Our Policies

English in York (EiY) offers courses for adults and does not provide an exclusive environment for under-18s. All students are treated as independent, mature individuals. However, we acknowledge that students under the age of 18 are legally children, and we have put in place a safeguarding policy which is known to all staff and Homestay providers.

The school will normally deal directly with a student, and not with parents. English in York will correspond with parents only when the student’s welfare and progress is considered at risk and the matter cannot be dealt with between the school and the student.

English in York recognises the need to safeguard younger students so follows the policies and guidelines of the current UK legislation relating to the care of young people. All students in school under the age of 18 years are identifiable by their purple student lanyard, and the Safeguarding Officer has a specific role as principal point-of-contact for all student welfare issues.

The parent or guardian of any student who is under the age of 18 must provide 24-hour contact information for the duration of the young person’s course at EiY. The parent or guardian should in turn retain the school’s contact details.

It is expected that students will respect the wishes of their Homestay family regarding such matters as behaviour, care for their home and mealtimes. The student must keep the Homestay informed of their whereabouts and the times at which they will return following school or other activities. English in York assigns the time by which young students are expected to return to their Homestay each day (normally 10.30pm).

There will be a special induction on arrival at EiY, which will give guidance to students on behaviour outside school hours, and on what they can expect when living in Homestay accommodation. This will include such details as laundry arrangements.

Lunch is not provided by the host on weekdays, and students are expected to purchase their own.

English in York organises various social activities and excursions. These usually take place outside normal school hours, either in the evenings or at weekends. They form an important part of the student’s time at EiY, offering the opportunity to socialise with other students and staff, and the chance to visit places of interest in the area. There will be a charge to cover such items as admissions and transport.

All students are invited to join in the social programme**, which is supervised by EiY staff to appropriate ratios.

In signing the English in York Consent Form, parents/guardians consent to a student aged under 18 taking part in organised events, except where UK law forbids it.**

** Occasionally, evening events may be appropriate for students age 18+ only (e.g. pub /club nights). Students aged under 18 will not be permitted to attend in these circumstances.

Alcohol and tobacco
UK law states that it is illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to purchase alcohol and tobacco. The school will take reasonable steps to seek to ensure that the law is not broken but cannot undertake to supervise individual students.

Relationships with staff
Under the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2000, it is a criminal offence for any person in a position of trust to engage in sexual activity with someone under 18 years. All staff at English in York have had police (enhanced DBS) checks.

Child protection
Child protection is a matter of law in England, a person under the age of 18 years is a child. The School has a Duty of Care to protect those under the age of 18 from abuse and will report any suspicions or allegations of abuse of children to the appropriate authorities. Any such suspicions or allegations will be reported to the Designated Safeguarding Team within the school initially.

The three members of staff who make up the Designated Safeguarding Team are:

• Richard Gresswell (Assistant Director of studies and Designated Safeguarding Lead);
• Miriam Regan (Accommodation Officer and Designated Safeguarding Person); and
• Katy McDonald (Operations Manager and Designated Safeguarding Person).

English in York’s Safeguarding Policy is available on our website.

English in York understands its responsibilities under the Counter Terrorism & Security Act 2015 to reduce the likelihood of people of all ages being radicalised or drawn into terrorism and seeks to meet its obligations. To read our Prevent Policy in full please click here.

English in York aims to create an environment where all staff and students feel happy and safe. Please respect and enjoy the diversity of the English in York community. We have a duty to protect each other from abusive behaviour. All staff and students have a responsibility to report abusive behaviour, whether they have observed it themselves, heard about it from the victim or an observer, or are the victim.

Abusive behaviour is any behaviour intended to hurt or upset someone physically or emotionally, either face-to-face or online (cyberbullying).
The following list contains some examples of abusive behaviour:

• physical violence or inflicting of physical pain or discomfort of any kind;
• sexual harassment, including physical and verbal abuse;
• threats of any kind;
• name calling or laughing at someone;
• spreading rumours about someone;
• refusing to work or interact with someone in the classroom.

If behaviour like this is repeated, it is called bullying. If you feel you are being bullied, please talk to someone about it as soon as possible.

EiY Policy for dealing with abusive behaviour

Bullying is unacceptable and we take it very seriously. The process described below would be an example of step 3 of our ‘Discipline 5 steps’:

• complaints of abusive behaviour should be reported to the Director of Studies / Management. If you feel more comfortable doing so, you can speak with any member of staff, who will refer your complaint to Management
• Management will investigate by discussing the incident with all the people involved
  the incident will be recorded in writing and the bully will be asked to apologise to the victim
• if the bully and/or bullied is under 18, the parents / guardians will be contacted immediately and informed of the behaviour
• designated Safeguarding Staff will be kept fully aware of the situation throughout
• if the abusive behaviour involves dangerous physical harm or where UK law has been broken, the police will be contacted. The alleged perpetrator(s) may be suspended immediately until police enquiries have been carried out. ‘Discipline step 5’ could be immediately reached in this circumstance.

English in York expects a mature approach to attendance and timekeeping; and that students and staff will treat each other politely and with respect. Any behaviour which adversely affects the opportunity to learn, or which makes others uncomfortable, will be viewed seriously. This may include:

repeated or extended absences or lateness;
inappropriate behaviour or language related to nationality, ethnicity, age, disability or gender; or
damage to property.

We will investigate and act on any occurrences or complaints, as follows:

Discipline 5 STEPS:
Discussion
Verbal warning by Director of Studies / Management
Written warning by Director of Studies / Management to students. A copy will be forwarded to parents or sponsors where appropriate.
Final written warning by Director of Studies / Management to students. A copy will be forwarded to parents or sponsors where appropriate.
Expulsion. Please note that no refund will be given. Students or their parents must arrange immediate return to country of origin, at own expense.

In the event of gross misconduct, we reserve the right to terminate your course with immediate effect. If you break any UK laws, we will also inform the police.

In the following cases, we will move directly to Step 5 of the Discipline 5 STEPS (expulsion):

1. use, possession, or supply of controlled drugs
2. alcohol consumption on site
3. violence (threatened or actual)
4. theft
5. possession of weapons

English in York strives to give language learners a rewarding international experience.

If you do have any cause for complaint, please speak to your teacher, the Accommodation Officer or Assistant Director of Studies/Director of Studies. If you are unable to resolve the problem together, you will be referred to our Director of ELT, Bob Dignen.

If we still cannot solve the problem, you will need to write about your complaint to:

English UK
47 Brunswick Court
Tanner Street
London
SE1 3LH