Frequently Asked Questions
If you have any question, please check below or you can connect directly via mail or phone call!
What age can my child start Gymnastics?
We take gymnasts into independent classes from ages 3 years and up. We do request that all Gymnasts are toilet trained.
We also have our Sweet Peas program where we take children aged 18 months- 2 yrs 11 months, this class requires parent participation for the full duration of each session. Children must be walking in order to get the benefits from this class.
How do I Join ?
You can join DP anytime throughout the year. Please contact out office by email or phone and we will send you the registration link for our online member system. Alternatively click on the join our club link anywhere you see it on the site. After you have registered we will call you to arrange a 5min assessment to obtain their level (only required if your child is in the DP progressive program). If we have a space in one of our classes we will offer it to you immediately, if we don’t have a space at that time we will contact you as soon as a place becomes available.
How long is a term and can my Child join mid way through?
Terms are generally 13 weeks long. Yes if there is space in your desired class, your child can start mid-term in that class. The price will be adjusted to reflect the number of weeks remaining.
What is the student to teacher ratio per class?
Ratio of students to teachers is 5/6-1 for Pre-school and 8-1 for our DP Progressive Program.
How much are classes?
Generally, each Term will run for 13 weeks for a 1hr class this is €150.00 per child (sibling discounts available for families of 2+). For Term 1 in September of each year there is an additional compulsory fee of €50 per child which includes Gymnastics Ireland membership and insurance for the year.
What is Gymnastics Ireland Membership and why do I have to have it?
Gymnastics Ireland is the official National Governing Body for the sport of Gymnastics in Ireland. Gymnastics Ireland membership is a compulsory requirement for all of our members. This also provides protection and support through good governance and policy development covering key areas such as child welfare. Membership to Gymnastics Ireland provides your child with a comprehensive tailored Insurance including personal accident. Children can NOT participate in class without this. The cost of Membership is €50 and this covers September – August.
What to wear?
Boys or Girls may wear tucked in T-shirt,Shorts, tracksuit bottoms/ leggings and socks. NO chewing gum or dangling jewellery. Hair should be pulled neatly and securely away from the face so that is stays up for the entire workout. Girls should not wear bows or other large hair ornaments that may cause discomfort during activity. Personal items should be left in cubby holes. Jewellery should not be worn during classes. Be sure your student’s personal items are marked with their name.
What happens if I miss a class?
Because of our strict student to teacher ratio and our growing number of members. Any missed classes will not result in make-up classes, prorated tuition or refunds. No refunds will be applied for any missed classes or any missed classes due to personal scheduled holidays.
Classes may only be credited to your account if your child has an injury/illness this is providing you present a doctor’s note to declare this information to the office. If you do not provide a doctor’s note no classes will be credited to your account.
What to do on the first day?
Check in at our office reception to ensure that we have all of your details on file. Place all belongings neatly in a cubby and your child can head into the gym at thier assigned class time and go onto the floor mats in preparation for warm up. We take a full roll call and split into groups after warm up.
What Happens during class?
Class starts with a 5-10 minute warm up and then rotate between floor, vault, beam, Trampoline and bars (p-bars for the boys).
Can parents watch?
Currently there is no viewing area for parents to wait and we operate a drop and collection area outside the gym.
Pick up and drop off
Parents/Guardians are responsible for ensuring the safe entry and exit of their children from the car park to the gymnastics hall and vice versa. Be sure your student arrives 5 minutes before (no earlier please) your childs scheduled class time. Please pick up your student on time as our coaches have other classes to teach or the gym may be closing, please inform us if you know you will be late picking up your student. You should escort your child to and from the building to your car. During peak times the parking lot is crowded. Please take into consideration that our students may include young children. Please drive slowly and carefully. Do not take a chance on your student running to and from your car. NO CHILD IS ALLOWED TO LEAVE UNACCOMPANIED .
Do I need to inform the gym if my child has any additional needs or medical conditions?
Yes it is very important that we know if your child has ANY additional needs both physical and behavioural. If we know about conditions such as ADHD, Asthma, etc our coaches can better cater to thier needs and give your child the best opportunity to have a happy, successful gymnastics session.
Are your coaches Garda Vetted?
Yes in order to be affiliated under gymnastics Ireland as a coach, all of our coaches over 16 years old must be garda vetted. These coaches have also attended a code of ethics and good practice for childrens sport course and have signed a DP Gymnastics Coaches Code of Conduct and aim to abide by the information set out on it.
Do you run camps?
Yes we run camps through most of the school holidays, Easter, Halloween, July and August.
Contacting us?
Please see relevant contact info for each of our locations below. Our general administration days are Monday- Friday 12-6pm, Saturday 9-3pm. Unfortunately, outside of these hours emails, Facebook messages, phone calls and texts may not be replied to until the next working admin day. We will get back to you as soon as possible. Please note: Office hours through July/August may differ.
DP Gymnastics Balbriggan
0894720210/ 016904208
DP Gymnastics Skerries
dpgymnasticsskerries@gmail.com
0870023764
DP Gymnastics Drogheda
dpgymnasticsclubdrogheda@gmail.com
0892485100
How do I register my interest to join class?
DP Gymnastics Balbriggan
You can join the waiting list using below link
DP Gymnastics Skerries
Make a class booking or join the waiting list using below link
https://portal.iclasspro.com/dpgymnasticsskerries
DP Gymnastics Drogheda
Make a class booking of join the waiting list using the below link
How long is your waiting List?
This is dependant on your availability to attend class. For Example, If you can only attend class on Saturday 10-11am and are not flexible with times then you may be waiting a little longer to attend this class time in comparrison to someone that may be available to attend Monday,Friday and Saturday. The more flexible you are the quicker we can offer you a place.
Assessments
All of our classes are ability based and all children aged 6 years or older are required to attend for a 5-10 minute ability assessment (with one of our coaches) prior to receiving a place in class, once you have attended for assessment and we know the appropriate class level for your child we can then notify you of all available class days and times suitable for your child’s ability level and hopefully we will have a suitable time to offer you for new term of classes.
(If your child cannot yet forward roll,cartwheel or handstand independently they will start at level 1 and will not require an assessment)
Please note: Children under the age of 6 years do not require an assessment as they are placed in age based classes until they reach 6 years old. Once you have relocated please contact us to book in for an ability assessment.
To book as assessment please contact the relevant location and we will happily arrange this for you.