Arrival & Departure Procedures Here you will find information on: Information on Airport Transfers..2 Arrivals Departures Information on Parent Transfers........4 Bringing a child to the school Collecting a child on departure day Directions to Headington Oxford Summer School Documents Required for Travel......6 Letter of Consent to Travel Travelling as an Unaccompanied Minor Visa Support Information After reading the information contained in this document, please complete and return the Transfer Information Form so that we can arrange your child s flight accordingly.
Information on Airport Transfers Arrivals The Coach Transfer Service is ONLY available for flights arriving at HEATHROW Airport on the published Arrival Dates between 09.00 and 16.00. For flights arriving outside of these times, or for flights landing at other UK airports, a taxi transfer will need to be organised through head office. Please be aware that taxi transfers are quoted on an individual basis and that rates are more expensive than our Coach Transfer Service. Please contact us for a quotation and further information. The deadline for booking a transfer is the 18th June, unfortunately a transfer may not be guaranteed after this date. Students who have booked a coach transfer will be met at on their arrival at Heathrow by Summer Boarding Courses staff. Once the flight has landed, students should go through Passport Control and then collect their baggage. Once they have their baggage, students should follow the signs to the Exit /Arrivals Hall. A member of SBC staff will be waiting for the student as they enter the Arrivals Hall. Please note, Heathrow airport is very busy and at peak times, it can take 1-2 hours from the time a flight lands to complete Passport Control and Baggage Collection. Our staff will always follow the live flight information and will be aware of any delays. In the Arrivals Hall, our staff will be easily identifiable wearing a bright YELLOW T-SHIRT with SBC on the front and TRANSFER TEAM on the back. They will also be holding a sign displaying your child s name. In the unlikely event that a student is unable to see a member of Summer Boarding Courses staff, the student should go directly to the airport information point in the terminal and inform a member of airport staff. Children using our Coach Transfer Service will be accompanied from the main Arrivals Hall to our Welcome Club. This is located at one of the airport hotels, away from the main terminal buildings. At Welcome Club, children will be able to have some refreshments, relax and meet other new students before taking the next Coach Transfer to Headington Oxford Summer School. The journey between Heathrow and Headington Oxford takes approximately 90 minutes. Once at the school, students will be checked in at the Summer School Office, where they can hand in their passport and any valuable documents such as flight tickets. These will be kept securely in the school safe, along with any pocket money. Students can come to the office to reclaim their pocket money during break times on set days. Once checked in, the students are then shown to their boarding houses and given time to unpack and settle in to their rooms. Students will be introduced to their House Parent and to other students in the boarding house. 2
Departures Our Coach Transfer Service will be operating for flights departing between 10.00 and 16.00. If you book a flight earlier than this, your only transfer option will be to organise a taxi through SBC. For any flights departing later than 16.00, you can still utilise the coach service but please do be aware that your child may need to spend several hours at the airport waiting for their flight. On the departure day, Headington staff will wake students up and ensure they have all their belongings ready for departure our staff will return passports, any flight documentation, valuables and any remaining pocket money. Students using our Airport Transfer Service will then depart the school at a suitable time, to ensure they are at the airport at least 2 hours before their flight departs. Some airlines require online check-in prior to departure to guarantee a flight booking. It is the parent s responsibility to check the policy with the airline. If required, we recommend that parents do the online check-in and any registration documents, e-tickets or boarding passes are given to the child prior to travelling to the UK. Alternatively, we can assist with printing off any required documents if they are emailed to the office during your child s stay. 3
Information on Parent Transfers In advance of the summer, we ask that you provide the name of the person/s collecting your child from our care by completing our Transfer Information Form. The named person will be required to show a form of ID and sign a form at the school to check-in and/or check-out the student. Bringing a child to the school For those parents or guardians who are bringing their children to the school, check in is available between 11.00 and 15.00 on the arrival day. If it is not possible for you to check in during the allocated time, please contact Head Office to discuss this at the earliest opportunity. On changeover days (30 th July and 6th August) accommodation can only be accessed from 1pm to allow the rooms to be cleaned. When arriving at Headington School please follow the signs for the Headington Oxford Summer School Office where there will be staff available to meet and check in our new students. Once at the school, students will be checked in at the Summer School Office, where they can hand in their passport and any valuable documents to be kept securely in the school safe. We ask that all pocket money is also handed in to the office to be kept in the school safe. Students can come to the office to reclaim their pocket money during break times on set days. Once checked in, students will be shown to their boarding houses where they will meet their House Parent and other students. In the afternoon and evening, students will be able to take part in a range of activities to get to know the school and have time to unpack and settle into their rooms. Collecting a child on departure day For those parents collecting their children at the end of their stay, please note the place for picking up your child is the Headington Oxford Summer School Office. The allocated time for collecting your child is between 9.00 and 11.00 in the morning. On the departure day, Headington Oxford Summer School staff will wake students up and ensure they have all their belongings ready for their departure our staff will return passports, any valuable documents and any remaining pocket money. Directions to Headington Oxford Summer School It is easy to get to Headington Oxford by public transport or by car. We have provided some directions on the following page and the address for the Summer School is as follows: Headington Oxford Summer School Headington School Headington Road Oxford OX3 7TD 4
TRAVELLING BY TRAIN If you are travelling by rail there are regular trains from London Paddington, Birmingham New Street and Bristol to Oxford Train station. The school is a ten minute taxi ride from the station. Train times can be found on www.nationalrail.co.uk TRAVELLING BY BUS There are regular buses leaving Heathrow and Gatwick Airport that allow you to sit back, relax, and watch the beautiful countryside. The nearest stop to Headington School is Brookes University, providing a short 5 minute walk to the school. TRAVELLING BY CAR Headington School is located on Headington Road (the A420). On arrival in Oxford from: Birmingham or the North: Travel South on the M40 to exit 9, then take the A34 towards Oxford and locate the school using the map below. London or the East: Follow signs for M40 Oxford. The South and West: Travelling east on the M4, exit at junction 13. Follow the A34 towards Oxford and locate Headington School using the map below. Free car parking is available at Headington School, which will get very busy on arrival and departure days, and so please do allow for plenty of time to drop off and collect your child. You can access Headington School from two entrances, Headington road or from Headley Way. 5
Documents Required for Travel Letter of Consent to Travel Every student travelling to the UK without their parents or guardian MUST carry the Letter of Consent to Travel with their passport; you do not need to send this letter to SBC. This letter confirms that the named student is attending Dukes International Summer School and contains the telephone number for the Summer School. A template of this letter can be found in your Parent Welcome Pack. Parents must sign this letter and students should carry it with their passport all the time when travelling. They may be asked to show it at immigration / passport control when entering the UK. Parents and guardians may also want to consider having this letter notarised (witnessed or signed by a solicitor) as the regulations are different for children travelling from certain countries without their parent. In particular this applies to children travelling from ITALY or SPAIN who may not be able to board a flight without either a notarised letter or a letter from the local police (in Italy this is called the Dichiarazione Di Affido). We recommend that you check with your airline and local police about whether your child will need any official documentation to leave the country without being accompanied by a parent or guardian. Students have in the past been refused boarding onto their flight because they did not have the correct documentation. Countries known to be affected by such regulations are (this list is not exhaustive): ITALY, SPAIN, FRANCE, PORTUGAL, LATVIA. Travelling as an Unaccompanied Minor You may wish to request UNACCOMPANIED MINOR (UM) assistance directly from your airline if your child is flying to the UK without a parent/guardian. Instead of travelling alone, a member of the airline staff will accompany your child from check-in through to meeting the SBC team in the arrivals hall. The UM service is available from most airlines, and should be arranged with the airline when making the flight reservation. Please be aware that most airlines will charge a small for this service. Some airlines will not accept child travellers under the age of 16 without also booking the UM service and for some it is unavailable for children over 11 years old. Please check with the airline prior to booking any flights. When the UM Assistance is booked, the airline will usually request the name and contact number of the person meeting the child at the destination, which we can provide you. There may be changes to arrangements and the named member of staff given for the UM Assistance may change. If this is the case, we will inform you and arrange for another member of our team to meet your child with a signed Letter of Authorisation to present to the airline. Once you have confirmed the UM service with your travel agency and/or your airline, please email a scanned copy of the paperwork confirming the UM service usually this is called the Unaccompanied Minor s Declaration Form. A copy of the paperwork it makes for a very smooth handover with the airline staff. In some cases, some airlines do not provide paperwork until check-in, if this is the case please let your SBC contact know. 6
Visa Support Information We advise that students requiring UK entry clearance (a visa), carefully read the information below before beginning the Visa application process. We advise that all students requiring a visa should apply for a Shor t T erm St udy (c hild) visa and ask that you read the terms and conditions thoroughly before proceeding with the application. Please be aware that it is extremely difficult to make amendments to any visa once the application process is underway. In order to obtain a Short Term Study (child) visa students must demonstrate the following: That they have been offered a place on a course in the UK at an accredited place of study for a limited period, not exceeding 6 months That a parent/guardian agrees to them travelling and can financially support them They do not intend to seek private medical treatment during the visit (other than in an emergency) They do not intend to take employment in the United Kingdom They are under the age of 18 They can demonstrate that suitable arrangements have been made for travel to and from the United Kingdom and that reception and care in the United Kingdom have been arranged for the duration of the stay A parent or guardian in the child s home country or country of habitual residence is responsible for his or her care To assist with the visa application Summer Boarding Courses is able to provide a Visa Support Letter, once we have received the course deposit payment. This letter will contain the following information: Full name and date of birth of the student Student s passport number, date of issue and date of expiry The start and finish dates of the course and the full address of the school at which the student will be staying The total cost of the course Confirmation that the course is residential with all meals, lessons and activities included, as well as confirmation of travel insurance Confirmation that Summer Boarding Courses is accredited by Accreditation UK. Accreditation UK is administered by the British Council and English UK. 7
Visa Support Information continued... As soon as the deposit has been paid and all the details above are in place, Summer Boarding Courses Ltd will send you a copy of the Visa Support Letter via email. Please check with your Embassy if you need to provide the original document, as a hard copy of the letter can be sent by courier (at an additional cost of 70). It is important to note that, depending on the country, visa applications can take around 20 working days (or 3-4 weeks). If a visa is required, you are advised to begin the visa application process as early as possible. Once the visa is obtained, we will need to receive a scanned copy of the student s passport and the visa by e-mail. Summer Boarding Courses Ltd. reserve the right to cancel a booking, if a copy of the visa has not been received 4 weeks before the course arrival date. Please note, if your child is unable to obtain their visa, Summer Boarding Courses Ltd will issue a full refund less a 200.00 administration fee only upon receipt of a valid visa refusal letter. The visa application must be made with sufficient time prior to the arrival date as indicated by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), all necessary documentation must be provided as indicated by the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), and the parent/guardian must be able to demonstrate that all necessary steps were taken to obtain the correct visa. No refund will be given if any of these criteria are not met. For more information on applying for a visa see the link : https://www.gov.uk/study-visit-visa/eligibility If you have any queries regarding the first stage of the visa application process, please contact your local Embassy who should be able to offer you the correct support and guidance. 8