St Edward's Parent Handbook August 2026

27 ST EDWARD’S, OXFORD PARENT HANDBOOK

Leave Weekends and Exeats (Half Terms) The majority of international pupils enjoy time with guardians, friends and family over Leave Weekends, when the School is closed. The School runs an off-site Residential Accommodation Programme for a small number of pupils during Leave Weekends, and Pippa's Guardians regularly hosts an on-site Pippa's Camps holiday programme during Exeats. Information about these programmes and how to sign up is shared to all International parents and guardians. English as an Additional Language Pupils with EAL (English as an additional language) are largely supported by the English Department as a whole, however a small number of pupils in the Lower School receive specialist EAL lessons within the timetable, either instead of a subject such as a modern foreign language, or within their usual timetabled English lessons. Sixth form pupils with EAL can choose to have one-to-one support once or twice a week. The school does not charge extra for this support. International English Language Testing System (IELTS Lower Sixth) The school offers support for Sixth Form pupils taking the IELTS test (International English Language Testing System) where it is required for a university application. This is an internationally standardised test for non-native English language speakers and is recognised by most universities and colleges in Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, as well as by over 3,000 academic institutions in the USA. The score ranges from 1 to 9 (expert user) with 6.5 or 7 being the usual band required by British universities. Pupils can take the exam in a local test centre every two weeks and get the result within ten days.

Guardians All international pupils and pupils whose parents live outside the UK mainland must have a nominated Guardian. Guardians play an important role in support of a pupil when parents are not in the UK. During term time the School is legally responsible for each pupil’s welfare and undertakes delegated parental responsibilities. However, there are times (for example, during Leave Weekends, at the beginning and end of term, Half Term breaks, or when a child is ill or if for any other reason they need to be out of school) when the School must be able to hand over these parental responsibilities to another adult – a properly appointed Guardian. The School strongly recommends that parents organise a Guardian who is accredited by The Association for the Education and Guardianship of International Students (AEGIS) or certified by the Boarding Schools Association (BSA). However, some parents may prefer to nominate a close family member (such as an uncle or an aunt). Guardians must either be UK citizens or have ‘settled status’ in the UK, they must not be in full time education or living in educational accommodation, they must be over the age of 25 and live within the 2-hour radius of the School. Guardians provide a 24-hour point of contact for parents, pupils and school; they agree to provide suitable accommodation, care and supervision for pupils when they are out of school, and they support parents and pupils with travel arrangements. The School has a responsibility to ensure that appropriate arrangements are in place for the wellbeing and safeguarding of international pupils when they are not in school and monitors all arrangements through close liaison with parents, pupils, Guardians and guardianship organisations. HMs check the travel and arrangements of pupils before all periods of school closure. To make their task as smooth as possible, and to ensure the safety of their children, parents should make sure that all parties know and understand exactly what arrangements are in place before each holiday. It should be possible, at any time during a holiday, for the School to contact a pupil at his/her Guardian’s home. All arrangements for international pupils are overseen by the Deputy Head Welfare. If you need assistance selecting an appropriate Guardian or with any other matter please get in touch with Dr Jim Panton – pantonj@stedwardsoxford.org