1. About ShamBits

These Terms and Conditions ("Terms") are a contract between Shambits LTD, a company registered in England and Wales under company number 14700340, with its registered office at 86-90 Paul Street, London, England, EC2A 4NE, United Kingdom ("ShamBits", "we", "us", "our"), and the person who registers an account with us ("you", the "Account Owner").

You can contact us at hello@shambits.com.

ShamBits Academy is an online platform through which children and adults can book and attend live, one-to-one online tutoring lessons delivered by independent contractor teachers ("Teachers") over video call.

2. Definitions

• "Account" means the registered account you hold with us to access the Platform.
• "Account Owner" means the person who registers and controls the Account, makes payment, and is legally responsible for its use. The Account Owner must be at least 18 years old.
• "Student" means the person who receives lessons through the Platform. A Student may be the Account Owner themselves (an adult learning for their own benefit) or a child or other individual for whom the Account Owner has created a Student profile.
• "Platform" means the ShamBits Academy website, student, teacher, and admin web applications, and any related services.
• "Lesson" means a scheduled, live, one-to-one online tutoring session between a Student and a Teacher.
• "Subscription" means a recurring paid plan that entitles a Student to a set number or pattern of Lessons.
• "Teacher" means an independent contractor engaged by ShamBits to deliver Lessons, under a separate Independent Contractor Teacher Agreement with ShamBits.
• "Safeguarding Policy" means our Safeguarding & Child Protection Policy.

3. Eligibility — Account Owner must be 18 or over

3.1 You may only create an Account and act as an Account Owner if you are at least 18 years old. When you register, you will be asked to confirm this directly, and we keep a record that you did so.

3.2 A person under 18 may only use the Platform as a Student under an Account created and controlled by their parent or legal guardian (or another adult with lawful parental responsibility for them). We do not offer accounts to under-18s in their own right, and a child does not have their own separate login.

3.3 An adult (18 or over) may register their own Account and add themselves as the Student ("learning for myself").

4. Parent/guardian responsibility for minors

4.1 If you create a Student profile for a child, you confirm that you are that child's parent or legal guardian, or otherwise have lawful authority to make arrangements for their tutoring on their behalf, and that the information you provide about them is accurate.

4.2 As Account Owner, you remain responsible for the child's Student profile and for supervising their use of the Platform, including their conduct during Lessons, to the extent appropriate for their age.

4.3 Where these Terms refer to "you" in relation to a Student's use of the Platform, and the Student is a child, that obligation is one you accept and are responsible for as the Account Owner, on the child's behalf.

5. Account registration and security

5.1 You must provide accurate, current information when registering and keep it up to date.

5.2 You are responsible for keeping your login credentials confidential and for all activity that occurs under your Account. Tell us immediately at hello@shambits.com if you believe your Account has been accessed without your permission.

5.3 We may take reasonable steps to verify your identity and the accuracy of information you provide.

6. Courses and one-to-one lessons

6.1 ShamBits offers structured courses (for example, in Arabic language and Quran-related learning paths) delivered as live, one-to-one Lessons between a Student and an assigned Teacher — not group classes.

6.2 Course content and curriculum materials are provided by ShamBits and its Teachers and are made available to you only for the purpose of, and only for the duration of, your active Subscription (see clause 26).

7. Teacher assignment and matching

7.1 When you subscribe, we assign a Teacher to the Student based on factors including the Student's selected course, age, language, availability, and any teacher-gender preference or requirement recorded on the Student's profile (see clause 8).

7.2 We do not currently offer a browsing or self-selection tool for choosing a specific Teacher; assignment is carried out by our matching process. If a Teacher becomes unavailable (for example due to a schedule change, suspension, or departure), we will assign a suitable replacement Teacher where possible.

8. Teacher gender preferences and requirements

8.1 When creating a Student profile, the Account Owner may record a preference or requirement regarding the gender of the assigned Teacher. Our options range from no preference through to a firm requirement for a female or male Teacher.

8.2 We take this preference or requirement into account, together with a Teacher's own declared and approved eligibility to teach students of a given age group and gender combination, when assigning a Teacher to a Student. Where a firm requirement is recorded, we will only assign a Teacher who meets it.

9. Subscription packages

9.1 We offer paid Subscription packages that give a Student access to a set pattern of Lessons for a recurring billing period. Current packages, pricing, and lesson allowances are described on our website and may be updated by us from time to time; changes to pricing will not apply to a billing period you have already paid for.

10. Recurring billing

10.1 A Subscription renews automatically at the end of each billing period unless you cancel it in accordance with clause 22, or we end it in accordance with clause 21.

10.2 Payment is taken in advance for each billing period via our payment processor (see clause 11).

11. Payment processing (Stripe)

11.1 All payments are processed by Stripe, our third-party payment processor. We use Stripe's hosted checkout, which means your full card details are entered directly with Stripe and are never seen by or stored on ShamBits' own systems.

11.2 By subscribing, you agree to Stripe's own terms governing the payment service, in addition to these Terms.

12. Availability and scheduling

12.1 Lessons are scheduled against the Teacher's published availability and the Student's selected recurring time slot(s), in the time zone recorded on the relevant profile.

12.2 We aim to keep scheduling accurate and to notify you of any change that affects a booked Lesson, but availability can change (for example due to a Teacher's absence) and we will act reasonably to reschedule or reassign a Lesson where this happens.

13. Student rescheduling

13.1 The Account Owner may reschedule a Student's upcoming Lesson to another available time with the same Teacher, provided the request is made more than 24 hours before the Lesson's scheduled start time.

13.2 A rescheduling request made within 24 hours of a Lesson's start time cannot be accepted through the normal rescheduling process, and the Lesson is treated as forfeited under your Subscription in the same way as a Student no-show (see clause 15). This clause 13.2 does not affect clause 15.2 (matters caused by ShamBits) or any right you have under applicable law that overrides this policy.

13.3 Rescheduling a Lesson does not, by itself, entitle you to a refund or credit — it simply moves the Lesson to a new time within your Subscription.

14. Teacher rescheduling

14.1 A Teacher may also request to reschedule a Lesson more than 24 hours before its scheduled start. We monitor how often this happens for each Teacher, as part of maintaining service quality and reliability — see clause 14.3.

14.2 Where a Teacher needs to change a Lesson within 24 hours of its scheduled start, this is treated as an exceptional, late change: the Teacher must give a reason, and it is recorded and reviewed by us.

14.3 Teachers are expected to maintain reliable availability and to keep disruption to Students' scheduled Lessons to a minimum. We monitor how frequently a Teacher reschedules Lessons and may warn, restrict new assignments to, pause, suspend, or terminate our arrangement with a Teacher where rescheduling by that Teacher is excessive or materially affects Students, in accordance with our Independent Contractor Teacher Agreement with them. Where a Teacher-initiated reschedule affects your Lesson, we will let you know and help arrange a replacement time.

15. Student no-show

15.1 If a Student does not join a scheduled Lesson (and the Teacher was present and available), the Lesson is treated as taken and is not automatically refunded, credited, or rescheduled.

15.2 If the circumstances were caused by ShamBits or were otherwise outside your control in a way that gives you a right under applicable law, please contact us at hello@shambits.com and we will address it in line with that right.

16. Teacher no-show

16.1 If a Teacher does not join a scheduled Lesson (and the Student was present and available), this is recorded and reviewed by us, and the Teacher is not paid for that Lesson.

16.2 Where a Teacher no-show is confirmed, we will arrange, at no additional cost to you, a replacement Lesson — either with the same Teacher's next available slot or, where appropriate, with a different suitably eligible Teacher.

17. Lesson reports and feedback

17.1 After each Lesson, the Teacher completes a short lesson report, which becomes available to the Account Owner once submitted (for example, a summary of what was taught, how the Student performed, and any homework set). Once submitted, a lesson report cannot normally be edited by the Teacher; if a correction is needed, please contact us.

17.2 The Account Owner and the Teacher may each separately submit private feedback about a Lesson (for example, a simple rating and optional comment). This feedback is used internally by us to monitor quality and safeguarding and is not published or shown to other users.

18. Lesson recording

18.1 Lessons delivered on the Platform are configured to be recorded, as a standard part of the service, for the purposes of safeguarding, quality assurance, and reviewing disputes or incidents. Recording is not an optional preference you or a Teacher can switch off for a particular Lesson — it applies to how the service itself is delivered.

18.2 Before a Lesson begins, Students and Teachers see an in-app notice explaining that the Lesson is configured to be recorded and telling them the purposes described above. Continuing into the Lesson confirms that the notice has been seen and understood.

18.3 Occasionally, a technical failure may mean a particular Lesson is not successfully recorded, or that a recording stops partway through. We do not guarantee that every Lesson will result in a usable recording. Where recording fails or stops, the Lesson still goes ahead as normal — a recording failure does not, by itself, stop or cancel a Lesson, and our safeguarding arrangements continue to apply regardless.

18.4 Recordings that are successfully created are only accessible to authorised ShamBits administrators, for the purposes described above, and are kept for up to 30 days before being permanently deleted. Full detail of how we handle recordings and other personal data is set out in our Main Privacy Notice, our Children's Privacy Notice, and our Safeguarding & Child Protection Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference (see clause 20); our Privacy Notices are separate transparency documents, not part of this contract.

19. Appropriate behaviour and conduct

19.1 When using the Platform, you (and any Student using your Account) must behave respectfully and appropriately towards Teachers, other users, and ShamBits staff, and must not use the Platform for any abusive, harassing, fraudulent, or unlawful purpose.

19.2 You must not attempt to contact or arrange lessons with a Teacher outside the Platform, share your Account credentials with anyone else, or use the Platform in any way that could put a child at risk.

20. Safeguarding

20.1 Because the Platform is used by children for one-to-one online sessions with an adult who is not their parent, safeguarding is central to how we run the service. Our Safeguarding & Child Protection Policy sets out our approach in detail, including how Teachers are selected and verified, expected professional boundaries, and how we respond to concerns. It is incorporated into these Terms by reference and forms part of your agreement with us when you accept these Terms.

20.2 If you have any safeguarding concern about a Lesson, a Teacher, or anything else connected with your child's use of the Platform, please contact us immediately at hello@shambits.com. In an emergency where a child may be in immediate danger, contact the emergency services first.

21. Our right to suspend or terminate your access

21.1 We may suspend or restrict your Account, or terminate this agreement, with immediate effect, where we reasonably believe this is necessary because of:

• a safeguarding concern;
• abusive, threatening, or otherwise inappropriate conduct;
• suspected fraud;
• unlawful use of the Platform;
• misuse or abuse of our systems or security;
• non-payment; or
• a serious or repeated breach of these Terms.

21.2 We may also suspend or discontinue all or part of the Platform for operational reasons or because the service is no longer available (see clause 25).

21.3 We will not suspend or terminate your Account for an arbitrary or improper reason, and we will act reasonably and proportionately having regard to the circumstances.

22. Your right to cancel your Subscription

22.1 You may cancel your Subscription at any time from your Account. Your access, and your Subscription, will continue until the end of the billing period you have already paid for, and will not renew after that. Cancelling under this clause does not entitle you to a refund of any amount already paid for the current billing period, except as set out in clause 24 (including your separate statutory cancellation right, clause 24.5–24.9).

23. Immediate cancellation versus end-of-cycle cancellation

23.1 Cancellation by you (clause 22) takes effect at the end of your current, already-paid billing period — your access continues until then, unless you are exercising your statutory cancellation right under clause 24.5–24.9.

23.2 Termination by us for the reasons in clause 21 may take effect immediately, ending your access to the Platform and any remaining scheduled Lessons straight away, where we reasonably believe immediate action is necessary.

24. Refunds, pro-rata situations, and your statutory cancellation right

24.1 As a general rule, Lessons that have already been properly delivered are not refundable.

24.2 Where we end your service under clause 21 for reasons that are not attributable to you (for example, an operational decision by us to discontinue the service, or a genuine error on our part), we will normally consider a proportionate refund for the unused part of your prepaid Subscription period.

24.3 Where we end your service under clause 21 because of your own misconduct or a material breach by you of these Terms, any refund of unused prepaid amounts may be reduced or refused, to the extent this is permitted by applicable consumer law and appropriate in the circumstances.

24.4 Clauses 24.1–24.3 describe our general refund approach. They do not remove or reduce your separate statutory right described below.

Your statutory 14-day cancellation right

24.5 If you are a consumer, you have a legal right under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 to cancel a Subscription purchased at a distance (for example, through our website) within 14 days of the day you enter into it, without giving any reason.

24.6 Because ShamBits lessons are typically wanted straight away, at checkout we will separately ask you to expressly request that we begin providing your Subscription during this 14-day period. That request is separate from, and in addition to, your general acceptance of these Terms — it specifically addresses the timing of when your service starts. The wording will be to this effect: "I expressly request ShamBits to begin providing my Subscription during the 14-day cancellation period. I understand that if I cancel during that period, I may have to pay a proportionate amount for services supplied before I cancel." If you do not make this request, we will not begin delivering Lessons under the new Subscription until the 14-day period has ended, unless you separately ask us to start sooner.

24.7 If you made that request and you cancel before the 14 days end, but after some Lessons or service have already been provided, you will not receive a full refund. Instead, you will be charged a proportionate amount for the Lessons and service already supplied up to the point you cancel (calculated, where practical, by reference to Lessons actually delivered, or otherwise by reference to the proportion of the billing period that has elapsed), and we will refund the rest.

24.8 If you cancel within the 14 days and no Lessons or service have yet been provided, you will receive a full refund.

24.8A Separately, if you made the request in clause 24.6 and, before you cancel, we have fully performed your Subscription for that period (rather than only partly), your right to cancel under this clause 24 ends once that full performance is complete — this reflects a specific rule under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 for a fully-performed service, distinct from the proportionate-refund position in clause 24.7, which applies where performance is only partial at the point you cancel.

24.9 To exercise this right, tell us clearly that you want to cancel (for example, by emailing hello@shambits.com) within the 14-day period. We will process any refund due promptly, and in any event within 14 days of being notified of your cancellation.

24.10 This clause 24 does not affect any other statutory right you may have; nothing in these Terms is intended to remove such a right.

25. Service interruption and availability

25.1 We aim to keep the Platform available, but we do not guarantee uninterrupted or error-free access. We may suspend the Platform for maintenance, or discontinue all or part of it, and will act reasonably to minimise disruption and to give notice where practical.

26. Intellectual property — curriculum and materials

26.1 All course content, curriculum materials, and other content we or our Teachers make available through the Platform belong to ShamBits or our licensors. Your Subscription gives you a personal, non-transferable right to access and use these materials for your own or your child's learning, for as long as your Subscription is active — it does not transfer ownership of them to you.

27. Prohibited copying and sharing

27.1 You must not copy, download outside the Platform's intended use, redistribute, publish, sell, or otherwise share curriculum materials, or any recording, with anyone who is not entitled to access them under these Terms.

28. Communications

28.1 We may contact you by email or through in-app notifications about your Account, Lessons, billing, safeguarding matters, and service updates. Some communications (for example, those necessary to deliver the service or notify you of a safeguarding matter) cannot be opted out of while you hold an Account.

29. Complaints

29.1 If you are unhappy with any aspect of the service, please contact us at hello@shambits.com, including as much detail as possible. We will acknowledge your complaint and aim to look into it promptly and fairly.

30. Liability

30.1 Nothing in these Terms limits or excludes our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, for any breach of your statutory rights that cannot lawfully be limited or excluded, or for any other liability that cannot lawfully be limited or excluded.

30.2 We are responsible for foreseeable loss and damage caused by us. If we fail to comply with these Terms or fail to perform the service with reasonable care and skill, we are responsible for loss or damage you suffer that is a foreseeable result of our breaking these Terms or our failing to use reasonable care and skill — but we are not responsible for any loss or damage that was not foreseeable. Loss or damage is foreseeable if it is an obvious consequence of our breach, or if it was contemplated by you and us at the time you started using our services.

30.3 We only supply the service covered by these Terms for your, or your child's, private, personal, non-commercial use as a consumer. We have no liability to you for any loss of profit, loss of business, business interruption, or loss of business opportunity, since our service is not supplied for business purposes.

30.4 Nothing in this clause 30 affects your other statutory rights as a consumer.

30.5 We are not liable for a delay or failure to perform our obligations under these Terms to the extent it is caused by an event outside our reasonable control (for example, an internet or power outage, or a failure of a third-party provider such as our payment or video-call infrastructure), for as long as that event continues; we will act reasonably to reduce the impact on you and to resume the service as soon as we reasonably can.

31. Changes to these Terms

31.1 We may update these Terms from time to time, for example to reflect a change in the service or in the law. Where a change is material, we will give you reasonable notice and, where required, ask you to accept the updated Terms before you can continue using the Platform. Where a change is not material, we will publish the updated version with a new effective date.

32. Governing law and jurisdiction

32.1 These Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales, and the courts of England and Wales will have exclusive jurisdiction over any dispute arising from them, without prejudice to any mandatory consumer-protection rights you may have in your own country of residence.

33. Contact details

Shambits LTD

86-90 Paul Street, London, England, EC2A 4NE, United Kingdom

Company number: 14700340

Email: hello@shambits.com