Guardians

Every pupil whose parents are resident overseas or who live beyond a two-hour drive from the City of Durham must have a UK-based guardian who lives within two hours’ drive of Durham School.

Our Guardians

Having a supportive Guardian enhances the pupil’s experience of studying at Boarding School and living away from home.

We require Durham School Guardians to take an active role in your child’s education and welfare, living close enough for the pupil to visit at weekends, half terms or at the start and end of term before returning home.

Durham School expects a guardian, or host family parent, to attend parents’ evenings to represent the pupil’s parents and be in regular communication with teachers, House staff, the Head of Boarding & International Pupils and other relevant staff when required.

A Guardian may be a relative or friend of the family of the boarder or a Guardian Agency can be employed to provide the Guardian services.

A Guardian Agency must hold the Boarding Schools’ Association Certified Guardian Agency status or be accredited through AEGIS. In line with our Safeguarding Policy, International Pupils’ Policy and the expectations from the UKVI (UK Visas and Immigration), we will check the suitability of Guardianship provision for each pupil. If this is not acceptable, it may result in the pupil being asked to leave Durham School until a suitable Guardian is appointed.

For international pupils, they may become in breach of their visa regulations and they could be asked to leave the UK and return to their home country. The School does not recommend or arrange Guardianship on behalf of the parents. Parents and Guardians are expected to keep the School informed of their contact details and provide all the information requested so we meet the regulations stipulated by UKVI.

In addition to complying with all UK laws, guardians (or host families provided by a guardian agency) of Durham School pupils must:

Live within two hours’ travel time of the School
Hold either a British passport or a share code confirming settled status
Be at least 25 years of age
Have completed full-time education
Be fluent in English and, ideally, in the pupil’s native language
Act as guardian for no more than three pupils
Be available to contact at any time
Be available to take pupils to appointments outside School, if necessary
Be able to provide transport and care in the event of infectious illness or injury, exclusion from School, or the immediate closure of School due to unforeseen circumstances, until a return to School is possible
Provide a room with a bed, wardrobe, desk and storage facilities, as well as access to Wi-Fi, bathroom and kitchen facilities, and comfortable living space within the home
Provide three meals a day
Follow the guidance of Durham School in the event of an emergency involving the child, either on the School site or on a School trip, in the absence of the parents

The Role of a Guardian

It is essential that a guardian is able to accommodate pupils when needed, and parents are asked to consider this carefully when selecting a guardian.

The typical role of a guardian includes:

Transport to and from School — it is the guardian’s responsibility to transport pupils to and from airports or railway stations and to accompany them to School on the first day of each academic year, whether or not parents are present.
Accommodation during School holidays and half terms — including bridging the gap between term dates and flights to and from home.
Collecting the pupil in the event of illness, injury or exclusion — we would expect guardians to be able to accommodate pupils in the event of any pandemic flu illness, should such accommodation be considered necessary by the School. If the School has to accommodate a pupil in the Medical Centre overnight in the absence of guardians, we reserve the right to pass the staffing costs incurred on to the parents.
Attending Parents’ Evenings, sporting events, drama and musical performances, and other School events — to represent the parents and support the pupil.

The provision of guardianship is monitored by the Admissions Department, the Head of Boarding, boarding Housemasters and Housemistresses, and the parents who appoint the guardian.

For all international pupils who are sponsored by Durham School and issued with a CAS, it is essential that Durham School has consent from both parents. This must include the arrangements for their child’s application to the School, travel details, reception at the airport, onward travel to School and guardianship arrangements.

Details of travel arrangements and plans for the child during the holidays must be submitted to the Head of Boarding well in advance of each holiday. In the event of future public health requirements, this may also need to include clear details of where the pupil will quarantine and the results of any medical tests required on return to the UK.

To comply with UKVI regulations, if the guardian of an international pupil sponsored by the School is a family friend, relative or a non-BSA-accredited guardian agency, Durham School must be satisfied that this person or organisation meets the criteria set out above and will carry out checks to ensure that those criteria are met.

If you have any queries relating to Guardianship, please contact the International Admissions Department on international-admissions@dcsf.org.uk or Mark Younger (Head of Boarding) at m.younger@dcsf.org.uk.

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