what are the rules for overseas students arriving in England?
As part of the UK Government's Covid-19 restrictions, travel and compulsory quarantine rules remain in place in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
UK boarding schools students under the age of 18 no longer need to quarantine when they arrive in England, unless they are arriving from red list countries.
Travellers from all amber listed countries aged 18+ can also avoid quarantine if they have been fully vaccinated in the UK, Europe of USA.
In the article below, we set out what students can expect when they book their quarantine package with a Bright World host family and how the process works.
before you travel
Your Guardianship Care Manager will contact you to request your travel information, including your flight details, arrival time and date of travel. If you are planning to travel on a connecting flight, please make your Care Manager aware of this as different quarantine rules may apply.
Your Care Manager will then work with our Accommodation Managers to allocate you with one of our specially vetted quarantine host families. The family will normally either be located close to your arrival airport or your school.
Please refer to our UK arrivals page, linked below, for detailed information on Covid-19 testing and quarantine requirements.
when you arrive in the UK
You will be met at the airport by your designated Bright World Covid-safe driver, who will transport you safely to your quarantine host family or UK boarding school, depending on where you plan complete your quarantine. Your driver will be waiting in the arrivals area holding a bright yellow taxi board with your name on.
Your driver will ask that you keep your mask on for the duration of the journey unless you are exempt. Masks may be taken off for consuming water en-route.
Students who have requested our Airport Airside service, will be met from the plane and escorted through the airport to meet their driver. Whilst those arriving from 'red list' countries will have transport arranged with their school in line with UK Government requirements.
how will you spend your quarantine
When you arrive at your host family you will be directed to your bedroom. This will either have an en-suite bathroom or you will be provided access to a private bathroom. You will be the only student staying with the family during quarantine.
Disinfectant wipes and hand sanitiser will be provided and you will be responsible for cleaning your bathroom. Washing and laundry will be provided by the family. It is important that you remain in your room and do not come into close contact with family members. All quarantine families have a garden and students are encouraged to get some fresh air each day. You will need to maintain social distancing and wipe down door handles and stair rails after use, If you do leave your room either to use your bathroom or the garden.
Your meals will be brought to you and left outside your bedroom door. When you are finished, you can leave the tray outside for collection.
Jenny Rumble, Director of Safeguarding & Operations
We have completed a full risk assessement on all of our host families who have offered to host students for quarantine to ensure that the students are comfortable and the families have suitable faciliities in place to follow the UK government guidance. Students must have their own bedroom and bathroom and remain socially distanced from their hosts at all times.
host family Covid testing support
Your host family will help you to take your travel tests and will ensure that these are safely posted via a priority post-box. Your travel test package will be sent by post to your host family or school as your parents will have listed this as your quarantine address on your passenger locator form pre-arrival.
Travel test packages
UK boarding school students from amber and red countries must book and pay for a travel test package, which will include COVID-19 tests to be taken on or before day 2 and on or before day 8 of their quarantine. The only current exception to this rule is those who have been fully vaccinated in the UK, Europe or USA, under-18s from amber countries and for those arriving from green countries who will not require quarantine but must still complete and send of their day 2 travel test.
Test to Release
If you are 18+ and are arriving from an amber country, then you will be eligible for the Test to Release scheme and your Bright World Care Manager can help you to book this optional service and your host family will help you to take and submit this additional test to reduce your quarantine period.
Students are permitted to travel to a clinic on day 5 of quarantine, have a test at the clinic and return straight away to their host family. Provided their appointment is early in the day, they should receive the result the same day by email or text. As soon as they receive a negative test result they can be released from quarantine. Bright World will arrange transport to and from the clinic and send full details by email.
what if I become unwell or test positive during my stay?
Your parents will have listed a designated email address on your travel forms before you set off on your journey and so test results will be sent to this is address.
If any of your test results come back positive, then please tell your Bright World Buddy or inform your hosts. They will have signed up for our Host Family Covid Safe Plan and so will take care of you until you are well and able to return to school. The rules in the UK mean that you would need to stay with your hosts for 10 days after the test was taken.
If you feel at all unwell during your stay then please also tell your Buddy or hosts and they will guide you and help you seek medical assistance.
Jenny Rumble, Director of Safeguarding & Operations
It is a big worry for parents that students may become ill when they are staying with their host family. Our families are all fully signed up to our Covid-Safe plan and so will take full care of any students who become ill during their stay.
onward travel to your school
Depending on the location of your host family, your Care Manager will either arrange for your host family to take you back to school at the end of your quarantine period or book you a Bright World transfer.
listen to our special Quarantine podcast episode
In our Season 3 premier episode, Lia sits down with Jenny Rumble and Lana Foster to discuss all things Quarantine. Where will students stay, what measures are in place, and what goes into being a Bright World Quarantine Host Family?
