Terms & Conditions:

1. About these terms

These terms apply to every course you enrol on with The School of Counselling. Please read them before you accept your place.

Who we are. The School of Counselling Ltd is a company registered in England and Wales, company number 15235547. Our registered office is Belsyre Court, 57 Woodstock Road, Oxford OX2 6HJ. We are a CPCAB recognised centre. Our qualifications are regulated by Ofqual through CPCAB.

Contact us. Email admin@schoolofcounselling.com or call 01865 570279.

Your documents. With your offer you receive a Course Agreement (Fees and Terms), a Welcome Guide and a Student Handbook. These terms sit alongside them. Your Course Agreement and Financial Arrangement set out your personal fee and payment schedule.

2. Enrolment and entry requirements

Your contract with us starts when you accept your offer and pay your £400 deposit. We take deposits only once a group has enough students to run.

How enrolment works. You apply, attend a short interview, and receive an offer. At interview we look at your ability to manage the course content, your willingness to take part in experiential learning and group work, your motivation to develop as a helper, and your emotional readiness for the course.

Entry requirements.

CSK-L2 Counselling Skills: aged 18 or over, with GCSE English at grade C/4 or above, or a Level 2 English qualification.

CST-L3 Counselling Studies: completion of the Level 2 Certificate in Counselling Skills.

TC-L4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling: completion of the Level 3 Certificate in Counselling Studies.

Progression to the next level depends on completing your current course and on the next intake reaching minimum numbers.

3. Fees and payment

Fees for 2026/27 are below. Pay in full, or pay a £400 deposit followed by monthly instalments.

CSK-L2 Counselling Skills (Standard): £1,495. £400 deposit, then 6 monthly payments of £182.50.

CSK-L2 Counselling Skills (Intensive): £1,995. £400 deposit, then 4 monthly payments of £398.75.

CST-L3 Counselling Studies (Standard): £1,495. £400 deposit, then 6 monthly payments of £182.50.

CST-L3 Counselling Studies (Intensive): £1,995. £400 deposit, then 4 monthly payments of £398.75.

TC-L4 Diploma, per year (two years): £4,250. £400 deposit, then 10 monthly payments of £385.

What your fee includes. CPCAB registration, class time with qualified counsellors, scheduled and ad hoc one-to-one time with your tutor, feedback on in-class and submitted work, tutor contact between lessons subject to availability, and cloud storage for your coursework.

How to pay. We accept BACS, GoCardless and Stripe. Your Financial Arrangement confirms your amounts and dates. For BACS, use your initials followed by 18 or 30 as your reference, for example "XX 18". Without the right reference, a payment will look overdue.

Extra time. Every course includes a 21-day grace period after the final lesson. If you need longer, we agree an extension with you through re-contracting. A pro rata fee applies, and we confirm it at re-contracting.

Late or missed payments. If you don't pay as agreed at the start of training, or within 90 days of your course start date, we have the right to suspend your participation and access until payments are up to date.

Your certificate. CPCAB issues your certificate once you complete the course successfully and your fees, including any extension fee, are paid in full.

All fees include UK VAT. For students outside the UK, local VAT is added at checkout where we are required to charge it.

4. Cancelling your place

Your rights depend on when you cancel. There are three stages.

Within 14 days of accepting your place and paying your deposit: full refund of everything you have paid. This is your legal cancellation right.

After day 14, up to the end of your second lesson: we refund £150 of your £400 deposit and keep £250 for administration. We refund any instalment already taken in full and cancel your mandate. If you paid in full upfront, we refund based on lessons attended.

After your second lesson: the full course fee remains payable. See section 5.

Your legal cancellation right. For 14 days from accepting your place and paying your deposit, you have the right to cancel for any reason. We refund everything you have paid within 14 days of your cancellation, using the payment method you used, and cancel any instalment mandate. This applies even if your course starts inside the 14 days.

Your trial period. Most students enrol several weeks before the course starts, so the 14 days often end before the first lesson. You still have until the end of your second lesson to decide the course isn't right for you, on the terms above.

How to cancel. Email admin@schoolofcounselling.com. Include your name, your course and a clear statement you wish to cancel. You are welcome to use this wording:

To The School of Counselling Ltd, Belsyre Court, 57 Woodstock Road, Oxford OX2 6HJ, admin@schoolofcounselling.com. I give notice I cancel my contract for the following course: [course name and start date]. Accepted on: [date]. Name: [your name]. Address: [your address]. Date: [today's date].

5. Leaving after your second lesson, deferral and transfer

After your second lesson, you have agreed to the full course fee, whether or not you complete the course.

• If you leave partway through, the full fee remains payable.

• If you pay by instalment, payments continue on the agreed schedule unless we agree otherwise.

• If you cancel your payment mandate without our agreement, the outstanding balance remains due.

Deferral. You have the right to move to a later cohort of the same course before your course starts, or within the first 18 hours of teaching. Your place moves; your fee remains payable. Deferral depends on a place being available in a later cohort.

If your circumstances change. Talk to us before you decide. We would rather agree a manageable payment arrangement than pursue payment in a way which adds to your stress. Our guides Support When the Course Is Hard and If You Decide to Leave explain the support available.

If you disagree. If you feel a decision about fees or refunds is unfair, write to admin@schoolofcounselling.com. Our complaints process is in section 11.

6. Changes and cancellation by the school

We take deposits only once a group has enough students to run. If we still cancel your course after you have paid, you receive a full refund, or a place on a later cohort if you prefer.

Lesson dates. Lesson dates sometimes move. We give you as much notice as possible, and your course still completes on time.

Tutors. If your tutor becomes unavailable, we tell you and manage the handover so your learning continues. All our tutors are CPCAB approved, qualified and practising counsellors.

Major changes. If we make a change which significantly alters your course, such as its format or length, and the change doesn't work for you, you are entitled to leave and receive a refund for lessons not yet delivered.

7. Attendance, assessment and certification

We expect 85% attendance from students aiming to achieve the qualification. A lack of engagement rarely leads to a student achieving it.

Assessment. You build a portfolio of evidence against the CPCAB learning outcomes. Your Student Handbook sets out what you need to deliver and the deadlines for each piece of work.

Extensions. If life events affect your attendance or deadlines, we support you through re-contracting, extensions and a 21-day grace period. Section 3 explains the extension fee.

Quality assurance. Our Internal Verifier samples work from every group. A CPCAB External Verifier then checks our assessment decisions. Your tutors, the Internal Verifier and the External Verifier all have access to your submitted work for this purpose.

Malpractice. Passing off someone else's work as your own is malpractice. This includes work created wholly or partly with artificial intelligence. Repeated or serious malpractice leads to penalties, up to suspension of marking or removal from the course.

8. Level 4 Diploma: additional terms

The TC-L4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling runs over two years, combining in-person weekends in Hove with online lessons. A cohort needs at least 12 students to run.

Year 2. Your place in Year 2 depends on the school confirming your progression from Year 1. The Year 2 fee becomes payable only once we confirm your progression.

Placement. You are responsible for finding and securing your own counselling placement.

Personal therapy. You must complete 40 hours of personal therapy during the course, at your own cost.

Travel and accommodation. Travel to and accommodation for in-person weekends are your responsibility and are not included in the fee.

9. Online learning, conduct and confidentiality

Level 2 and Level 3 lessons run live on Zoom. You need a desktop or laptop computer, a stable internet connection, a headset or headphones with a microphone, a working webcam, and software able to open Office files.

A private space. Lessons involve personal disclosure. You must attend from a secure, private space free from interruption. Keeping this confidentiality is your responsibility from the first lesson.

Respect for others. What other students share in lessons stays in the lesson. We expect mutual respect between students, tutors and staff, in line with the ethical framework set out in your Student Handbook.

Withdrawal by the school. If your conduct puts the safety or wellbeing of others at risk, or you commit serious malpractice, we have the right to suspend or end your place after following a fair process. The course fee remains payable.

10. Course materials and recording

Our course materials belong to The School of Counselling. Use them for your own study only. Don't copy, share or publish them.

Don't record lessons, or take screenshots of other students, without written permission from your tutor and everyone present. The one exception is the recorded skills practice required for your tutor observation, which you arrange with your tutor and your practice partner.

11. Support, adjustments, complaints and appeals

Tell us about any support needs when you enrol. Your tutor will help you apply to CPCAB for reasonable adjustments or special considerations where appropriate. We follow the Equality Act 2010.

Complaints. Raise a complaint within three months of the issue. We treat complaints fairly and in confidence, and making a complaint never disadvantages you.

1. Try to resolve the issue with the person involved.

2. If unresolved, write to the Internal Verifier. We acknowledge your complaint within 5 working days.

3. The Internal Verifier investigates and reports findings within 15 working days, with a response within a further 5 working days.

4. If you remain dissatisfied, write to the CEO within 10 working days of the decision. The CEO responds within 20 working days of acknowledging your appeal. This decision is final.

Assessment appeals. You have the right to appeal an internal assessment decision. The stages are in your Student Handbook. If our process doesn't resolve it, you are entitled to take your appeal to CPCAB at www.cpcab.co.uk/making-a-complaint .

12. Privacy, liability and legal terms

Your data. Our Privacy Notice explains what personal information we collect, why, and your rights. We share some information with CPCAB and the Learning Records Service to register you and record your achievement.

Our responsibility to you. We deliver your course with reasonable care and skill. We don't guarantee employment, professional membership or a placement. Our total liability to you is limited to the fees you have paid for the course concerned. Nothing in these terms limits our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, for fraud, or your statutory rights as a consumer.

Events outside our control. We are not responsible for delays or failures caused by events outside our reasonable control. If this happens, we tell you, keep disruption to a minimum, and rearrange lessons where possible.

Changes to these terms. We review these terms each academic year. Changes don't affect a contract you have already made, unless the law requires them.

Law. These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales, and the courts of England and Wales have jurisdiction.

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