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What are the office hours?

Monday to Friday from 9:00 until 18:00, there will always be someone in the office. Whatever question you may have please do not hesitate to contact us via email or phone.

What happens if there is an emergency outside of office hours?

During the weekend and after 18:00 on weekdays, we will be out of the office with
limited access to our emails.

If there is an emergency and you need to get in touch with us, please call our Connections mobile: +44 7880 704 083.

(For example, when someone is travelling outside of office hours, such as exeats.)

Who should I contact?

If there is anything you or your child needs during their time in the UK, please do not hesitate to contact us. We are here for whatever question you may have.

Office number: +44 207 838 1381

For all general enquiries, please contact Laura or Charlotte:

Laura Chalk – laura@connectionsuk.net
Charlotte Chalk – charlotte@connectionsuk.net

For all questions relating to travel and flights, please contact Elisa:

Elisa Sanz – elisa@connectionsuk.net

The Start of Term

We know that the start of term can be daunting for new Parents especially when your child is studying in another country! So we have put together some helpful tips below.

What should I pack for my child?

Often it’s hard to know what to pack for your child if it’s their first time at boarding school especially in another country. The school will send a uniform list out to new parents usually in June/ July listing the items that will need to be purchased from the school shop or online. Some schools require uniform to be paid for in advance and arrange it to be sent directly to the school so that it is there it time for your child’s first day. Others are happy to wait for the first day of term when they will take your child to the school shop and kit them out there and then! They will normally add this charge to the end-of-term bill.

At Connections, we will send you your child’s uniform list highlighting any items that you can bring from home rather than buying new. There are also some items that your child can bring to make them feel more at home during their time at school. Here is a small list we have put together:

• Dressing gown
• Overnight bag – for weekend trips out of the boarding house
• Towel
• Your own pillow and duvet cover from home (if you can bring your own some school do provide bed linen).
• Underwear bag – a bag to keep all undergarments so they don’t get lost
  in the school wash
• Hair brush
• Pyjamas
• Wash bag
• Hat, scarf and gloves
• Photos and pictures from home
• Clock Radio with an alarm
• Pencil case

What happens when we arrive on the first day?

At Connections, we offer to meet every child on their first trip to the UK, at Heathrow and accompany them to schools to help them settle in otherwise, should we wish to go on your own steam we can arrange transport for you to the school.

When you arrive, you will be greeted by the house staff and shown to your our child’s bedroom where they can unpack all their things. You will be introduced to the staff, shown you where everything is and who they should go to if they have any problems.

This is also a great opportunity to ask the staff any niggling questions or concerns that you may have.

Can my child bring their mobile phone and other electronic devices?

Every school has different rules for electronic devices. When it comes to mobile phones, most schools will allow students to bring their mobiles to school. The matron and housemaster will look after student’s phones during the day and will hand them back to students after lessons. However, it is normal that the use of phones is limited to a period of time e.g. 18:00 – 20:00 Mondays and Wednesdays.

How often can I call my child during the week?

It can be hard not to call your child every day when they first start at school in the UK. However, schools do recommend that parents not to call their children every day or too often for first few weeks so that they can settle in as quickly as possible.

Expenses & Pocket Money:

What happens if my child has extra expenses?

At the beginning of the term/year, we will ask parents for £500 to put in a slush fund for your child. This is for any additional expenses throughout the year, for example paying for school trips, buying shin pads or a hockey stick, sending pocket money to school, top up of mobile phones etc.

At the beginning of each term, we will review your child’s slush fund if it is looking a bit low, we will ask for a top up. At the end of your child’s stay, any money that is left over in the slush fund, we will transfer back to you.

How much pocket money should I give my child?

We would recommend between £10 – £20 a week in pocket money which they can spend on tuck (sweets, chocolates, crisps etc) or a trip to the shopping centre or cinema. For anything extra, we can arrange payment from their slush fund.

Information on exeats

What is an exeat?

Exeats are weekends that the children have free. Normally they are from Friday
afternoon until Sunday. However, some school have exeats that are a day longer
and other only have exeats from Saturday to Sunday.

There are two types of exeats:

Optional: which means the children can choose between staying in school or going out for the weekend. The school stays open and normally international children stay in.

Compulsory: the School closes and all the staff go home so the children are not allowed to stay in School.

When an exeat isn’t optional there are various options for the children:

• Return to Spain for the weekend: Connections can organise the transport to and from the airport. Some schools organise transport themselves.
• Family visit: many Parents or families decide to visit the children on these weekends. If for example they come to London, we can organise the transport of the children from school to London.
• To stay with a Connections host family: In connections we know that sometimes it can be difficult for the children to travel to Spain or Parents to visit, therefore, we offer this possibility. The Connections host families are families who we know personally and who are fantastic, and love having children to stay. The often organise activities. They are families who we would leave our own children with and they are always very caring to the children.

How does a Connections family work?

Normally the family will collect the child at the beginning of an exeat and take them back when it finishes. If for some reason they cannot take them back to school, we organise for one of our Connections drivers to take them. During the exeat families organise activities for the children but they also leave them to rest for a while as they are often exhausted after a few weeks at school.

How much does it cost?

The price for one night is £60. To this we add the cost of transport and also any extras if they do an activity: cinema, theatre, etc. The experience has always been very positive and we always receive great comments from the children as well as the families. In many cases the children repeat the experience.

How far in advance do we need to arrange this?

The Connections families also often have their own plans at weekends therefore the earlier we let them know, the more likely they are to be free.

Does it matter if I arrive late or leave early?

Schools in the UK are very strict as to whether they allow children to leave early or arrive late. Arriving early or late will always have to be approved by the school so it is important that parents do not book their children’s flights until permission has been granted.

We would recommend that you do everything you can to make sure your child is there for the start, when everyone gets acquainted, and there for the end, because the last days of term can be the most fun and often have important occasions such as the Carol Service or Speech Day.

Term dates are important and they are published at least a year in advance. We recommend that you book your flights as early as possible to ensure your child doesn’t miss lessons or important events.

Information on half term

What is Half Term?

Half term is the week of holidays that the children have in the middle of each term. Normally the first term is the longest. The majority of schools have two weeks holiday however the second and third terms have only one week. School are shut during this week.

There are different options for the children:~

• Fly to Spain: if the School does not organise transport, Connections can coordinate for one of our drivers to collect the children from School and take them to the airport. The same for the return journey.
• Do a course: in Connections we can arrange a course for this time. There are many types and all our focussed on reinforcing their English and keeping the children active during the holidays.
• Family visit: many Parents or families decide to visit the children on these weekends. If for example they come to London, we can organise the transport of the children from school to London.
• To stay with a Connections host family: In connections we know that sometimes it can be difficult for the children to Travel to Spain or Parents to visit, therefore, we offer this possibility. The Connections host families are families who we know personally and who are fantastic, and love having children to stay. The often organise activities. They are families who we would leave our own children with and they are always very caring to the children.

How does a Connections family work?

Normally the family will collect the child at the beginning of half term and take them back when it finishes. If for some reason they cannot take them back to school, we organise for one of our Connections drivers to take them. During half term families organise activities for the children but they also leave them to rest for a while as they are often exhausted after a few weeks at school.

How much does it cost?

The price for one night is £70. To this we add the cost of transport and also any extras if they do an activity: cinema, theatre, etc. The experience has always been very positive and we always receive great comments from the children as well as the families. In many cases the children repeat the experience.

How far in advance do we need to arrange this?

Connections families also often have their own plans at weekends therefore the earlier we let them know, the more likely they are to be free.

Flight Information

Since last February (2016) British Airways has stopped offering their unaccompanied minor Service. However, Iberia is still offering this service from/to Heathrow.

Since British Airways and Iberia have joined companies, they share flights where some operated by BA and others by Iberia. To be able to request the UM service, the flights must be operated by Iberia, and these are the flights that begin with IB3 o BA5.

Alternatively, children who are 12 years old and over can fly without anyone accompanying them on both BA and Iberia. However for children under 12 it is compulsory for them to travel with a person who is 16 years or older.

Also, in Gatwick there are other companies that also offer the UM service. Gatwick is 37 miles from the centre of London and has a great connection to London via the Gatwick Express which take only 30 minutes to Victoria station.

From Gatwick, there are three companies that offer the UM Service: Iberia Express, Air Europa and Norwegian Airlines.

When you book the UM Service, it is very important that you buy the tickets far in advance so that the limited number of UM spaces do not fill up. Most of the time when you book this service they will ask you for details of the person who will be dropping the child off at the airport. As you know sometimes we do not know the name of the person until two or three days before the flight departs.

Therefore, we recommend that you give Laura’s details as you can change them later on without any issue. Laura’s details are as follows:

Name: Laura
Surname: Chalk
Address: 2 Cromwell Place, London SW7 2JE
Tel: +44 7880 704 083
Driving licence: CHALK 661072 LM 9HF

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.

How far in advance do we need to arrange this?

Connections families also often have their own plans at weekends therefore the earlier we let them know, the more likely they are to be free.

What is the UM Service?

When a minor has to Travel alone, Airlines offer an unaccompanied minor (UM) Service. This means that the child will be accompanied by an air hostess for the moment that the person responsible leaves them in the airport until the person responsible collects them in another country from their flight.

In Spain there are various companies that offer this Service: Iberia/ British Airways, Air Europa, Norwegian Airlines. Each company have their own rules. The service is compulsory for children between 5 and 11 years old. Once they are 11 or older, it is optional depending on their parents preference.

How and when can you get this service?

At Connections we recommend that you reserve and pay for the UM Service at the same time as buying the ticket. Sometimes, if the payment has been made just before the flight, it can cause problems. It is better to do it in advance.

We also ask for Parents to send us the proof of payment for the Service. In this way, we can show this receipt to the airport and therefore avoid any issues.

At Connections we try to have the details of the person collecting the children as early as possible. However, sometimes we do not know this until a week or even a couple of days before. Therefore, we recommend that when you buy the service you put Laura Chalk’s details as you can change these nearer the time without any problem and in this way the service is definitely confirmed.

Laura’s details are:

Name: Laura
Surname: Chalk
Address: 2 Cromwell Place, London SW7 2JE
Tel: +44 7880 704 083
Driving licence: CHALK 661072 LM 9HF

What happens when we arrive at the airport?

It is important to arrive at the airport with enough time in case there is an unforeseen circumstance. Also, it is necessary for the minor to have the phone number of the person who is collecting them in the airport where they are travelling to and also the emergency number for Connections because we are available 24 hours a day.

Once they have been checked in, an air stewardess will collect the children that are travelling on the same flight. Normally they do this an hour before the flight is due to leave. In some airports, such as Heathrow, they have a special room for UMs so that the children are entertained before the flight leaves.

Do low cost airlines offer this Service?

Unfortunately no. Also, these companies require that the children are 14 years old or more to be able to Travel on their own.

If you have any questions relating to this topic, do not hesitate to get in touch with us: elisa@connectionsuk.net

Insurances

All insurances are now optional. They do not automatically appear on a bill.

BUPA – Private health care

Totally optional – the NHS hospitals in the UK are excellent and for an emergency, the best place to go. They are free. However, if your child needs an operation that is not urgent, they may have to wait a long time. In this case, the wait would be much shorter with private health care. If your child needs to claim on the policy whilst at the school, the school will arrange all the appointments and deal with the paperwork.

Fees Refund Scheme

Fees Refund Scheme will refund the fees you have already paid for the days that they miss if your child cannot be in school because they are ill, injured or have been in contact with an infectious disease, provided your application for a refund satisfies certain conditions. You can join before the beginning of a new term and cancel in advance of the start of any term provided you send the appropriate notice in writing.

The cost of joining the scheme is calculated as a percentage of your termly fee excluding extras. Normally it’s 1 to 1,5% of the term fees.

The school reserves the right to vary the termly charge by giving advance notice to you.

A refund will be made if your child is absent from school or classes fr a period between four to eight consecutive full days (depending on the school), including weekends and half-term breaks because your child is ill, has had an accident or has been in contact with an infectious disease. A doctor must certify the necessity of any absence from school.

Medical Vocabulary List

Chicken pox – Varicela – Varicelle
Measles – Sarampión – Rougeole
German measles/rubella – Rubeola – Rubeole
Mumps – Paperas – Oreillons
Asthma – Asma – Ashme
Whooping cough – Tos convulsa – Coqueluche
Bedwetting – Mojar la cama – Incontinence nocturne
Allergies – Alergias – Allergies
Diabetes – Diabetes – Diabétique
Epilepsy – Epilepsia – Epilepsie
Scarlet fever – Fiebre escarlata – Scarlatine
Meningitis – Meningitis – Méningite
Tonsillitis – Amigdalitis – Angine
Hayfever – Alergia primaveral – Rhume des foins
Eczema – Eczema – Eczéma
Earache – Otitis – Otites
Rheumatic fever – Fiebre reumática – Fièvre rhumatismale
Constipation – Estreñimiento – Constipation
Tuber culosis – Tuberculosis – Tuberculoses
Polio – Polio – Poliomyélite
Glandular fever – Fiebre glandular – Fièvre glandulaire
Hepatitis – Hepatitis – Hépatite
Appendicitis – Apendicitis – Appendicite