranged) with the click of a button, and if the lesson is not used, it will automatically be refunded to your account. 

What happens if my tutor has to cancel a lesson?

The tutor will confirm the lesson as not taught and this will be refunded automatically to your account ready for the next half term. 

Can I still book in extra lessons outside the half term dates (i.e during the holidays) or in addition to my weekly lessons?

Yes. This will need to be confirmed with the tutor and with us in advance.  We will then send you an invoice for those additional lessons separately. 

Lesson cancellation

  • We allow one opportunity for lesson cancellation per half term provided that more than 24 hours notice is given.

  • Any additional lessons cancelled after this will be charged for at the normal rate.

  • Any lessons cancelled with less than 24 hours notice will be charged for at the normal rate.

  • Any lessons cancelled by the tutor will be refunded to your account.

  • We require a full school half a term’s notice should you wish to stop lessons with your tutor. This must be given, in writing, no later than the FIRST week of the half term you wish to finish in.

Notice period

We require one full school half term’s notice should you wish to stop lessons with us. Notice must be given, in writing, no later than the FIRST week of the half term you wish to finish in. Please refer to your Terms and Conditions ‘tutor/customer’ contract for more details. 

Communication

We believe strongly that good communication between parents, tutors and pupils is the key to successful lessons and happy, engaged pupils. Our tutors give weekly verbal feedback to pupils and we encourage parents to email us with any queries or feedback to the tutor.

Regarding general matters our Directors, Rhiannon Harman and Sheila Datoo, will liaise with all parties involved (eg parents, tutors, schools) in the first instance. Any general queries or questions will be answered by email or phone promptly and fairly. Parents will receive regular communication from Discover and Be to ensure both parents and pupils are happy with their tutors and pupil’s progress.

You will be added to our email mailing list to receive updates and information from us. We use Mailchimp for these mailings. Please ensure you read these emails. If we believe you are receiving but not reading the emails we will email you separately (from the email emily@discoverandbe.com) to check that our emails are making it through to you.