Guardianship is one of those topics that does not come with exciting anecdotes or unusual facts, but instead serves a very practical purpose: ensuring that all bureaucratic requirements are met and reassuring parents that their child is well looked after. Anyone searching online will quickly find themselves navigating a dense web of information from schools, private providers and organisations. Everyone has something to say, and much of it can sound equally important – and rather complicated.
Yet at its core, the idea is actually quite simple: for a boarding school stay in the United Kingdom, a guardian is required. But what does that mean in practice?
What is a guardian in concrete terms?
An “educational guardian” is a person or organisation based in the UK who represents the parents locally (in loco parentis). Their role is largely one of background responsibility: overseeing care, safety and wellbeing, and being readily available should anything arise.
Why is a guardian required in the first place?
British boarding schools may only admit international pupils if a guardian has been appointed. This is a formal requirement and forms part of the UK’s safeguarding system.
The guardian acts as the emergency contact in cases of illness, injury or a short-term suspension from school. Or put simply: someone is there when parents cannot be.
A typical everyday example: an Exeat weekend is approaching and all pupils must leave the boarding house for those days. However, the flight has been rescheduled. In such situations, the guardian is the first point of contact, ensuring that the pupil is properly cared for.
Who can act as a guardian?
In principle, there are two options:
A private individual
- must hold settled status or British citizenship
- is usually at least 25 years old
- should not be a full-time student
- must be reliably reachable (24/7)
- should live within a two-hour radius of the school
A professional guardianship agency
- has clear procedures, emergency plans and experience
- usually maintains a regional network of host families
- is recognised and accepted by schools
Important: not every well-meaning acquaintance automatically meets schools’ requirements. Many boarding schools request formal documentation, references or specific certifications.
Guardianship packages: what do we actually need?
Not every family requires the same level of guardianship. You may decide whether you need support during all school holidays (from the longer breaks to Exeat weekends) or only occasional cover for individual Exeat weekends. Many of our families opt for a guardian who is formally named on paper, as they are able to manage many organisational aspects themselves.
In addition, younger children generally require considerably more support than older teenagers who are already fairly independent.
It is therefore important that you, as a family, clearly define your actual needs and decide which guardianship model suits you best. Most of our families choose a guardian who mainly fulfils the formal role on paper.
Kindness - preached by the headmaster; practiced by teachers and pupils
Costs
The costs depend very much on the chosen model and typically start at around £350 per term. We therefore always recommend requesting precise quotes directly from the provider.
Please note: overnight stays with host families, transfers or additional support are usually charged separately, so it is well worth reviewing the full service package in detail.
When should you arrange a guardian?
As soon as you receive the school’s offer letter, you should begin arranging guardianship, as a guardian must already be named when you accept the place and sign the acceptance form.
Schools will then check whether the nominated guardian meets their requirements.
Our approach at von Bülow
We work exclusively with carefully selected, certified guardian partners whom we know personally and review on a regular basis: Studylinks and Pippa’s Guardians.
In most cases, the First Response Guardianship package from Studylinks is sufficient. If, however, your child will not be travelling home during the holidays or you would prefer more personalised support, we can recommend Pippa’s Guardians.
In addition, we have recently introduced our own first-response guardian service. And we would be very happy to advise you personally on suitable options, procedures and costs.
It is reassuring to know that someone is there when you need them.