how often will my child stay with their host family?

Boarding schools close for short and extended holidays and all students must travel home or stay with their guardian host family during these times.

Emergencies and unforeseen circumstances can also happen throughout the academic year, where host families are also required.

A robust host family network with a good choice of caring and flexible host families is paramount in determining how good a guardianship organisation is.

We are often asked by overseas parents as to when they should expect their child to stay with their host family.

The majority of UK boarding schools close during holiday times and some weekends. All students need to leave and UK-based students go home to their parents.

Many international students do not have a family member or family friend to go to during the short breaks and do not want to make the long journey back home overseas. During these times, an important part of our role is to find them a safe and welcoming host family who will take good care of them.

• Exeats - Many UK Boarding Schools have exeat weekends, where boarders must leave school for two nights over a weekend. Exeat weekends can occur twice a term, though the number of exeats can vary between schools.
• Half Term - UK Boarding Schools have half term break, where boarders must leave the school from anywhere between one to two weeks. Half terms occur once per term, and mark the half-way mark of each term. Half term holiday times are also reserved for staff to have a break and so boarding houses normally close during this time.

These holiday times are also reserved for staff to have a break, and so boarding houses normally close during this time.

At the end of each term boarding houses close and international students are expected to travel home to spend the longer holidays with their family. Easter, Summer and Christmas residential programmes are also available to students who want to remain in the UK but these programmes often do not cover the full duration of the holiday.

Bright World offers a choice of host family and residential programmes for students who want to remain in the UK during Easter holidays.
Find out more about our range of Easter programmes here.

We offer a range of residential summer school options for students wanting to remain in the UK in July or August.
Find out more about our range of summer school programmes here.

All our students go home or are looked after by their family at Christmas when we take a break and switch off our emergency phone for a week.

Flight cancellations

Delays and cancellations can happen at any time, and parents should expect their guardianship organisation to make swift arrangements for their child to stay with a fully screened host family overnight if required. Safe, friendly, professional drivers should also be on hand to ensure no student is left unaccompanied.

Suspensions, illness and mental health support

Student suspensions, illness and mental health concerns happen and host families offer invaluable support for overseas students during these times.

Offering much needed neutral ground, it is vital students are able to stay with a friendly host family, until they are able to return to school. Parents should expect quick, professional advice and support from The Designated Safeguarding lead (DSL) during this time.

At Bright World Guardianships, we have a dedicated team of Mental Health Champions, who are trained and prepared to take care of students when they need help.