Revised Boarding School Standards coming soon and AEGIS is here to help

International students are an increasingly important cohort for most British boarding schools. Supporting international students has become more complex and the Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the need to safeguard international students effectively.

Lessons Learnt

The recent IICSA report (March 2022) has shown that greater vetting of educational guardians is needed.

“There is a heightened risk for boarders whose parents are overseas, because they are far away from their families and may experience difficulties in adjusting to a different language and culture. Overseas pupils are required to have an educational guardian in the United Kingdom with whom they can stay at weekends or outside term time. There is no registration or regulation of educational guardians. This lack of regulation means that children may be placed in unsafe environments with adults who pose a risk of harm.” IICSA Conclusion.

The draft Standards for Boarding Schools saw the introduction of a standard on educational guardianship, placing greater responsibility on schools to ensure the quality of educational guardians.  The final version of the revised Standards is due next month.

So how can AEGIS help?

Due diligence carried out for you

AEGIS accredited guardianship organisations mean that schools can have peace of mind that the highest level of due diligence has already been carried out.  

Our inspection process is renowned for its rigour, with experienced, independent inspectors examining organisations against the extensive AEGIS Quality Standards, which cover all areas of guardianship practice.  

26 years of educational guardianship experience

AEGIS has been safeguarding international students since 1994 and is the only independent charitable body regulating the guardianship industry, providing the highest level of inspection in the UK. This gives us unequalled knowledge and experience with regard to safeguarding international students and those looking after them.  We continue to work extensively with Local Authorities, the Department for Education and other bodies to share our knowledge and raise the standards of educational guardianship.  

Member Training and Resources  

Engaging with AEGIS will help schools ensure that they can meet evolving requirements.

Our member schools have access to the AEGIS Educational Guardianship Guide for Schools as part of the newly launched AEGIS member portal. This document provides advice on all of the key areas from an overview of guardianship organisations themselves in terms of their different structures, reporting lines and packages, to the legal responsibilities of the parties involved in guardianship, as well as providing guidelines for strengthening School Guardianship Policies and Agreements.

The AEGIS member portal provides schools with the tools to meet the ever-evolving requirements in supporting their international students.

We will continue to run Educational Guardianship Training Courses for Schools, which will help school staff to understand what our accreditation means and therefore the standards schools should expect from their guardians.

Mediation when you need it

Recommending AEGIS guardians ensures that your students’ guardians are accountable. Any breaches of the AEGIS Quality Standards can be reported to us, and if necessary, we can intervene and even suspend organisations that fall short.

Quality Standards Second to None

We would encourage you to read our Quality Standards so that you are familiar with the wide range of requirements which need to be met and maintained by our accredited guardians.

Shout about your commitment to good guardianship and the safeguarding of international students

Display your commitment to safeguarding on your website by adding our logo to your website and directing parents and agents to https://aegisuk.net for the up to date lists of accredited organisations. We welcome all schools to signpost to https://aegisuk.net.

The friendly AEGIS team is here to help you prepare for the educational guardianship section of the new standards for boarding schools.

For further information about AEGIS and the support we provide, please contact sophie@aegisuk.net

26 years of experience in educational guardianship & accreditation

Over 85 AEGIS accredited guardianship organisations

Kitemark of quality, recognised by overseas agents and parents, and the international education sector

Recommended by leading universities for U18 international students