Pottery Class Booking: Waitlists, No-Shows and Make-Ups
Pottery classes are small, popular and hard to refill. A student who skips a session leaves an empty wheel. A full class with a long waitlist leaves money on the table. Clear booking rules fix both.
Decide how people book
- Series. Students sign up for a block of weeks. Good for steady progress and easier to plan clay and firings.
- Single sessions. Flexible, but harder to predict attendance and to teach in sequence.
- Hybrid. A series with the option to buy single drop-in spaces if there are free places.
Keep class sizes to what your wheels and teacher can handle. See how to start a pottery studio for the practical limits.
Run a fair waitlist
- Take names in order and tell people their position.
- When a space opens, offer it to the next person with a deadline to accept, such as 24 hours.
- If they do not respond, move on and tell them.
- Keep a record so you can show how decisions were made.
No-show and make-up policy template
Copy this wording and edit to fit your studio.
| Situation | Policy |
|---|---|
| Cancel more than 48 hours before | Free of charge. We offer your space to the waitlist. |
| Cancel less than 48 hours before | Sessions are not refunded. A make-up is not guaranteed. |
| No-show | Counted as an attended session. |
| Make-up | One make-up per course, within four weeks, when space is available. |
| Teacher cancels | The session is rescheduled or credited. |
| Student leaves mid-course | No refund after the second session, unless we agree otherwise. |
State the policy at booking and repeat it in the confirmation message. Apply it consistently, and decide in advance when you will make exceptions.
Reduce no-shows
- Send a reminder 24 to 48 hours before.
- Tell students what to wear and bring.
- Make it easy to cancel, so they do not just stay away.
- Ask for payment upfront when booking.
Plan for the first class
Beginners are nervous. A clear first-session plan helps them show up again. Our curriculum guide and the lesson on your first tools are a good start.
What to look for in booking tools
- Waitlists that fill automatically
- Series and single-session bookings
- Reminders by email or text
- Make-up credits
- A payment option
- Export of your student list
Check current features and prices before you commit.
Want this in your studio?
Claybook handles this for your studio: students book a series or a single session, a cancellation fills from the waitlist automatically and make-ups follow your policy.
Tell us how you run things today and we will tailor it to your studio. See everything we offer studios.