Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation; Updated November 2024

1. Introduction

1.1 Coram SSF and these Terms and Conditions

Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation (Coram SSF) is a cultural education charity that gives young people across the UK the confidence to succeed in life.

Coram SSF places the experience of our schools* at the heart of everything we do.

The following Terms and Conditions are designed to enable Coram SSF – to deliver an excellent and fair experience to all schools participating in the 2025 Shakespeare School Film Festival.

By registering for Shakespeare Schools Film Festival you agree on behalf of your school to abide by these Terms and Conditions. Breach of these Terms and Conditions may prevent schools and / or students** not being permitted to participate in workshops or events, or their film being omitted from the culminating Film Festival hosted by Coram SSF.

* For the purposes of this document the term 'schools' includes any organisation or group participating in Shakespeare Schools Film Festival.
** For the purposes of this document 'students' refers to any young person or people participating in Shakespeare Schools Film Festival.

1.2 Our Inclusive Ethos

Coram SSF creates a non-competitive, inclusive and supportive environment so that any student can take part in the Shakespeare Schools Film Festival. We expect all participants to approach Shakespeare Schools Film Festival with a positive attitude when encountering peers and staff of different ages, ethnicities, backgrounds and abilities.

Coram SSF does not tolerate discrimination of any kind and will take appropriate action if any such behaviour is reported. Failure to properly address such discrimination could result in the school in question being banned from participating.

2. Registration and Finance

2.1 The Teacher-Director and Coram SSF Coordinator

Coram SSF will assign each school a 'coordinator,' who will be your go-to contact throughout your Festival journey. Upon registration, each school must provide Coram SSF with the name and details of a main contact who will be leading the programme in school, called a 'Teacher-Director.'

All of Coram SSF's vital communications about this Festival will go to the Teacher-Director. It is the schools' responsibility to inform us if the Teacher-Director or contact details change.

2.2 Backstage Account

After your registration has been confirmed, Coram SSF will issue you with login details to your ‘Backstage Account.’ This is an online portal on the Coram SSF website which can be accessed at https://www.shakespeareschools.org/admin/login and it is here where Coram SSF will post event dates and timings, your script and other resources and details which will support your participation in the Shakespeare Schools Film Festival.

This account is an important part of your Film Festival participation, so should you have any trouble accessing it please get in touch with your coordinator.

2.3 Registration Fee

Payment of the non-refundable registration fee (£299 +VAT for non-fee-paying schools, £659 +VAT for fee-paying schools) is due 30 (thirty) days after receipt of the invoice. The invoice will be sent within 10 (ten) working days of completion of the online Film Festival registration form. If school funding has been confirmed, but monies cannot yet be released, please contact your coordinator immediately to discuss your options.

We are only able to offer refunds or deferrals in specific circumstances. See 'Refunds and Deferrals' below for details.

2.4 Bundle Offer

Coram SSF also offers a Theatre and Film Festival bundle for a non-refundable registration fee TBC.

2.5 Refunds and Deferrals

Coram SSF is unable to offer refunds on the registration fee.

As a charity, we heavily subsidise each school's registration fee through fundraising, events, and other activity throughout the year. When a school signs up to Shakespeare Schools Film Festival, both they and Coram SSF are committed to the costs of their participation, including staff, workshop practitioners, resources, website maintenance etc. This means that if a school drops out of the programme the charity loses all the money invested, making it harder for us to continue to run our work in subsequent years.

In exceptional circumstances, we may be able to defer a school’s registration fee to the following year’s programmes.

Staffing changes, changes to budgets, changes to school commitments or priorities do not qualify as ‘exceptional circumstances.’ Exceptional circumstances include:

Deferrals will be subject to deductions as follows:

No deferrals are possible after this stage.

The deferred fee will be credited against participation in Coram SSF’s programmes in the following year and the school will need to pay the remaining balance of any price difference.

If there is any chance that you might need to defer your place, please contact your coordinator immediately.

If circumstances change within your school, within the 30-day window for payment, so that participation is no longer possible, the following charges will apply to cover costs already incurred by Coram SSF.

In the case of a union strike, Coram SSF events or training will carry on as normal and we ask that you try to attend planned events. Seek advice from your union.

3. The Film Festival Programme

3.1 CPD Workshops for Teachers

To support and challenge your school’s participation in the Film Festival, Coram SSF will run digital Continuing Professional Development (CPD) workshop sessions for teachers.

3.2 Coram SSF Scripts and Copyright

Copyright of the abridged scripts rests with the Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation. The registration fee only allows a school to perform the abridgement as part of Shakespeare Schools Film Festival in 2025.

The script may not be shared outside school, used in subsequent years, or downloaded for use outside the Shakespeare Schools Film Festival.

3.3 Resources

Coram SSF will provide all participating schools with resources to support their journey through the Shakespeare Schools Film Festival. These range from synopses and character breakdowns, to schemes of work and lesson activities, as well as ‘how to’ guides to support you and your filmmaking team through each stage of the process.

All of these resources will be made available digitally through the school’s Backstage account on the Coram SSF website.

3.4 Your Film

Coram SSF supports the creative exploration and interpretation of Shakespeare’s plays as part of the Film Festival. The audience for your films will be a broad one, including members of school communities from young children and siblings through to parents, guardians, families and grandparents of participants.

Coram SSF recognises the challenging and provocative nature of the subjects, themes and issues addressed in Shakespeare’s plays. We take seriously our responsibility to support schools as they tackle these topics and create work for a broad audience. Simultaneously, this is a matter of safeguarding and child protection is Coram SSF’s highest priority.

Broadly, Coram SSF encourages schools to create a film which would fall within the classification of Parental Guidance (‘PG’) as defined by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC). The latest guidance can be found at www.cbbfc.co.uk/rating/pg.

In particular, Coram SSF asks schools not to include anything in their film which:

If your school’s film does not abide by any of the criteria above, Coram SSF reserves the right to omit the film from publication on our website or inclusion in our culminating online Film Festival. The final decision lies with Coram SSF’s Designated Safeguarding Officer (DSO).

If you have any questions or concerns about any of the content of your film or would like to discuss your creative or directorial concepts or ideas in advance, please do contact the Coram SSF team and our creative and experienced colleagues will be able to guide and support you.

3.5 Copyright and Compliance

Although your film is being made for educational purposes, it is not excluded from being subject to copyright, trademark and compliance laws.

Coram SSF will publish guidance for all participating schools on matters of compliance in their film regarding the use of:

Importantly, this means you will not be able to use commercial music without obtaining explicit permission from the relevant rights holder, which is a costly and lengthy process. We will explore this challenge directly in the course of our teacher CPD sessions.

Coram SSF recommends the use of music, images and video footage which is free of copyright restrictions for inclusion in your film. There are many services and websites that will provide your school filmmaking team with these assets rights-free, but if you are unsure, consult the Coram SSF copyright and compliance guidance and then speak to your coordinator.

3.6 Impact and Evaluation

Each year Coram SSF evaluates our work in great detail so that we can continue to improve our products and creative offer to schools, as well as demonstrate impact and provide demographic data to the partners, trusts and foundations that support us.

To this end, Coram SSF will be sending you various evaluation forms throughout the year to survey your experience and that of your students. Please complete each stage in the evaluation thoroughly.

4. Protecting Participants

4.1 Child Protection and Safeguarding

Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation is committed to safeguarding the welfare of children and young people and requires all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Coram SSF works directly with children and young people and therefore takes the issues of safeguarding and child protection very seriously.

Coram SSF adheres to the Coram Group Safeguarding Policy & Procedures. To read this full policy, click here.

Coram SSF has developed safeguarding guidance for our activity that directs our work with schools and children. We aim to create an environment of safety and mutual respect, where child protection is everyone’s responsibility.

For our full Safeguarding Procedures, click here.

All Coram SSF staff will have a current Enhanced DBS check. For more information see ‘Our Commitment to You’ later in this document.

4.2 Privacy Policy

At Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation we are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy.

We are a charity and a company limited by guarantee and we hold personal data for schools, staff, donors, supporters, Festival, programme and workshop participants and suppliers. We will only use the information that we collect about you in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulations 2018 and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003.

To read our full Privacy Policy, click here.

4.3 Health and Safety

The health and safety of all staff and students is of paramount importance to us. Therefore, we insist that all schools operate under the Department for Education (DfE) advice on health and safety for schools. All participating schools will be expected to have read the DfE’s guidance, and to act under its aegis (see https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-education).

Coram SSF accepts no responsibility for injury to persons during the CPD or digital workshops, other than that which is covered by the Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation’s Public Liability Insurance. Schools will be expected to have provided all appropriate and adequate insurance arrangements for their students and their staff.

Coram SSF carries out its own risk assessments in line with our Health and Safety Policy, but participating schools must also do their own for activity related to this project. We can provide templates if required.

4.4. Our Commitment to You

Coram SSF will ensure that appropriate Public Liability Insurance is in place. All Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation employees are covered by Public Liability and Employer’s Liability Insurance.

We guarantee that all Coram SSF Staff (office staff and freelance staff) working with your school – digitally or in person – and employed directly by Coram SSF will have been deemed suitable to work with children following a Disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service and received Safeguarding training.

Your coordinator will do everything in their power to accommodate requirements or needs of the school, while maintaining a fair experience for all other schools involved.

Coram SSF is committed to making the Shakespeare Schools Film Festival experience fun, fair and professional for all involved, and we greatly appreciate your cooperation in helping us achieve this aim.