Safeguarding Children Policy: Student Welfare
Student Welfare
Oxford School of English is committed to maintaining the welfare of all students. We have a variety of measures in place to ensure their safety and well-being.
Risk Assessments
Risk assessments are regularly carried out for all outings or locations/buildings that are used. When classes are held in different sites, a request for the building’s current risk assessments is made. Outdoor activities are risk assessed by the activities manager who provides a copy to the activity leaders.
Risk assessments are reviewed yearly.
All students under 18 who wish to take part in any tour or activity arranged by our representatives must have the appropriate signed consent form.
Supervision ratios
Currently, social activities are conducted at a ratio of 1-15 which does not include Group Leaders. All of our regular activities have been risk assessed and this ratio is based upon the reasonable ability of an activity leader to supervise and manage the group.
Missing students
Oxford School of English has an attendance policy that ensures appropriate procedures are following in the case of a student not arriving at a class or activity on time, a student noticed to be missing on an activity or excursion and in the event of a student not arriving home by curfew. All staff are made aware of this policy.
First Aid
There is a first aid kit kept in all locations and there will always be a qualified first aider at each premises.
In the main school Haydar Albasri is the registered first aider and first port of call in any emergency. If he is unavailable, at the main school Sandro Crucioli and Kat Caplan are first aiders and can be contacted for advice in the event of an emergency at a social event or excursion.
Further information can be found in our Health and Safety Policy.
Behaviour and Discipline
All students are issued with a student handbook, or junior school student handbook. These outline and give examples of behaviour that will result in discipline or expulsion from the school. Generally all students are given up to two warnings, depending on the severity of the offence before being expelled from the school. Gross misconduct such as violent or abusive behaviour results in immediate expulsion which will be recorded and kept on file.
Airport transfers
Oxford School of English understands that travel from airports can be complicated and confusing for students and we have procedures in place to ensure their safeguarding and that their arrival goes smoothly.
All students coming to the UK regardless of their length of stay or type of accommodation are given the activity manager and deputy Principal’s contact details for use in any emergency.
Groups arriving at the airport are met by an activity leader. The activity leader takes a register and head count to ensure everyone has arrived and that they have their entire luggage. They are escorted to the bus where they board and are head counted. For those staying with a homestay, they are taken to the nearest park and ride location where they are met by the homestay manager or officer who takes a register of names to check all have arrived safely. The host families are at the park and ride and each student is handed over to their appropriate host family.
If the student is staying in residential accommodation, the students are taken to the residence by the activity leader and checked in. The activity leader accompanies them to their room to check for damage, cleanliness etc. Meals are pre-arranged.
Those students travelling individually are transferred from the airport via taxi. They are met by an activity leader who escorts them to a pre-arranged taxi and accompanies them direct to their accommodation.
All drivers, coach drivers and taxi drivers who work for the Oxford School of English are dbs checked.
If a student requests to travel independently, parental consent is sought and this is only permitted when consent has been received. They are given emergency contact numbers should they have any problems.
Unaccompanied minors are allocated a named person who is the taxi driver responsible for taking the student directly to their accommodation. The airport retains the minor until their arrival and hands them over directly. On their return journey to their country of origin, they are escorted to the airport and accompanied through check in until the airline’s representative takes over responsibility.
In the case of a student not arriving as expected, the Deputy Principal is informed who directly contacts their emergency contact on their personal information form.
Homestay Accommodation
Homestay applicants are required to complete and sign an application form listing all members of the family and regular visitors.
Applicants will be visited in their home and must provide photographic identification in the form of a passport or driving licence. Additionally, homestay providers need to consider the potential difficulties and anticipate the problems an under 18 or vulnerable adult may have, coming into a foreign country and staying at a family’s private home.
The applicant (normally the main carer) is required to sign a copy of the Children’s Act 1989 declaration, which is kept on file.
All homestays are revisited in accordance with British Council requirements (at least every two years) to ensure standards are maintained. Documents listed above are updated at the time of revisits. All visits to homestays are recorded systematically.
Homestay details and profiles are regularly monitored and updated as necessary.
The main school has a standard curfew time of midnight for all students under 18. Groups and individuals for junior schools have varying curfew times, the details of which are passed on to their homestay families.
Homestay accommodation that falls below the British Council required standard, or fails to adhere to Oxford School of English policies, will be removed from the homestay database.
Under normal circumstances, no student under the age of 18 is placed in a ‘Private Home’ homestay.
Under normal circumstances, no student under the age of 18 is placed in a homestay where there are students over the age of 18.
Homestay families are fully advised of specific curfew times in respect of each group, as advised by the Junior School Principal and Groups Manager.
Procedure for Handling Complaints relating to Homestay Accommodation
All complaints made by under 18s are investigated immediately.
Complaints are communicated, in the first instance, to any member of the team.
The member of staff to whom the complaint has been reported will then contact one of the accommodation managers who files the complaint.
The homestay family is then contacted and a resolution to the complaint is sought.
Follow up checks are made to ensure the student is happy with the new arrangements.
General trends are noted in individual homestay files and formal complaints are registered by the homestay manager.
June 2023
This policy is reviewed on an annual basis. However, if any issues relating to the policy should arise, the policy will be reviewed immediately.
Date of next scheduled review: June 2024