Below is a list of frequently asked questions, divided into FIVE categories;  Our Facilitators, Our Programmes, Our Costs/fees, General, and Working for Us.  Should you not find the answer to any questions you are looking for, please contact us and we will be happy to help.

Our Facilitators

  • Do all your facilitators hold a current DBS/ CRB certificate?

Yes, we accept DBS’s that are up to three years old, although we now encourage all facilitators to sign up to the DBS update service. Those facilitators who are on the update service will be checked once per year.

  • Do your facilitators have public liability insurance?

Yes, all facilitators are required to hold PLI up to the value of £5 million

  • Are all your facilitators trained in child protection & safeguarding children, health and safety, and equality & diversity policies and procedures?

Our Induction Course covers each of these points in detail and we ensure that our trainers and course materials are updated annually. Copies of these forms can be found HERE.

  • Do you have a recruitment policy?

Yes, and you can see a copy of this HERE

  • What training do your facilitators have?

All facilitators are required to attend a three day induction course which covers; Safeguarding, Health and Safety, Lesson Planning, Behaviour Management, Facilitation Technique and General Good Practice. They are also required to shadow a current facilitator as part of the initial training

  • How do you select your facilitators?

Bigfoot has a rigorous selection procedure which includes completion of a thorough application form, a practical selection and interview day and the taking up of two references.

  • How do you ensure quality control?

All facilitators have access to a free CPD nique’, ‘How to work creatively with Early Years’ and ‘Advanced Facilitation Technprogramme which includes courses such as; ‘Advanced Behaviour Management Techique’, they are also assessed once per term by a member of the senior monitoring team. You can see a copy of our assessment criteria HERE.

Our Programmes – Common questions

  • Do you have a ‘Money Back Guarantee’ Offer?

Yes! We want to limit any schools concerns about spending their money on services like ours. Therefore, as of September 2017, our ‘Money Back Guarantee’ promise, relevant for all one day projects and programmes, ensures that your students have access to high quality creative provision at no financial risk to your school. So, if you are not happy with our service and the quality of our work, for any legitimate reason at all, we will provide you with a full refund upon receipt of a claim; it’s as simple as that! You can download our ‘Money Back Guarantee’ Terms and Conditions HERE.

  • Are you able to work with SEN and EBD students?

Yes. If in a mainstream school setting, we are able to effectively tailor our activities to suit students of all abilities and only ask that any statemented children receive the same support during Bigfoot’s sessions.  Several of our facilitators are also trained to work with students with moderate to severe difficulties, so we are happy to work in special schools or PRUs upon request.

  • What age do you work with?

We are pleased to offer a range of programmes for EYFS children to KS4 students, as well as teachers. Our training programme is available to anyone from 16- 100 years old!

  • What space do you require?

If we are delivering a school assembly, we will need use of your school hall or a similar sized space, and you are able to include as many classes within the assembly that the hall can accommodate for. For our workshops it is great to have a good sized space such as a school hall/music room/drama studio as we are working practically, however all workshops have been designed to be adapted and can be delivered in a good sized classroom with furniture pushed to the side.

  • How many classes can you work with in one day?

We have many different programmes which follow slightly different formats. Therefore, the number of classes and, therefore, students, will change depending on what programme you have booked. A general summary is as follows:

Supply days – up to 5 X classes

Buzz/Mantle – 2-4 X classes

Assembly programmes – up to  X 4 classes having follow up workshops

Story telling Programmes – up to 6 X workshops

We are also able to send in multiple facilitators to accommodate all the classes in your school in one day, at a discounted rate. Please inquire about this when booking.

  • I have lots of classes and different form groups that I would like to participate in your workshops but I am not sure how this will work?

Not a problem, please contact your local Regional office so we can help you work out the specific logistics of your booking and establish the most cost effective way for all children to take part.

  • What we need isn’t covered by any of your programmes, can you create bespoke project for us?

We are more than happy to research, develop and produce a bespoke project for any school or centre based on their individual needs. Please contact us to discuss your requirements.

  • Do you deliver performances?

The only ‘performance’ we deliver is our London Pantomime at the end of the Autumn term. For other times in the year we do not offer ‘performances’ as such. However, we do have a variety of performative/interactive assembly based programmes available to suit a variety of topics and budgets.

  • Do you only work in schools?

Predominantly, yes. However, we are also able to work in other venues such as Church halls, at Summer Fairs, and at Youth Clubs as long as the venue is able to follow our Bigfoot policies and terms and conditions. Please get in contact for more information.

Our costs/Fees

  • Where can I find out the cost of your workshop programmes?

The cost of all our programmes can be found by visiting ‘Where we work’, selecting your local Regional Office and downloading the price list.

  • Do we need to pay additional travel costs?

All costs are inclusive of travel within the vicinity of your local Regional office. Additional costs will apply should you be based further afield.

  • When do you process our invoice?

We invoice retrospectively, therefore you will not be invoiced until after your booking has taken place.

  • Are your costs inclusive of VAT?

Bigfoot Arts Education is a VAT-able company and, therefore, all our costs are plus VAT.

General

  • Will you work in my school even if you do not have a Regional office here?

If your school is not covered by one of our Regional offices, then we will always try and accommodate your school. However, please note that not all programmes will be possible and we may also need to charge for travel and accommodation on top of the cost of the programme.

  • Will you carry out a risk assessment prior to working with us?

We are happy to provide your school with a risk assessment for ‘creative physical activity’ upon request.

Working for us

  • How much work is there available?

This changes every term so it is impossible to say. However, all new facilitators should expect to start off slowly and gradually build up the amount of work that they take on each term. The average amount of work that our facilitators have per week is 2 days, however, there are some with 5 days per week and others who only work on an ad hoc basis once or twice per term. It depends very much on your availability, where you live and what work has come in from schools at that particular time.

  • Do you have any work in the school holidays?

We do a very small amount of work in the holidays so you should never rely on us for work during these times.

  • I’m an actor/musician – what happens if I get an audition?

Although we value commitment extremely highly we understand that auditions happen and there is a cover process in place to help you out with this. However, please note that the facilitators who get the least cover will also get the most work.

  • What are the requirements to work for you? Do I need a PGCE?

We require you to have considerable experience of delivering drama workshops in the primary school sector, but it is definitely not necessary for you to have a PGCE qualification

  • Will I be teaching by myself or team teaching?

The majority of the time you will be teaching by yourself. Occasionally we run programmes where two Bigfooters will teach at the same time, but this is rare

  • I can’t commit to a regular booking, is this ok?

Absolutely, a lot of the facilitators on our books will only ever work on an ad hoc basis

  • How much notice will I get before a booking?

This is completely dependent on the booking in question and the types of programmes that you wish to deliver.  The nature of some of our programmes means you could get over a month’s notice, whereas others may come in right at the last minute