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ACCOMMODATION AND WELFARE

TORQUAY, BATH AND NEWLAND PARK HOMESTAY CENTRES

Host families
Minimum age
Arrivals and departures / meeting services
Contacting students
What students should bring
Supervision by staff
Student briefing
Identity cards
Smoking, alcohol and drugs
Shoplifting
Curfew times (times to return home)
Attendance
Pocket money
Loss or theft
Damage to course centres or host family property
Health
Supervision by host family
Religious observance
Emergency numbers

Host families

Host families are chosen for the cleanliness and comfort of their h ome and the welcome they can offer our students.   A host family can be a married couple or a woman living on her own with or without children, or an elderly retired couple, or a widow. They accept students in their home partly because they enjoy hosting foreign students and partly because hosting students provides a useful additional income. Our accommodation staff visit all families before accepting their application and standards are monitored through student feedback questionnaires and periodic re-visits. Please note that the majority of our host families keep pets and there is a very limited choice of families who do not have cats or dogs.

All families are given special guidelines listing our expectations for dealing with students. (A copy of these guidelines will be sent on request).   Our host families will encourage students to participate in normal family life and give them an opportunity to practise their English in a relaxed environment.   Families are not expected to give any specialised language help. International House arranges accommodation with private families as an intermediary and acts solely as a paying agent to the families on behalf of the participants.

Minimum age

All Homestay Centres - Minimum age 14 years, Maximum age 17 years

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Airport arrivals and departures / meeting services

Bath and Torquay

Individual students are expected to make their own way down to their centre from the airport. Torquay and Bath can be reached by National Express coach direct from Heathrow and Gatwick airports. Bristol airport is closer to both Bath and Torquay but public transport is not direct. There is a shuttle bus from the airport to Bristol coach station or train station. Return taxi transfer from Bristol to Bath is £80.00 (One way £40.00) and to Torquay £180 (One way £95.00). Exeter airport is less than an hour from Torquay. The school can arrange a minibus transfer for students using this airport.

National Express tickets can be ordered from the school (Heathrow - GBP50.00 return) or bought on-line more cheaply by going to the website below. Torquay students must ensure they book their flights arriving no later than 17.00 (Heathrow) and 16.00 (Gatwick) and departing no earlier than 14.00 (Heathrow) and 15.00 (Gatwick). For Bath, please book flights arriving no later than 18.00 (Heathrow) or 17.00 (Gatwick), and departing no earlier than 11.00 (Heathrow) and 12.00 (Gatwick). Please refer to the timetable at www.nationalexpress.com

Meeting Services can be arranged for £70.00 for arrival and / or £70.00 for departure.

Host families will meet students at the coach station on arrival and take them back again on departure providing students arrive before 21.30 pm and depart after 08.00 am.   Otherwise the students should take a taxi to/from the homestay at their own expense.  For groups of 15 students or more the school will send a member of staff to meet the group on arrival to supervise the allocation of students to the host families. The families will bring the students to school on the first day.

Newland Park Homestay Centre

There is a transfer service available for students provided students arrive on a Sunday and depart on a Saturday. The standard return transfer is £70.00.   Students should arrive and depart via London Heathrow airport. To take advantage of this service flights should be booked to arrive no earlier than 09:00 and no later than 19:00. At the end of the course flight departure times should be no earlier than 11:00 and no later than 21:30. Supplements will be charged for students who cannot meet these transfer conditions. We regret that host families are unable to accept students who arrive at the airport after 22:00.

Meeting Services for Newland Park - Our representative will be waiting at the Arrivals Hall, after passport control and customs, holding an International House sign. The representative will accompany students to the Newland Park centre transport. Please note this means some students may have to wait up to 2 hours for students arriving on later flights. If you do not wish the passenger to wait a taxi can be arranged for an additional charge.

Airports are very busy in the summer season and sometimes students may be delayed airside or may not see the sign. If the student fails to locate the representative they should go to the Information Desk in the Arrivals Hall and ask them to put out a call for the International House representative and wait there. In the event of further difficulties, the emergency number should be called +44 (0) 7768 590 480. After leaving the airport the students will be taken to a central meeting point where our Host Family Organiser will meet them and introduce them to their family.

Unaccompanied minors

If a student is travelling as an unaccompanied minor or hostess assisted passenger, the International House office must be informed in advance and full details provided for their arrival and departure. An additional charge of £20.00 on arrival and £50.00 on departure is made in the case of students travelling as Unaccompanied Minors. This is because the accompanying representative is obliged to wait in departures until the flight departs. This fee can be shared if two or more students are travelling together on the same flight. Please check if your airline has any special requirements and notify International House.

Please send the flight details at least two weeks before the course starts

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Contacting students

Families will allow the student to make a reverse charge phone call to their family soon after arrival to say they have arrived safely.   Students can be contacted at their host families after school hours. Parents are requested not to ring after 22.00 hours English time.   Some host families will allow students to use their phone but others may expect their student to use a public phone. The student will have to pay the host family directly for all calls made from their phone. It is a good idea to purchase a telephone charge card in order to avoid possible disagreement over phone charges.

What students should bring

Warm clothes, rainwear, sportswear, swimsuit, towels and suitable footwear. Parents are asked to mark items of clothing clearly. Students should carry a list of their belongings in their suitcase to make sure they do not forget anything when packing for their departure. International House cannot accept responsibility for loss of belongings.

Supervision by staff

Students are expected to attend all lessons and activities according to a timetable given to the students on the first day of their course. IH leaders accompany the students at all times on excursions and activities. Our junior courses provide a high ratio of supervisors to students.

On the first day of the junior courses our staff explain all matters affecting their personal safety. Please note that International House will send home, at the expense of the parents, students who refuse to abide by the regulations or whose behaviour is found to be seriously disruptive. All fees for the remainder of the course not taken will be forfeited.

Student briefing

Shortly after arrival students are given a briefing on: -   road safety / laws on drugs and alcohol / shoplifting / offensive weapons / areas of potential danger / care of valuables and passport / emergency service phone numbers / school emergency numbers / school regulations including latest times of return home etc. This is done by a police spokesperson where possible or by our activities organiser, and group leaders where appropriate.

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Identity cards

Students should bring two passport photographs with them; one for our records and one for their school identity card. This card should be carried at all times. It will show the student's photo, name, date of birth and the school and host family telephone numbers.

Smoking, alcohol and drugs

No smoking is allowed on school premises. Most host families do not allow smoking at home. It is illegal for anyone under the age of 16 to smoke. The minimum age for drinking alcohol in Britain is 18. Students who fail to observe this will be sent home at the parents' expense. Any student found in possession of drugs will be reported to the police and may be deported.

Shoplifting

If students are caught shoplifting the police will be called. This will result in the student being sent home and may involve the payment of heavy fines. Students will be warned to remember to pay for anything picked up in a shop.

Curfew times (Times of return home)

Homestay centres - The time of return home in the evening for 14 and 15 year old students is 22.30.   Host families will notify the school if students do not observe the curfew. Students aged 16 and 17 should return home by 23.00 during the week, and no later then 24.00 at the weekend. If parents wish to impose an earlier time then they should send instructions at the time of booking.

When going out all students must inform their host families where they are going and when they expect to return. By signing the enrolment form we assume agreement to these conditions. This information will be passed to the host family.   All students are expected to return home in good time for the evening meal. They will be expected to call the host families to let them know if they are delayed.

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Attendance

Students must attend language classes every weekday and may have lessons in the morning or the afternoon in alternate weeks. They are expected to attend the activity programme and excursions programme. Host families are asked to inform the office if their student guest does not attend school. Students are not allowed to make trips out of the area or stay overnight with a friend in another host family without the permission of the school. We assume that students have their parents' permission to play games, swim etc unless informed otherwise.

Pocket Money

Parents should provide adequate funds before departure by giving cash or sending money to the schools. We recommend between £6.00 - £15.00 per day to cover incidental expenses such as drinks, snacks, postcards, film, souvenirs and bus fares. We discourage students from carrying large amounts of money on them. The host family will provide a lockable cash box or a lockable drawer in their room. The school will look after pocket money, passport and flight tickets on request at no charge to the student. Parents can send extra money to the schools for their child and will be charged a handling fee of £10.00. We are unable to give a student more than £250.00 per week and parents should allow 48 hours for their child to receive the money.

Loss or theft

The school takes theft, loss or damage involving a student's personal possessions very seriously but does not take any financial responsibility. Loss or theft should be reported to the school office as soon as possible so we can take the appropriate action. If an insurance claim is involved the student will be helped to make a police report and a crime reference number obtained. Loss of money at the host family is a difficult and embarrassing matter to deal with. You can help by advising students not to leave money lying around but to use the locked box or school facilities to deposit valuables. Bags should not be left unattended in the course centre, cafes or other public places. It is a good idea to keep a photocopy of a student's identity documents and flight tickets. This will enable your consulate to issue new travel documents in case they are lost or stolen.

Damage to course centres or host family property

Students may reasonably be expected to pay for damage they cause to school or host family property. Parents will be informed of the extent of the damage and the repayment involved. This must be settled before the student returns home. Students will be entrusted with the keys of the homestay. Loss of keys will be charged at cost of replacement.

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Health

In the event of serious illness or accident the child will be taken to a doctor or local hospital by their own group leader, a school staff member or the host family. In the case of minor health problems the advice of the local pharmacist or the National Health Service helpline will be followed. Any information about allergies, chronic health conditions or medicine regularly used by the student should be passed on to the school.

It is a requirement of enrolment that students should have adequate travel insurance to cover the cost of emergency medical treatment and repatriation. Details of this insurance should be given to the school together with any excess the student may have to pay. Some medical treatment is free for students from EU countries or those countries with a reciprocal medical agreement with Britain. In order to benefit from this arrangement an E111 document should be obtained from the local authority in your country. Dental treatment is not free in the UK. The family or Course Director can arrange for a dental appointment.

At our homestay centres there are members of staff trained in first aid.

Supervision by host families

Host families accepting students are provided with guidelines setting out their responsibilities and obligations. Host families are required to report to the school any failure to comply with school regulations or curfews that may compromise a student's safety.

Religious observance

If a student wishes to attend a religious service the host family or the school will provide information and help.

Emergency numbers

For routine enquiries or information please call during office hours Monday to Friday 08.30-17.00. Please use the out of hours numbers for emergencies only. If the emergency number is engaged or not answering please call back after 15 minutes. The staff member holding the phone may be engaged on another call or driving and unable to answer the phone immediately.

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