Guidelines for Parents and Guardians of Students under 18

The age range of students at KCO is very broad, with students as young as 11 in some cases, and so it is important that careful measures are in place to ensure the welfare of those under 18. The college has several formal policies in place relating to the safeguarding of its students, but this set of guidelines is designed to describe in a practical way how we care for students under the age of 18.

• Parents/guardians are asked to read all our policies and procedures, available on our website, and to book a course for their children only if they fully understand what to expect from their children’s participation in our programmes. By booking a course, and signing the application form, you accept our terms and conditions and confirm that you have read all the relevant policies online.
• Parents/guardians are asked to complete a consent form for under 18s.
• Mr Peter Thompson, the Principal of KCO and the college’s Designated Safeguarding Lead, is comprehensively trained and is responsible for the safeguarding of all students, especially students under 18.
• KCO has a Duty of Care for all students under 18, at all times, and this is taken very seriously:
  • Class attendance is very carefully monitored, and we operate a sign-in and sign-out system every day, to ensure students do not miss classes without this being noticed. In case of absence or late arrival, we immediately contact students, first directly, and then through their host families.
  • Students are placed in classes with other similarly-aged students, with class placement being based on age and not just on level of English.
  • Students under 18 are supervised during break times, and those under 12 are not allowed to leave school unaccompanied during break times. (Students aged 12-16 are allowed to leave school during break times with parental consent).
  • Students under 18 are required to take up our airport transfer option, or to be brought to their host family directly by their parent or guardian.
  • During scheduled social activities, students are closely supervised, and all necessary steps are taken to safeguard them, with full risk assessments completed for each activity.
  • The social programme is designed to be age-appropriate, with different sets of activities for each age group. The usual ratio is 1 staff member to 10 students, and for groups involving students under 12 this ratio is reduced to 1:6. Although students are normally grouped as under and over 18s for social and cultural activities, students under 18 are occasionally engaged with over 18s during the social activities programme, and parents/guardians should be aware of this. Students under 16 are not grouped with over 18s.
  • Host families supervise students at home, and make sure that they are aware of the whereabouts of their students at all times. They also ensure that students are home at the arranged time (before dinner; usually 7pm).
  • All host families are regularly visited and DBS (criminal record background) checked. Those hosting students under 18 especially have many years' experience of hosting for us and are particularly experienced in hosting junior students.
• If students would like to take a holiday, or miss a day of lessons, or intend to be away from their host family overnight, written confirmation must be provided by their parent/guardian.
• Students under the age of 12 would normally be expected to travel with a parent/guardian, except in exceptional circumstances.
• Students under 12 must be accompanied to/from school by their parent/guardian, and will not be allowed to leave school until they are collected.
• Any student under 12 travelling without a parent/guardian must take our daily transfer service to/from school and pay the associated costs.
• With students under 16 joining KCO as part of a group booking, students and group leaders will all be housed within walking distance so that group leaders can collect students, or arrange a suitable meeting point, and escort them to school each day.
• Group leaders of students under 16 should serve as the first point of contact for students in their groups, and are expected to be fluent in English – primary responsibilities are outlined in more detail in our Agency Agreement Guidelines.