In the sections below you can find out more information about Guardianships and Visas. If you have any further questions or concerns relating to Guardianships or Visa, please contact our Registrar or our Boarding Administrator.
At Scarborough College, we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of every boarding pupil. Therefore, we require the parents of all boarding pupils who do not live in the United Kingdom to appoint a guardian or guardianship organisation to act on their behalf. Although this is not a legal requirement for students over the age of 18, we strongly encourage parents to consider a Guardian.
While we are responsible for each pupil’s welfare during term time, and will therefore undertake parentally designated responsibilities, there may be times when we must be able to hand over responsibility for the pupil to another adult. Such circumstances could be half term, end of term or when a pupil is suspended. We would normally hand over responsibility to the pupil’s parent(s), though where parents live overseas, we will turn to the nominated Guardian.
We do not appoint Guardians on behalf of parents. It is your responsibility to nominate a Guardian (Guardianship organisation) for your son or daughter. The Guardian (or representative of the Guardianship organisation) must meet all the following requirements:
Guardians cannot be members of Scarborough College staff, students who live in halls of residence. They must be prepared to provide a point of contact with Scarborough College, and be prepared to act with delegated parental authority in case of emergencies and be authorised to make necessary travel arrangements. If a Guardian is away from their usual address for any length of time, they must inform us and let us know how they can be contacted.
In case this is required, Guardians must provide appropriate overnight accommodation that complies with Scarborough College’s standards and is supervised by an adult at all times. Where required, Guardians should be registered with local Social Services and Police Station (as required under the Children Act 1989) and hold appropriate insurance.
Guardians are expected to respect the rights, religion and customs of a child and adhere to best practice in their Guardianship. This should include signing an agreement with the pupil’s parents, confirming the responsibilities of the Guardian. If, at any time, a nominated Guardian does not meet the requirements of our Guardianship Policy, we will require the parent to appoint a Guardianship organisation accredited by the Association of Educational Guardians for International Students to make appropriate Guardianship arrangements.
The Association of Educational Guardians for International Students (AEGIS) is a national association which monitors and regulates the welfare of international students, and provides accreditation for Guardianship organisations in line with the National Minimum Standards for Boarding. For more details, please visit www.aegisuk.net
All guardians are welcome to attend School events, parent meetings, concerts and sports matches. We also encourage them to make regular contact with the pupil’s houseparent and tutor.
In the case of pupils who are in receipt of a Child Student Visa and for whom we have issued a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS), we are responsible to the UK Border Agency for the pupil at all times during the Child Student sponsorship. We are legally required to retain accurate records of the pupil’s whereabouts, whether or not he/she is in the UK. Parents must, therefore, undertake to ensure that we are provided with relevant details and contact information for all periods when the pupil is not resident at School.
Guardians can be a family friend or relative living permanently in the United Kingdom. We can provide a list of Guardianship organisations that are preffered by current pupils and their families. However, the appointment of a Guardian is entirely the parents’ decision.
Pupils who do not have British citizenship, settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme and who are studying in the UK for a period longer than six months require a student visa. There are two types of Student visa: Child Student visa for children between 4 and 17 years old and Student visa for students aged 18 and over. Children who have a Dependant visa do not need a Student visa.
A Student visa is course based, which means that an application is made per course. You will need an application for up to and including GCSEs and one application for the IB Diploma Programme.
Scarborough College will send out a reference number called a Confirmation of Studies (CAS). This reference number is used to prove you have an unconditional offer of a place at Scarborough College. You need this number when you apply for a (Child) Student visa.
You must have enough money available to you to pay for your course and support you in the UK. When you are boarding at Scarborough College, you must have enough money to pay for your course fees and your boarding fees for one Academic Year (or up to nine months).
You do not need to provide proof if you are from a country listed under the ‘differential evidence requirement. You can find this list on: https://www.gov.uk/child-study-visa/money.
For more information about financial evidence for (Child) Student visas, please visit the page: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/financial-evidence-for-student-and-child-student-route-applicants.
You may need to pay a healthcare surcharge if you are applying for a visa. You will need to do so even if you have private medical insurance. You do not need to pay the surcharge if you are applying for a visitor visa.
The purpose of the surcharge is to ensure that all visa nationals contribute to the UK National Health Service. The surcharge is not a Visa fee. It will be collected by the Home Office and go directly into the National Health Service. It gives students access to the NHS on the same terms as a permanent UK resident.
To find out how much to pay and how to pay, please visit the Government Website: https://www.gov.uk/healthcare-immigration-application.
You get a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) when you apply to come to the UK longer than six months. Your BRP is sent to you by courier. You can choose Scarborough College as the location to have your BRP sent to. Our location code (ACL) is 2SC927. Please enter the location code when you apply for your visa to have the BRP sent to the school automatically.
