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Information for Parents

photo (c) John Cairns

We want all our students to get the very best out of their courses.  It is imperative that they are safe and well looked after during their time with us.  That is why we have policies and measures so that both we and you can be confident that your child is in the best care.

Our safety and safeguarding measures govern how we select, train and manage all of our staff.  They dictate our staff ratios on our sites, the types of sites we use, and the places we visit.

We ask for your consent as to what your child can and cannot do whilst they are with us, so you can be assured that we are looking after your child in a manner that is right for them.

We are proud of our safeguarding and safety record and it is our highest priority.

On-course staff looking after students at Begbroke Hall

What is the staff to student ratio?

In the interests of student and staff welfare, it is important that we have the right numbers of staff on our courses.  With our ratios, students have plenty of care and attention, and the staff have enough support to do their jobs effectively.

  • 9-12. 1 staff member to 5 students
  • 13-15. 1 staff member to 10 students
  • 16-17. 1 staff member to 15 students
  • 18+. 1 staff member to 20 students

We will never have fewer than 3 residential staff with the 9-12 and 13-15 age groups, or 2 residential staff with the 16-17 or 18-24 age groups.  There will always be one qualified first aider as a resident staff member with every student group, as well as on every day-trip.

Students during free time at Begbroke Hall

How safe are the sites?

The majority of our sites are ‘closed’ which means that access is either barred or controlled by 24hour security. We will occasionally use unbarred sites for our 18+ students. All of our accommodation for 9-12s have additional security measures such as controlled building access. All site staff and our own teams and students wear identification at all times, and we have strict policies around visitors to our courses and access to our accommodation areas. All of our sites have their own risk and safety measures which we add to with our own checks and inspections.

Students practice their speaking during an English language course at Begbroke Hall.

What do I need to give my consent for?
How do I find out more?

We will send you forms to complete which will ask for your consent to activities within both programmed and free time. We also ask for your acknowledgement of your child’s travel arrangements. We do not permit students under 16 years old to travel unaccompanied to or from our courses. An example of our consent form is HERE.

Please read the Safeguarding Policy in our POLICY PACK which also includes other relevant information. Closer to the course start date, we will also ask you to read our CODE OF PRACTICE. This is a short document which sets out our commitment to you, and our students’ obligations to us and their fellow course members.

CONSENT FORM

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