Junior Student Welfare

Learning English in the UK is a fantastic opportunity, and we want your experience at the Lewis School to be as enjoyable and rewarding as possible.

If you need our help in an emergency, call the school on +44 23 8022 820

If the school is closed, listen for the emergency number on the voicemail message.

However if you are having any problems with your lessons, your accommodation, or are facing any personal difficulties, please come and speak to us – we are here for you. All our staff are trained in welfare issues, ensuring a high level of care, and many also have first aid qualifications. Please feel free to ask any of us about your stay or about learning English. We’re always happy to help!

24 hour service symbols or buttons in four colors

Your safety and well-being are our top priorities.
Each centre has a Welfare Officer and an emergency number that is manned 24 hours a day. We monitor the whereabouts of all students and ensure full participation in lessons and activities. All our staff are trained in welfare issues, ensuring a high level of care, and many also have first aid qualifications.

Key Features of Our Welfare Service

1:20-supervision ratio on all activities

24-hour emergency phone number

Welfare officer in each centre

All staff are DBS-checked and trained in welfare and safeguarding issues

Regular meetings with group leaders

Lewis School guardian for students without a group leader

A Warm Welcome!

As part of our warm welcome, you will be given an introductory talk, a welcome pack and a tour on your first day. You are also given a card with your accommodation address and the emergency phone number. We also provide an optional ‘meet and greet’ service (additional fee) to welcome you on arrival at the airport and ensure a smooth transition to the centre.

Caring for Groups

We work closely with Group Leaders to ensure their students are happy and are getting the most from their stay. Our management staff are always available to discuss any issues, and we organise regular meetings between Group Leaders and our Centre Manager, Head Teacher and Activities Manager.

Caring for Individuals

We also welcome many students who arrive unaccompanied. These students are placed under the care and supervision of a dedicated Lewis School guardian.

Safeguarding

We take great care to ensure the safety and well-being of all our students, and for this reason we have very robust safeguarding procedures.

For example, all of our staff, all homestay hosts and all adult members of the household are DBS-checked (police-checked). All staff and hosts also receive training in safeguarding issues.

You can read our Safeguarding Policy in full on our School Policies page.

Pocket Money & Valuables

We can keep your valuable possessions such as passport, tickets and pocket money in a locked safe. However, we cannot be held responsible for damage, loss or theft. If you do not wish your child to travel with a large amount of cash, you may transfer pocket money to the Lewis School bank account. This will then be passed to your child by the Centre Manager on a regular basis.

Use of Mobile Phones

Mobile phones are an important part of the programme and communication system. Before arrival, we require the mobile phone number of all students for emergency contact purposes, and we confirm these details again on arrival.

Please note:

students use their mobile phones to access the online schedule of their daily programme

students may be asked to use their phones for research and information purposes during project work and activities

mobile phones must be used responsibly and respectfully at all times

students should switch off their phones during lessons and organised activities unless otherwise requested by staff or teachers

we recommend that Group Leaders establish clear rules regarding phone use and screen time at night in the residence

Before you arrive, we recommend that you read our
Pre-Arrival Guide for Summer programmes and for Year-Round programmes.
This will help you and your parents/guardians to prepare for your stay, and to answer questions you may have about our programmes. If you have any further questions about your stay, please Contact us.

ONLINE COURSES - Under 18s

Keeping You Safe and Secure Online

Safer Recruitment

The Lewis School of English practises safer recruitment. All staff are DBS-checked (police-checked) and have completed training in safeguarding issues

A Safe & Friendly Classroom Environment

Our priority is to provide create a safe, friendly and caring environment where all students and staff feel confident and able to learn and work.

We use safe and secure learning platforms (see our Online Welcome Pack for Adult Courses). This also means that students do not need to browse the Internet.

Lesson content is age-appropriate. If any student work is to be shared with the class, the teacher checks it beforehand to ensure it is suitable. Students are not permitted to screen share.

We collect an emergency contact number from the parent/guardian of each student. Students follow the Code of Conduct (see our Welcome to Your Online Junior Course), which is explained during the first lesson.

Monitoring

For classes with any under-18s, the teacher supervises all aspects of the lesson. The teacher checks each student’s name before allowing them entry to the lesson. No student has any unsupervised contact with other students; for example, there is no private chat function and ‘breakout rooms’ are not used. The Director of Studies, who is also the school’s Designed Safeguarding Lead, monitors lessons by checking the chat transcript and making occasional ‘drop-in’ visits to the class. Teachers contact the Director of Studies immediately if an under-18 student is absent. The Director of Studies then contacts the parent to check whether the parent has authorised this.

Security Outside Lessons

For additional security, the teacher does not have any direct contact with the student outside the lesson. Emails are sent by the Director of Studies or the administration team to the parent (or to the student if the parent has consented to this). Homework is returned within Google Classroom, which does not require email contact.

Parent/Guardian Consent

For some classes, we may produce a promotional video to use in our publicity or as a record of the students’ work. Participation in the video is optional and depends on the consent of the parent/guardian. Please indicate on the consent form whether or not you consent for your child’s image to be used in Lewis School publicity (including social media). If you have not given consent, your child will not appear in the video. Lesson recordings are deleted after the promotional video is published.

We also ask whether you permit Lewis School to email your child directly. If no consent is given, we will send all email correspondence to the parent/guardian’s email address instead.