Last updated: June 2023

SPPA Membership Terms and Conditions

These terms and conditions (Terms) set out the terms and conditions of the contract through which the Social Pedagogy Professional Association (SPPA/us/we) will deliver services to you (you) as a member.  In order to become a member of SPPA you must agree to these Terms and in making an application for membership you provide us with the appropriate consent to handle your personal information in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018.

SPPA is now an independent charity and company limited by guarantee (Charity).

1. The SPPA Charter and Professional Conduct

In becoming a member of SPPA, you are agreeing to uphold the values and commitments of the Social Pedagogy Charter personally and in your professional conduct. Please ensure that you have read and agree to the Social Pedagogy Charter before seeking membership. Failure to adhere to the Social Pedagogy Charter may result in the withdrawal of your SPPA membership.

A member who becomes aware of any breach of the Social Pedagogy Charter by another member is under an obligation to notify SPPA as soon as possible

2. Membership contract

When you click or email to submit your completed membership application online you are subscribing to these Terms.

You will receive an email confirmation once your membership registration and payment have come through.

Membership will be renewed annually or quarterly. 

You may not transfer any of your rights or obligations under these Terms to another person.

3. Membership types and fees

The SPPA membership structure is being continuously developed and we reserve the right to introduce new membership types, each with its own eligibility criteria. Members need to subscribe for one of those membership types available on offer then (subject to such terms and conditions as will apply at the time of their application). Membership of SPPA is subject to and conditional on the payment of an annual membership fee.

Membership fee levels will be assessed on a regular basis and members will be notified of any changes (with a full explanation of any such changes) at least one month before their membership renewal is due.

As of July 2023 a new individual membership called “Supporter” has been introduced and the Organisational packs have been restructured into Small, Large and Further and Higher Education Institutions. View more information about the 2023 memberships. 

4. Cancellation and refunds

If you wish to cancel your membership and get a refund of your membership fee, you may do so within 14 working days of us accepting your membership application by sending us your request for a refund by email to membership.admin@sppa-uk.org.

Any refund will be made by us to you within 30 days of our acknowledgement of your cancellation (which we will send by email to you in such circumstances).

5. Right to refuse, or remove from SPPA membership

We reserve the right to refuse or remove from SPPA membership any individual if we have sufficient evidence that such individual is not upholding the Social Pedagogy Charter and its values. An SPPA sub-committee with authority to consider matters of compliance and standards will have the power to investigate and make recommendations as to whether or not an individual should be refused, or removed from, SPPA membership and such recommendations shall be submitted to the SPPA Chair and individuals appointed as trustees of the proposed Charity for final determination.

6. Changing membership Terms

We may change these Terms at any time on giving you 14 days prior written notice. If you object to the changes we plan to make to the Terms you are entitled within 14 days of the date of such notice to email us at membership@sppa-uk.org  terminating your membership. Provided we receive your notice of termination within such 14 day period we will:

  • confirm the termination of your membership in writing to you; and
  • refund such proportion of your membership fee as relates to the unexpired period of your annual membership (calculated by reference to the value of benefits you have received up to that date, in proportion to the value of membership benefits available during your whole membership year).

If you do not give us notice of termination as set out above then at any time the most recent edition of these Terms available on the SPPA website will be binding on you.

7. Termination of memberships

If having been admitted to SPPA membership you purport to disclaim your obligations under these Terms or the Charter we reserve the right to terminate your SPPA membership in writing and provide you with a membership fee refund (only 50% of the original fees you paid will be refunded to you).

8. Data protection and use of personal data

The personal data you supply to us will be used to:

  • process your membership application and membership fee;
  • fulfil your membership benefits;
  • for marketing, statistical and analytical purposes on behalf of SPPA.

You will receive communications from us as part of your membership benefits, mostly by email. Other than as set out above, we shall not sell or disclose your personal data to third parties without obtaining your prior consent unless this is necessary for the purposes set out in these Terms or unless we are required to do so by law.

We will comply with the Data Protection Act 2018 and all other applicable laws in relation to the use of personal data. We will process your personal data in accordance with the Charity’s privacy policy.

9. SPPA Brand

The use of our name and/or logo is not permitted by Individual members and supporters unless we have granted you permission to do so in writing. Organisational members and Educational institutions running courses endorsed by SPPA can use our name and logo on their website and marketing material.

If you have been given permission to use the SPPA name and logo, you must do so within the SPPA brand guidelines. We reserve the right to approve how our name and logo are used in marketing and promotional materials.

10. Guidelines for online peer to peer communication in forums, special interest groups or communities of learning/practice (SPPA Groups)

SPPA Special Interest Groups are open to all SPPA members. SPPA Groups aim to stimulate discussions, ideas and debates and thus differences of opinion will be aired. The following etiquette is to be followed by SPPA members:

Posts on the SPPA website are limited to a maximum of 500 words.

In submitting online posts in connection with SPPA Groups you agree to the following:

  • Your full name and institution will appear on your posts and replies;
  • You will not use:
    • jargon, dense language and excessive references
    • exclusive or derogatory language
    • obscene or rude content, or content that belittles or attacks persons or groups
    • profane, obscene, rude, or illegal material or reference sites that knowingly violate intellectual property rights;
  • You will provide links to sources where possible.

SPPA Groups are not intended to be a marketplace for any goods or services. However, you may find links to events, job advertisement links, coupons, and other promotional offers appearing from time to time on the SPPA website.

SPPA accepts no legal responsibility for facts stated or opinions expressed in SPPA Groups and does not endorse any material (generated by such SPPA Groups). It is the responsibility of individual members to satisfy themselves as to which facts and opinions should be relied on in any way whatsoever. To the extent lawfully possible SPPA accepts no liability for any reliance placed by any person on any fact or opinion expressed in SPPA Groups.

In submitting content to SPPA Groups you grant SPPA a royalty-free, unrestricted licence to reproduce and publicly display your user content in any medium and for any purpose, including for commercial purposes.

A member who is found to be in breach of the Social Pedagogy Charter may also have their access to SPPA Groups revoked.

11. Events

Each of our events may have specific applicable terms and conditions, and if so, you need to check that you can comply with such terms and conditions before booking a place at such events.

12. Annual General Meeting (AGM)

Full Individual Members and Organisational Members of SPPA have voting rights at the SPPA AGM. Supporters do not have voting rights.

SPPA currently has a Board of Trustees and elections for positions on the Board of Trustees take place during the AGM.

Members will be eligible to stand for election to the Board of Trustees when vacancies become available under the Charity’s rules. While the precise terms of such rules may change we anticipate that:

  • The Board will have the right to appoint Trustees if places are still vacant;
  • Terms of office for Trustees are 5 x 5 years whether elected or appointed by the Trustees;
  • At any one time, there will be a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 15 Trustees, whether elected or appointed, in accordance with the Articles of Association of SPPA.