How do I access the booking website?
Please follow this link to create your account and make your booking: https://padgateacademy.schoolhire.co.uk/
Do I still need to secure my previously reserved slots despite having booked this in with the school already?
Yes, all customers are required to secure them on our online booking system system. We are confident that once you have familiarised yourself with the this system, you will find it easy to use and it will enhance your experience in terms of renting our facilities.
I am logged in but can’t find facilities to book?
Click the logo in the top left-hand corner of the booking page. This will take you to the homepage where you will be able to view and book the facilities.
How can I see live availability for a facility?
Click on the facility and go to the detailed facility page. On the right hand side you’ll see a calendar with the option to ‘Book Now’. This will have a pop up containing the live availability. To book you will need to either sign up or log in.
Can I make block bookings?
Yes, certainly. Once you pick your time slot you will see the option to ‘Create Block Booking’. This will create some options to choose from including how many sessions you want and what days of the week you’d like to book. Once you’ve picked your parameters click ‘Check Availability’ and your block booking will load. Once loaded, you will be able to tailor it by editing/deleting slots that you do not require or those that are not available.
Will my bank account be debited as soon as I supply my debit/credit card details?
No, not immediately, although you do need to have the funds available. The bank account associated with your payment card will be checked for cleared funds at the point of booking and the necessary funds blocked. Your booking will then come to us for review, modification (if necessary) and then acceptance. Only once we have accepted your booking will your bank account be debited. If we reject your booking the funds will be released back into your account
Any discounts will be applied before acceptance and your card will only be charged the discounted amount. Any increase in pricing will first come back to you for acceptance.
What are the payment methods?
Any Visa or MasterCard debit or credit card. Foreign cards and American Express are not accepted. If your payment gets rejected, a reason will be given. It may be because you do not have sufficient funds in your account. If you do have sufficient funds and the problem persists, or you have been given a more generic reason such as “‘your card has been declined’, please contact your bank for more information.
I don’t have a credit/debit card?
Provided you have a bank account, and certainly if you already pay people via BACS, cheque or Direct Debit, your bank will be happy to issue you with a payment card on request.
What are the payment terms?
Assuming you are making a long-term regular booking (block booking) you are presented with two options, either payment in full at the time of booking or choosing a payment schedule. Please select the desired option when prompted at the point of selecting your slots. For one-off bookings the payment schedule option will not be available.
How are the payments split?
If you choose to split your payments, you will see a payment schedule appear detailing exactly when the payments will be debited from your bank account. Your first payment will represent the sum of your first month's bookings and will be taken at the point of booking acceptance. Subsequent payments will be taken monthly (every 30 days), in advance. As a general guide: the beginning of March for March’s bookings, the beginning April for April’s bookings. Three days prior to all subsequent payments a system generated email will be sent reminding you about the payment and how much the payment is. Payment is taken automatically from the last card you used on the system.
How can I update my card details?
Click on your name in the top right corner and pick ‘My Account’ in the dropdown menu. To update your card details, click on ‘Update Card Details’. When updating your card details, all future payments, including those within a split payment block booking, will be made on the new card. In a situation where one of your payments from block booking has failed you will need to either input your new card details, or if the card is the same, just click on ‘Update Card Details’ which will trigger the system to attempt to collect the outstanding payment(s).
When will my booking be accepted?
Bookings are usually approved within 24 hours (although it is often much quicker than this) and up until a maximum of 7 days, at which point the booking will automatically expire. You will receive a confirmation email once your booking is approved, and your payment card will be charged at this point. Your booking is not confirmed until you get an email confirming that booking has been accepted.
Can I make changes to my booking, such as amending a slot or cancelling the whole booking?
You can make a request to either amend or cancel your booking by going into your ‘My Bookings’ section, clicking on ‘Actions’ and then either ‘Request cancellation’ or ‘Amend Booking’.
Will I get a full refund if my request to cancel is accepted?
Our cancellation terms remain as previous. As such, we will refund you the appropriate amount direct to your payment card, depending on when the request was made. For full details as to our cancellation policy please refer to our Terms & Conditions (viewable after creating and logging into your SchoolHire account).
I get a special price. How is this factored in?
If you are due a discount or have an agreed price with us, this will be applied before the booking is accepted and your card will only be charged the discounted price, however the full amount of the booking will be need to be held once the booking request is made, so you need to have this amount available in your account.
What happens for bookings from next September ?
Closer to the time, existing customers will be given first refusal of their existing slots and a period within which they can go online to book them before these slots become available to book by other interested parties.
What should I do if I have any problems or have a question?
Please contact us via the ‘Message’ facility and we will get back to you as soon as possible.