Safety and Student Support

Smoking and vaping is strictly prohibited in all indoor areas of the school, including the Student Centre.  Under no circumstances are students permitted to smoke or vape in the corridors, classrooms, lecture rooms, toilets or other indoor areas.  The only areas that are designated as smoking/vaping zones are the garden lawns at the front of the school and the patio area in front of the Student Centre.

Depending on the severity of the student’s behaviour, Anglo-Continental reserves the right to skip a level of the procedure.  The Managing Director also reserves the right to immediately expel a student if the student’s behaviour is considered gross misconduct.

Courses provided by Anglo-Continental are based on the principle of open and equal
opportunities for all, irrespective of gender, marital status, sexual orientation, creed, colour, race, ethnic origin, age or disability.

The principle is promoted in all aspects of course provision including:

• Statements of eligibility for entry on all courses that are based solely on academically relevant criteria.
• The methods of recruitment, selection and training of all those working for or on behalf of Anglo-Continental.

Review procedures ensure that all aspects of the provision of courses are, and remain, nondiscriminatory.

Anglo-Continental welcomes students with special needs, aged 16 or above. Many facilities such as classrooms, a self-service restaurant, student services and a dedicated toilet are located on the ground floor and are accessible for wheelchair users. It should be noted that the Multi-Media Learning Centre and lecture room 1 can only be reached by stairs. Some activities may not be suitable for students with special needs. Students with special needs who wish to participate in excursions may need to be lifted on and off the coach, if assistance is required, and must use the coach seats.

If you have a disability, please download and complete the Disability and Additional Learning Support Questionnaire below:

Anglo-Continental can provide one-to-one courses for students with hearing difficulties. Please note that courses at Anglo-Continental are unsuitable for the visually impaired/blind or the deaf. Please contact us if you think you may need special arrangements.

If you have a learning disability such as dyslexia, it is very helpful if you can provide us with details in advance. In particular, if you are planning to take an examination, we can sometimes make special arrangements for you. Please complete the Disability and Additional Learning Support Questionnaire below:

Anglo-Continental has a helpful and friendly team of Student Support Officers who are available to support students with any problems which may arise while they are away from home. Our counsellors offer a professional and completely confidential service. However, we are unable to accept clients with significant mental health problems. Clients, or their parents/guardians or sponsors, must inform us (before enrolling) about any history of mental health problems so that we can advise whether our courses are suitable for them.

Please complete the Disability and Additional Learning Support Questionnaire below:

Anglo-Continental recognises its responsibility to minimise the environmental impact and contribute to the preservation of the planet for future generations.  This environmental policy outlines our commitment to sustainability and outlines the actions we will take to reduce our ecological footprint.

Students and homestay families can contact our Student Support team during office hours (Monday to Friday 08.30 – 16.30 hours).

The main telephone number of the Student Support Department is: +44 (0)1202 411834.

During June, July and August, Student Support can be accessed out of office hours via the Emergency Telephone (available on the student’s confirmation of enrolment letter), however outside of these months the Student Support Staff may not be immediately available after 16.30 hours.

The First Aid/Student Support Office is located in Student Services (Reception).

“Caring for Students” – Study Travel Magazine

Anglo-Continental has a team of fully qualified First Aid staff. There are an appropriate number of First Aid Trained staff on duty and available for the size of the campus and the number of people on the campus at any time.

First Aid arrangements are provided in other activities such as excursions, sports and leisure activities.

First Aid Equipment and Facilities

First Aid boxes are located in the following areas of the school:

• The First Aid Room in Reception
• Young Learners Reception
• Student Centre
• Facilities Office
• Kitchen
• Company Vehicles

An Automated External Defibrillator (AED) is also available on site to treat life threatening heart problems.

Medical/Hospital Treatment

Should an accident or illness require medical attention a student may be referred to a doctor or in more serious cases sent to hospital. If an injury or illness appears serious enough an ambulance will be called. Where a casualty is under 16 years of age a member of staff will accompany the person to hospital.

Reporting and Follow Up

Any incident where a person is taken to hospital is reported to the Head of First Aid, the Student Support Officers and the Personnel Manager. The Student Support Officers will inform the relevant member of marketing to ensure that the casualties emergency contacts are informed and kept up-to-date of the situation.

All incidences/accidents are recorded on the official Accident Report forms and given to the Head of First Aid to be investigated (depending on the nature and severity of the accident/incident) and kept on the confidential Accident Report file.

Should the casualty be unable to return to study the next working day, an appropriate senior member of staff will attempt to make contact with the casualty.

Anglo-Continental’s Student Support Team works in close connection with all departments at Anglo-Continental to ensure the wellbeing of all our students.

The Student Support Team are made aware of issues from various sources:

• The student may come in with a problem
• The homestay family may telephone with concerns
• The teaching staff may have concerns from what has been said or observed in the classroom
• The Duty Officer’s Report – the Student Support Team will follow up any relevant cases outlined in the Duty Officer’s Report from the previous evening or weekend, and provide ongoing help and support
• End of Course Questionnaire – to ensure we maintain the quality of our homestay families, any negative comments on the student’s End of Course Questionnaire relating to the homestay experience are followed up by the Student Support Officer in a sensitive and professional way. This can require a home visit, review or spot-check by the Student Support Officer who will listen to both sides of the story. They will then research past comments and reports with the accommodation department before determining if the homestay family is suitable to continue to host our students.
• External communications – emails or phone calls are sometimes received from other English Language Schools or the local Community Police to advise us of adverse local issues or problems that might relate to our international students or school. The Student Support Team actively encourages shared communication in this way.

The Student Support Officer writes a report on each incident and this is kept in a confidential file with the applicable student number and date. This file can only be accessed by other members of the Student Support Team which ensures continuous care and confidentiality. When a complaint or incident is raised via the marketing department from the student’s agent or family, then the student support file can be referred to in order to provide an insight into a given problem.

Confidential Service

Our Student Support staff provide a confidential and discreet service for problems of a delicate or sensitive nature. Two members of the Student Support Team are fully qualified therapeutic counsellors and members of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). As well as qualifications, the Student Support Team has a wealth of experience in dealing with international students and the variety of problems that might arise.

Student Care

The Student Support Team provide ongoing care and support to students who have a problem(s), or can simply be there to listen to those who are homesick and wish to talk about their situation and their experiences of living and studying in a foreign country. The Student Support Officer will sometimes mediate between the student and their homestay families when problems arise because of cultural differences.

If a student is under the age of 18 and the situation arises, then a Student Support Officer will accompany that student to the Police Station, Courtroom, or Hospital, as necessary. The Student Support Officer will liaise with the student, the Police, the emergency services, the homestay families, the student’s families, and members of staff at Anglo-Continental.

Students Under 18 Enrolled on Adult Courses

Anglo-Continental strictly monitors students under 18 years of age. Any unauthorised absence is followed up by our Student Services staff.

On the first day of school our Student Support Officer meets with all new students under 18 years of age on Adult Courses to ensure that these students are aware of the Anglo-Continental Guidelines for students under 18. These students will also be asked to sign a statement to confirm that they understand and will follow these guidelines.

Young Learners

Our Young Learners receive a high standard of supervision, safety checks and student care. There are a high ratio of staff to students in the Young Learners School. It is also compulsory for Young Learners aged 10-13 years of age to take the supervised door-to-door transport service from their homestay accommodation to the school and back.

A significant number of our Teachers, Student Support, Accommodation and Young Learners staff have been trained in ‘Child-Safe’ Child Protection level 1 – Safeguarding and Protecting Children and Young People. Level 3 Safeguarding training will be undertaken in Spring 2015.

Before placing a student under the age of 18 in a homestay family, Anglo-Continental requires each member of the homestay family over the age of 16 to sign our Children’s Act Form to certify that they have no criminal convictions against children.

The Student Support Team are also responsible for initiating Enhanced DBS checks (police checks) on our homestay families that host students under the age of 18. If a student under the age of 16 is studying at Anglo-Continental for more than 28 days, Anglo-Continental will notify Bournemouth Borough Council Social Services Department ‘Private Fostering’ team. The local authority will carry out statutory checks as to the suitability of the family. The Student Support Department liaises closely between all of these departments to ensure that our homestay families and students are given all the help and on-going support they need.

HOW DO YOU THINK WE ARE DOING?

Please tell us about your experience at Anglo-Continental.  If you would like to pay a compliment or make a complaint, please let us know.  You can contact us in writing, by email, by telephone or in person.  If you wish to speak to us in person, we would ask you to contact us to make an appointment.

If you know the name or title of the member of staff or the department your comment relates to, you should contact them and/or their immediate supervisor directly.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

If you give a compliment we will pass this on to the person(s) concerned.

If you make a complaint, we will always investigate this thoroughly, and will endeavour to resolve it as quickly as possible.  An investigation can take some time to complete, depending on the complexity of the situation.  If this should be the case then we will contact you and explain why there is a delay and also let you know when you can expect an answer.

If you are not happy with the initial response you receive, you should contact us again and ask for your complaint to be referred to the Managing Director.  If you remain unhappy with the school’s actions, you may wish to send an email to the British Council. 

ANGLO-CONTINENTAL AIMS TO:

• treat fairly every woman and man, whatever their age, race, religion, disability or sexual orientation
• handle a complaint seriously and deal with it efficiently
• resolve a complaint promptly and informally, whenever possible
• learn from a complaint and take action to improve our service

Anglo-Continental’s CCTV system is carefully placed to cover external vulnerable areas and access points and is designed to provide evidential quality images if required. The location of each camera is individually assessed and positioned in order to provide specific images. The system is intended to view and monitor activity in the immediate area of the school only.

Modern slavery is a crime and a violation of fundamental human rights.  It takes various forms, such as slavery, servitude, forced and compulsory labour and human trafficking, all of which have in common the deprivation of a person’s liberty by another in order to exploit them for personal or commercial gain.  The school has a zero-tolerance approach to modern slavery and we are committed to acting ethically and with integrity in all our business dealings and relationships.

Anglo-Continental recommends that you arrange medical insurance cover for the period of your course before you arrive in the UK.  If you would like to book International Student Travel Insurance through Anglo-Continental please contact us. 

Emergency out-patient hospital treatment is normally provided, at a reduced cost, or sometimes free of charge, by the British National Health Service to students from countries which have reciprocal medical agreements with England.

Students from countries in the EU should be in possession of a European Health Insurance card (EHIC) in order to receive emergency medical treatment by the British National Health Service at a reduced cost or sometimes free of charge.  If you are from outside the EEA, and you plan to study for longer than 6 months then you may need to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge. 
 
Please speak to Student Services for advice on registering with a doctor’s surgery. The doctor’s surgery may charge you to make an appointment.

For detailed information about the UK State Health system please visit: UK Council for International Student Affairs website.