Why you need a Guardian for your child when they are at boarding school in the UK.
What is a Guardian?
A guardian is an adult who can act in loco parentis and take responsibility for your child for when they are in the UK.
What does a Guardian do?
There is a long list of what a Guardian could do but it is highly likely that you may need only a few of these things.
- Manage travel arrangements to and from airports.
- Provide accommodation at exeat weekends and half – terms.
- Visit your child at the school and attend parent meetings.
- Act in loco parentis with regard to medical matters.
- Liaise on your behalf with the school.
- Help you to cope with emergencies should your child need to leave the school in an emergency, such as a school closure or for responding to a school disciplinary event such as a temporary suspension.
Many German families only need basic cover, as a form of insurance cover and some of the more established Guardianship Agencies provide a European Guardian level of cover to which you can always add bolt-on services as and when needed.
Who should the Guardian be?
The guardian should be at least 25 years old and live within a few hours travel time of the school. If you have a relative or close family friend living in the UK and you should check with the school whether they are happy for this person to act as your child’s guardian.
Many schools may strongly advise that it is either a professional guardian registered with “AEGIS” or a “BSA Approved” guardian agency.
Do all schools require a Guardian?
Yes, they all have to for legal reasons but the specifics of what they may require may vary a little, although they do pretty much demand the same in order to meet regulatory requirements. However, for most German families there is a strong understanding that you are not very far away and could be at the school within a relatively short period of time so it is always worth discussing with the school the appropriateness of your suggested guardian.
There are a couple of links to schools’ guardianship policies so that you can see what they require:
- Repton School - Guardianship Policy
- Shrewsbury School - Guardianship Policy
- King's Bruton - Guardianship Policy
If I do not have any friends or family in the UK how do I find a guardian?
AEGIS ( The Association for the Education and Guardianship of International Students) is a nationally recognised standard of quality and
you can find an approved guardian from their website www.aegisuk.net .
Additionally the BSA ( Boarding Schools Association ) also certifies approved Guardianship agencies and their website is www.boarding.org.uk .
In previous years some of our students have successfully signed up with the following guardian organisations:
- Pippas Guardian: https://pippasguardians.com/
- White House Guardians: https://whitehouseguardians.co.uk/
Some schools like Gordonstoun School and Taunton School have their own guardian in house organisations.
How much does a Guardian cost?
This will totally depend upon the type of service that you require from the bare minimum, emergency cover to full blown accommodation at half terms and exeats, attend parental meetings and regular visits and contact with the school. You will always need to check the price with whoever you decide to appoint but around £200 a term would be the starting price point.
All useful Links
For identifying recognised Guardianship Agencies please look at:
AEGIS | The Association for the Education and Guardianship of International Studentsor the Boarding Schools Association approved list of Guardian agencies
Review some exemplar school policies on Guardians:
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