• 27 years provision of excellent guardianship service

  • Supporting your child

  • Importance of settling into UK environment

  • Maximising academic success

Introductions


Mr Ben Hughes
Managing Director
Pippa’s Guardians

Mrs Sarah Checketts
Area Manager and Designated Safeguarding Lead
Pippa’s Guardians

Mrs Yoriko Kuroda
Japan Representative
Pippa's Guardians

Thriving in the UK

If your child is well supported in all aspects of their life in the UK then they will be able to thrive academically, pastorally and socially, ensuring that they can aim high and access the best quality higher education.


Sarah Checketts

Area Manager and Designated Safeguarding Lead

Preparing for life at Boarding School

  • Roles and experiences prior to joining Pippa’s

  • School Induction programmes

Your childs support network

Before you arrive in the UK

  • Getting to know you form

  • Student Profile

  • School Guardianship Agreement

  • Bank Account/ Prepaid SMBC card

  • Insurance

  • Mobile telephone arrangements

Medical Matters

School Health centres

Pupils registered with the NHS surgeries

GP appointments

Nurses appointments

Counsellor appointments

Matrons in Boarding Houses

Health and medical information

Please ensure that schools and Pippa's Guardians are aware of any health concerns, as well as any learning difficulties.

Schools and Pippa's Guardians want to be able to best support your children and we can only do this well if we receive clear information, in advance.

Any medical information is only shared with the people that need to be aware of it.

How Schools Manage Medicines

  • Schools have to keep medicines are kept under lock and key.

  • School staff administer medicine.

  • Schools require that any prescription medicines are sent to the UK accompanied by verified translations of what they treat and the correct dosage.

  • School boarding houses and Health Centres are very well equipped

  • School Health Teams are very experienced in child and adolescent care

Communication

  • Area Manager – Personal Point of contact

  • WhatsApp, LINE and email,

  • 24/7 Duty Support Phone (calls)

  • Twice termly visits and feedback

  • Student engagement with Area Manager

  • Social Media and website

  • Online forms

  • School communications

  • Support from Japan team if needed

Your child will thrive in the UK as a result of the close partnership that we develop between parents, guardian and school

Your Meet and Greet

Personal welcome with your Area Manager in the days before the start of term

Get to know each other

Meet your Pippa’s Guardians Host Family

Answer any questions you may have

Set up a UK telephone SIM card (if needed)

Assist with uniform purchase (if needed)

Take lots of photos

Host families

  • How we match host families

  • Own bedroom

  • Study space and study time

  • Food and mealtimes

  • Joining in

  • House rules

  • Good manners

  • Damages and breakages

The student perspective

Travel Planning

Travel planning – what we do to help

Keep your child safe and secure

Collate information about your child’s travel arrangements

Organise UK based transport

Create a travel plan

Assist with logging journeys on school transport systems

What we ask of you

Liaise in advance with your Area Manager

Meet and Greet session is a good opportunity for an initial overview

Fill in the parental consent paperwork

Ensure your child travels with a copy of the travel plan

Travel planning – our partners

  • Pippa’s Guardians Chaperone drivers

  • Pippa’s Guardians Drivers

  • Unaccompanied Minors – we can provide a UM airport transfer service on request. Different airlines have different rules. You have to book the UM service if needed with the airline directly.

  • Duty Phone 24/7 support

Starting School

  • School ‘welcome packs’

  • Technology requirements

  • Mobile phones

  • School rules

  • Balance of rewards and sanctions

  • Independent approach

  • Time management and organisation

Starting School

  • The first few weeks

  • Busy lives

  • Homesickness and calling home

  • Understanding terminology

  • Informal language used by children

Cultural differences

The team around your child

Good luck!

The Area Managers and the wider Pippa’s Guardians team look forward to meeting you and your children very soon!