Coronavirus Covid-19: Our Message to Parents & Partners.


 

Dear Parents and Partners

We are very much looking forward to welcoming your children to Oxford Spires International on one of our courses

We understand your concerns regarding Covid-19. The safety, security and well-being of our visiting students is of paramount importance, and we would like to bring to your attention the measures and precautions aimed to ensure the safety of all visiting students, to the UK.

We have been working closely with our trade association, English UK, and other UK Government and industry partners enabling us to monitor the situation regularly, and adapt our policies and procedures as we need to.

Safe travels from the World Travel and Tourism Council

Oxford Spires is registered to the 'We're Good To Go' scheme and we have been issued with the international 'Safe Travels' stamp from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).

The WTTC stamp enables travellers to recognise destinations around the world that have adopted global standardised protocols - so they can experience 'safe travels.'

We're good to go!

We're Good To Go is the official UK mark to signal that we are working hard to follow government and industry Covid-19 guidelines and has a process in place to maintain cleanliness and aid social distancing. 

Finally, Oxford Spires International will aim to continuously monitor the situation which is fast-moving and changing.

We look forward to welcoming all our visiting young learners and to providing experiences which are safe, secure and worthwhile.

Please have a look at the FAQ below, and feel free to contact us at any time for any other concerns or queries.

Thank you.

 

FAQ 


We are constantly monitoring the situation, which involves following UK government advice, communicating with our agents, suppliers, homestay hosts, and of course, our students and their parents. 

We have a number of centres that we plan to open for the spring and summer vacation dates in 2022.

Following the advice and discussions that our industry association English UK has had with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the Department for Education (DfE), together with our interpretation of published guidance for arrivals from amber list countries and DfE guidance on red list arrivals in boarding schools, it is our understanding that young learner students (8-17 years) arriving  from amber list countries and attending residential summer campus programmes can quarantine within an extended bubble or single household until the end of their quarantine period provided certain conditions are met. This would therefore allow them to take classes and meals together and do activities, sports and exercise within the campus site. 

It is out hope that these restrictions will become more manageable as we move through the next weeks and months and we will be updating this guidance further as it changes. 

Please check back here regularly for updates

Currently the UK government advice is:

Children and young people

All children aged 11 to 17 need proof of a negative COVID-19 test to travel to England (children aged 10 and under are exempt from this).

Children who are UK residents

On arrival in England, children aged 5 to 17 who are ordinarily resident in the UK:

  • must take a COVID-19 travel test on or before day 2
  • do not have to quarantine

 

For any questions about the current restrictions please feel free to contact us or call us to speak to us: t +44 (0)1865 800 290

We are still optimistic that we will be able to offer the same fun, educational programmes we have always run for our students, but in case the current global situation is not under control by that time, we might need to make some changes.

These changes might include:

  • Offering students the option to defer their course to a later date, with no extra charges and with a guarantee of the same or equivalent programme to what they have booked;
  • Offering students the option to join another similar programme, in case theirs is cancelled (for example, if we are forced to cancel a programme in one location, we might invite students to join us in a different location instead);
  • Offering students the option to book their course without paying any deposits. This is a risk-free option, which is a great way of securing your place on the summer school without worrying about losing money if we have to cancel the programme.
  • Offer a full refund if courses are unable to operate as a result of COVID-19

We will be constantly monitoring the situation, and we will update everyone involved when we have made the decision about when we will operate again this year. 

Please continue checking this page, and as always, contact us if you have any questions specific to your booking.

This is our top priority, and it always has been. 

We have worked with English UK and taken all the advice given by Public Health England to develop strong policies and procedures for our staff to follow, as a result of the global covid-19 pandemic. 

We will be training staff in areas such as hygiene, first aid, and health and safety - in addition to the regular training we already offer in these areas - with specific emphasis on viral transmission and disease control. 

We have developed a COVID-19 risk assessment plan which is continually being updated with new advice, regulation changes and requirements.

Please click here to view our complete Coronavirus policy. 

Please click here to view our Terms and Conditions for Individuals. And click here to view our Terms and Conditions for Groups

 

 

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