Candle Conferences is committed to keeping our events Accessible, Enjoyable AND Affordable. 

1. We can only invoice for Live Events; online events MUST be booked online, except where a school is purchasing a school license for an on-demand lecture series or making a block-booking for an online course (usually 10+ students).
2. To request an invoice, please fill in and send the invoice request form on this page. If your school requires a purchase order number to be on the invoice, please fill this into the invoice request form field.  If there is no purchase order number, fill in 0000.  Chasing purchase-order numbers later takes a long time and causes delays, which can result in places being lost.
3. We cannot accept invoice requests made verbally over the telephone or in a general e-mail or by post to avoid later confusion.
4. Please ensure that you have the authority to book before filling in the invoice request form and check with your line-manager if you are in any way unsure of the school or college policies on trips, visits and purchasing.
5. We will respond to your invoice request by sending an electronic invoice to the finance e-mail address that you provide on the request form within 3 working days.  After this time, please check with the finance officer that your invoice has arrived and is payment-pending.  There have been occasions where confusion has resulted from an incorrect e-mail address being filled into our form for example and checking avoids confusion and disappointment.
6. We hold invoiced tickets for LIVE events for 30 days following receipt of an invoice request form, taking the request in good faith as a promise to pay for these tickets.  If we do not receive payment after 30 days, we reserve the right to release the tickets to other purchasers.
7. If schools request invoices which are not paid within 30 days more than once we reserve the right to refuse any further invoice requests and accept online card payments from that school only.
8. If you have to make an alteration after an invoice has been rendered but before it has been paid – such as to change numbers – we charge an administration fee of £5 per alteration.  Please try to minimize confusion by not filling in the invoice request form until you are absolutely sure of the details!
9. TO AVOID CONFUSION AND POSSIBLE DISAPPOINTMENT, PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOUR CHEQUE OR BACS REMITTANCE ADVICE IS CLEARLY MARKED WITH YOUR SCHOOL NAME AND THE CONFERENCE NAME OR INVOICE NUMBER. This enables us to confirm your places promptly.
10. E-tickets – whether for LIVE or online events, courses or lecture-series – will not be sent out until payment is received in full. We reserve the right to refuse entry to our events to people without tickets.

1. Online Events MUST be booked online, unless you are purchasing a school-license for an on-demand lecture series or making a block booking for an online course (usually of 10+ students). For Live Events we prefer online bookings and credit or debit card payments and encourage these by offering our best prices and special offers to those who book online.  Online booking gives you (and us) immediate confirmation and avoids weeks – sometimes months – of messing around with school finance departments, which often let organizing teachers down.  Credit card companies also provide you with some consumer protection.
2. Depending on school policies, it might be appropriate, more convenient and cost-effective for you to ask students to book their tickets online directly, each paying with their own (or parental) card details and forwarding their e-ticket e-mail to you as proof of their booking before a set date.  This avoids you having to collect funds and them having to pay the extra charges that some “parent-pay” type systems charge.
3. If you ask students to book directly with us through ticket-tailor, please remember to e-mail us with a list once all the bookings are made (so we can approve your free accompanying-teacher ticket(s) and ensure your resources are ready and parceled together).  You just check in by showing us the printed student e-tickets in the normal way.

1. If you wish to make a general enquiry then please contact us by e-mail or telephone us rather than using the invoice request form on this page.
2. Filling in the invoice request form on this page will be taken in good faith as a commitment from your school or college to pay for the requested number of tickets.
3. Submitting the form will be taken as written confirmation that you have the proper authority to make a booking (on behalf of your school or college) and that you (on their behalf) accept liability for the full cost of the non-refundable tickets you book this way.
4. We cannot accept manual bookings over the telephone or by e-mail under any circumstances.  This is to avoid confusion and disappointment.

1. Like theatre or cinema tickets, bookings are normally non-refundable, unless the conference is cancelled by us.
2. Please understand that this means that we will not normally issue refunds or cancel invoices in such cases as… student or teacher illness or bereavement, student driving test appointments, exams or trial exams, inclement weather (except where the whole conference has had to be cancelled), management refusing permission to attend, for whatever reason and including as a result of OfSTED inspection.
3. In all cases treat your purchase of tickets for our events as you would the purchase of tickets for any other event – theater, cinema, concert etc. once tickets are bought, they are bought.
4. In exceptional cases and at our discretion, we might offer a voucher to spend at an alternative event as a good-will gesture when tickets are not able to be used.

1. Students may book individually online for live or online events, using a credit or debit card.
2. We assume that where payment is made in this way either it has been made by a responsible adult on behalf of the student or that a parent/guardian is happy for the student to book tickets etc. on their own behalf.
3. To be clear, we can take no responsibility for supervising or safeguarding students who attend our events without adult supervision and we reserve the right to request signed letters of consent from parents/guardians if we have reason to believe that sixth form students under the age of 18 will be attending alone.
4. We may accept bookings from a parent, guardian or other responsible adult wishing to bring one or more students to our live events, in which case the accompanying adult(s) must attend throughout and act as an “accompanying teacher”, taking full responsibility for the young people in their care.  Refreshments and separate resources will be provided if the accompanying adult is bringing 5 or more paying young people, but not otherwise.

1. We are able to advise about access to the various venues we use and about the availability of hearing loops.
2. We can provide printed resources and power-points a couple of days in advance where this will facilitate enlargements being made etc, or can provide printed resources in a digital format where this is appropriate.
3. Where an assistant is needed for a student to access the event, such as to push a wheelchair or guide a partially-sighted student, we are always happy to accommodate the assistant without charge and provide refreshments as needed.
4. In all cases please let us know when special access arrangements might be necessary and we will do our utmost to help.

1. We have staff who know most of the venues well, have experience of organizing school trips (of writing risk-assessments and filling in other paperwork) and who are happy to help and advise teachers where we can – please e-mail or telephone us.  Please note that this advice is to be used as a guide only, is not legally binding and can never be a substitute for the supervising teacher going through the risk-assessment process for themselves.
2. We do not provide generic risk-assessments for venues as we are advised that this could render us liable if these prove to be inadequate or if a teacher uses generic assessments as a substitute for their own assessment processes.
3. Candle accepts no liability for students who are not supervised by a qualified or related adult at our conferences, nor for any personal belongings or valuables, nor for any additional costs incurred in travelling to or from the events.
4. Candle reminds teachers that they are responsible for students in their care while at the conferences and that they must exercise proper supervision at all times. This includes (but is not limited to)
   1. Maintaining an accurate register of those present and being aware of the whereabouts and welfare of students throughout the day, according to their school’s agreed policies.
   2. Maintaining a list of contact numbers for students, other members of staff, the school and parents/guardians and providing accurate “live” contact details for the lead teacher to Candle, so that we can communicate with your group should it be operationally necessary.
   3. Maintaining a list of relevant medical conditions and being properly informed of how best to deal with a medical emergency arising from a pre-existing condition in one of their students.
      Informing Candle staff of any issues we should be aware (e.g. recent bereavement in the case of sessions on Life after Death) of in presenting the sessions before the beginning of the day.  We will try to make adaptations, including facilitating a student discretely stepping out of part of a session, if possible without damaging the learning experience of others.
   4. Being present for the fire-briefing at 10am and ensuring that students know what to do and where to go in case of a fire alarm or emergency. Conducting a prompt registration for the party in the case of a fire-alarm or other emergency and informing Candle Conferences and/or venue staff of any missing persons, ensuring that students’ behaviour is appropriate and does not interfere with others’ learning or enjoyment or cause actual or potential damage to the venue
   5. Briefing students to switch off the sound on all mobile devices, including tablets and laptops, and not to record audio or video footage of the conference or to post material relating to the events online.  We are on Twitter and invite students (and staff) to tweet @puzzlevardy if they must during the day!
5. Please note that we reserve the right to pass on any costs or charges with respect of damage to the venue or others’ property, including excessive littering, to schools should it be clear that one or more of their students was responsible for such damage.

1. Candle reserves the right to change advertised venues (within the specified city/area) up to 14 days before a conference – but will always keep you abreast of any issues that there might be affecting your event.  Please ensure that you provide us with accurate contact-details for the lead-teacher who will attend the conference so that we can communicate any last-minute issues with them.
2. Candle reserves the right to alter session details, guest speakers and resources without prior warning if operationally necessary. Candle will not be responsible for issuing refunds or covering any additional costs schools and/or students incur as a result of changes to the programme.

The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is the most significant piece of European privacy legislation in the last twenty years. It replaces the 1995 EU Data Protection Directive (European Directive 95/46/EC), strengthening the rights that EU individuals have over their data, and creating a uniform data protection law across Europe.

As a Data Controller, Candle will comply with applicable GDPR regulations when they take effect on 25th May 2018.

In all cases, the person with responsibility for compliance with GDPR is Charlotte Vardy, Managing Director.

1. Direct Marketing Data

We have built our postal marketing database from publicly available DfE records (the most reliable open source available).  Our mailshots are directed to the Head of Religious Studies rather than to any individual teacher.

If you would like a copy of any information we have relating to your school, or would like to opt-out of receiving postal communications from us (maximum 6 times per academic year) please contact us

We do not buy other postal databases or take part in bulk mailings to schools.

We do not sell or otherwise communicate our database in whole or in part to other parties, other than communicating minimal data to our mailing company Send Marketing Solutions in advance of mailshots.  They have their own GDPR compliance procedures as Data Processors.

We engage in digital marketing through Social Media (FaceBook and through them Instagram, as well as Twitter) but have no access to individuals’ details as part of this.  If you are concerned about seeing our Social Media adverts, please check the Privacy settings on your Social Media accounts and/or unfollow us.

2. Data Collection, Retention & Use Policy

When you book an event with us, we use the address, e-mail address and telephone contact numbers you supply us with to inform you about the event you have booked, including by passing on resources from that event.  We are permitted to communicate in this way under the GDPR regulations, because this is necessary to fulfill our contract with you.

We do not ask for any personal details of students you bring to conferences, just the number of students.  This is so that we do not hold personal data relating to those under the age of 18.  Because of this, we require accompanying teachers (or parents/guardians) to maintain responsibility for their students while at our events.

The only time we would have the name and school of somebody under 18 years old (but over 16 years old) would be if they book directly with us via Ticket Tailor, in which case they have to use a card to pay, normally that of the Parent or Guardian. In addition, we do not market to under 18s in any way, so students are usually made aware of our events by teachers.  Consequently, if an A Level student books directly with us via ticket tailor we deem it to be with the permission of a parent or guardian, following direction from their school.

We do not ask for age details of customers, so customers under the age of 18 who have booked directly with us could not be positively identified as being under 18 from records held by Ticket Tailor.

We do not accept direct bookings by students under the age of 16 years old and ensure this by not publicising this option in relation to GCSE events.

As part of the booking process, we now ask for your explicit permission before using your direct name /job title and e-mail address details to market future events.   If you give us this permission, your details will be added to our marketing database.  You can ask us to remove your details at any time – just contact us.

Our marketing database is password protected and access to it is limited to three individuals within our business, all of whom understand our policies and the importance of GDPR compliance.

During events, we sometimes use Socrative to offer online quizzes.  In these cases, the app has its own terms and conditions for GDPR compliance as Data Processors. Specifically, students are invited to enter a name in order to participate in the quiz, but this would be a first name only and they could not be identified from this as there are no other personal details entered or stored by the app. We always offer an off-line alternative for any students who object to using apps or who do not have a Smart Phone.

3. Online Data Processing

Candle uses the online ticketing platform Ticket Tailor as our Data Processor for all bookings, meaning that your personal and financial details are kept secure by a third party.  Our access to the data held by Ticket Tailor is password protected and limited to two individuals within Candle Conferences for use in the event check-in process and to forward resources.  https://www.tickettailor.com/gdpr/

We also use Mail Chimp to manage e-mail marketing campaigns in relation to those who specifically consent to receive marketing materials in this way.  Mail Chimp has its own Date Processing policies which are GDPR compliant.  You can, of course, ask us to remove your details from Mail Chimp at any time.

4. Financial Data

We use STRIPE (events) and PAYPAL (books & resources) for online payments, which means that we have no access to your financial information when payments are made by card and that card numbers etc. are kept securely by industry-leading companies, with their own policies for GDPR compliance as Data Processors.  We do not ask STRIPE or PAYPAL for any information about you and they only collect what is necessary to process the payment.

If you request an invoice, we ask that it is paid securely by BACS transfer or by Cheque. In either case, we do not store your financial data and have no access to it.  Our bank is HSBC and is the Data Processor for this sort of financial transaction.

5.  Images & Feedback Comments

Candle reserves the right to take photographs at and capture video and/or audio of our events and to use photographs, video and audio within marketing materials online and in print.  We also reserve the right to use any feedback comments or testimonials that you give to us in writing, whether by e-mail, social media posts or on feedback forms, within marketing materials.

To protect your privacy, we do our best not to identify who is in pictures and attribute comments in such a way that you cannot be directly associated with them, unless you give us permission to publish your name or post your pictures/comments publicly on Social Media.

Be aware, however, that Facebook and other Social Media companies use clever facial recognition software and may “tag” people in photographs used online, depending on their own privacy settings.

If you (or a student) objects to their image / words being used by us then please contact us and we will do our best to remove anything that offends.