For EngXcel, our students' welfare is of the utmost importance, inside or outside the classroom. We have various policies and practices in place to support all our students during their time with us, which you can read about on this page.
Our team is always around to help out with any questions or issues any of our students may have - just speak to one of our friendly staff members and they'll be happy to help out!
Welfare staff are available on all of our programmes - they're there to look after you, and you can go to them if you have any problems during your stay.
For any welfare enquiries, your main point of contact is our Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL). If they're not around, then one of our Child Protection Officers (CPO) can help instead.
All students, parents, group leaders and partners are given our 24-hour emergency number, which they can call if they need any assistance from a member of the EngXcel team outside of our opening hours.
The policy applies to all members of the EngXcel community (including staff, students, group leaders, volunteers, visitors, partners) who work both inside and outside of EngXcel premises. It sets out the roles and responsibilities, and guidelines to help keep everyone in EngXcel's community - especially children and vulnerable adults - safe. In brief, some of these measures include:
All students attending EngXcel programmes are under the supervision of trusted adults:
Group Stays: Students are accompanied by their own school teachers or appointed group leaders, who are responsible for their care and supervision outside of lesson times.
Summer schools: Most students in the summer schools are accompanied by their own school teachers or appointed group leaders, who are responsible for their care and supervision outside of lesson times.
Some students in the summer schools travel as Individuals - ie they aren't part of a group and travel to the UK either with their family or as an unaccompanied minor. Once at the summer school, the Individuals Manager acts as a group leader for them and, along with Student Experience Leaders, is responsible for their care and supervision outside of lesson times and will check in with them daily.
All summer school students are supported and guided by Student Experience Leaders, alongside their own group leaders, ensuring consistent oversight throughout the programme.
A Group Stay studying English in the UK can be an enriching experience for 12-17 year olds, and although they're here with a group leader, for many it's the first experience they have of travelling abroad without their parents. At EngXcel, we want to make sure it's the best experience possible, and that it's safe and worry-free for both the student and their family.
Before arrival, we require parents/guardians to complete a parental consent form. This is also agreed by the student to acknowledge the guidelines they should follow. This ensures that both the parent and student are happy with the day-to-day activities in which the student will be taking part, the guidelines the student should follow and the student's curfew.
Students on our Group Stay courses typically follow full-day programmes, with lessons in the morning and activities in the afternoon and some evenings - this programme is made available to students, parents and group leaders in advance of the trip. Many groups have a full schedule, but there will usually be at least a small portion of unsupervised time on each trip (see below).
Students on our Group Stay courses will be supervised most of the time during their stay, but they will usually encounter some unsupervised time. This can be an integral part of the experience and learning on a Group Stay trip and is managed to make it as safe as possible whilst still allowing the students to experience the freedom and responsibility it can bring.
Some examples of when the students may have unsupervised time include: their journeys between their accommodation and school; short periods during excursions given as free time for eg shopping; and time in the afternoons or evenings between their activities and their curfews.
When on unsupervised time, students are expected to follow certain rules/guidelines to stay safe - this includes making sure they are always in groups of two or more (never alone), sticking to a certain area where their group leaders will be nearby (eg they may be told to stay within a particular market square if given free time for shopping); they must have a copy of the school emergency number on them in case they need help.
Ultimately though, you know your child best, which is why we get parental consent for different forms of unsupervised time as part of our parental consent form.
All 12-17 year-old students on our Group Stay courses must abide by a curfew. This curfew is chosen by the group leader ahead of the trip and communicated to students, hosts and staff. Hosts are informed of the curfew, and will let the school know if the student has missed it. EngXcel may also perform random checks with the hosts to make sure the student is home on time.
Group Stay students will be accommodated either in twin/triple homestay accommodation or with their leaders in residential/hostel accommodation. The residential option is particularly recommended for younger groups to allow them to travel to/from school in bigger groups with their leaders.
Group Stays include private transfers from the airport to accommodation.
If you become unwell during your course with us, and you're not sure what to do, let us know - you can talk to us at school or give us a call on our 24/7 emergency number if it's outside of school hours. We can help you to find a pharmacist or book you a doctor's appointment, and we have trained first aiders at school who can help with any minor injuries.
To help us give you the best support possible in the event of a medical emergency, we ask you to supply information during enrolment about any allergies you have, medicine you're taking or any other medical information we should know about. Please make sure to complete this information to the best of your ability.
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