Information for students under 18

All students under the age of 18 are required to have a UK Guardian that we can contact if we need to. This can be your parent if your parent lives in the UK, or an adult chosen by your parent (if your parent lives outside of the UK). The UK guardian must:

• reside in the UK
• be over the age of 18
• be able to speak English
• be familiar with the culture
• be available and contactable at all times in case of an emergency
• have a UK postal address and telephone number
• take responsibility for you during holiday periods unless you have made other arrangements

For students aged under 18 years, AEGIS can supply a UK-based guardian if the parent or legal guardian is unable to identify an individual to take up this role. Kaplan International Pathways works in partnership with College Guardians, an established guardian service for overseas parents.

If you are under the age of 18 when you start your studies, and on a full-time course, your parent or legal guardian must complete a Parental Agreement form. If you are applying to join our Foundation Programme, this can be accessed through the Kapan International website.  If you are applying to join our Presessional Programme this can be accessed through our admissions portal.  A student under the age of 18 cannot register with the University until this has been completed. The Parental Agreement sets out the responsibilities of the UK guardian.

Approximately a quarter of students on our Foundation Pathways intake are under the age of 18 when they begin their course. The University has a commitment to ensure these students, who are considered a ‘child’ or minor  in UK law, are appropriately supported and safeguarded. In addition to this, the Birmingham International Academy (BIA) as an accredited provider of English Language Teaching (ELT) offers a high standard of support that enables our U18 students to learn in a safe and supportive learning environment. 

Our expectations are communicated to our U18 students in a welcome event and safeguarding induction at the start of their course and during 1-1 meetings with the BIA Student Wellbeing service. These wellbeing checks take place fortnightly during term time and are compulsory.

Joining details for our welcome event are sent to students as part of the pre-arrival communications, which students will receive before the start of the course. You can read more about our  welcome event on this page under the header 'Welcome and Onboarding Event'.

The BIA's duty of care to under 18s and the unit's safeguarding procedures complement the University's policy and are set out in the BIA's Safeguarding Statement. 

Safeguarding

The University is prohibited, under the 1998 Data Protection Act, from disclosing information about a student's academic or personal progress to parents or other third parties without consent including a UK Guardian.

However we will ensure that we are able to contact a student's parent/UK Guardian in the following circumstances until the age of 18:

• if the University has reasonable concerns about a student's whereabouts, wellbeing or behaviour or that the risks posed warrant sharing this information.
• if a student is admitted to hospital, in which case the student's parent/guardian agrees to the University providing the hospital with their contact details so that they may contact them directly.
• in an emergency.

When a minor turns 16 years of age, they are able to give consent for most medical or dental treatment without a parent’s knowledge. Treatment will remain confidential.

Where a minor is unable to consent in the event of a medical emergency and it is not possible to contact the child's parent or UK Guardian, the University can authorise emergency medical treatment.

There are a number of venues both on and off the University campus where it is possible to purchase alcohol. Please note that it is illegal for someone under the age of 18 to try to buy alcohol or to be sold alcohol or to consume alcohol in relevant premises.

If your child is planning to be absent from their University accommodation, for example at weekends or during vacations, they will be requested to notify their University accommodation. They will be required to indicate their whereabouts and the date of their return.

Your child will have access to the University computer network and will be subject to the University’s General Conditions of Use of Computing and Network Facilities which explains the appropriate and lawful use of computer facilities.

University's General Conditions of Use of Computing and Network Facilities

As a student at the University who is under the age of 18, you will be expected to:

• attend a mandatory safeguarding induction with the BIA Student Wellbeing Service
• attend mandatory fortnightly termtime meetings with the BIA team
• attend scheduled lessons, seminars and 1-1s with academic tutors
• tell us if you are struggling, worried or have a concern
• be helpful, have good manners and treat everyone with respect
• be able to live independently in an adult environment (e.g. manage your own finances, domestic arrangements, physical and emotional wellbeing)
• follow the University rules and regulations and UK law
• inform the BIA Student Wellbeing Servicer before you confirm your travel arrangements to leave the UK at any time before the end of your course, if you are still under the age of 18.
• complete a travel survey before the start of each vacation period

As a student under the age of 18, you are undertaking your university studies in an adult environment and as such we expect you to follow the advice and guidance given to you in your welcome and induction event to keep yourself and others safe.

We expect all students to display appropriate behaviour at all times. This includes behaviour taking place outside the University and also online. If staff have concerns about a student under the age of 18, this is followed up by the BIA Student Wellbeing Service and the relevant Academic Programme Manager.

University Student Charter

University Expectations of Student Behaviour

University's Harassment and Bullying Policy

Harassment and Sexual Misconduct

Students are expected to promptly attend all scheduled lessons, seminars and 1-1s with their academic tutors. All students under the age of 18 will have to attend fortnightly mandatory termtime meetings with the BIA team. These will be scheduled in to student's timetables. Failure to engage with this process may result in an escalation to Student Services who may contact the student's UK guardian. We will explain details of these checks at the student safeguarding induction with the BIA Student Wellbeing Service.

We monitor student attendance and the wider academic engagement. Regular attendance and academic engagement is very important for successful learning and necessary for progression. If a student is not in attendance and not engaging with their studies, this raises wellbeing and visa concerns.

If there are any unexplained absences from language classes, the class teacher is instructed to inform the relevant operations team. The BIA has the appropriate risk management and escalation processes in place.

If a student is unable to attend a lesson or misses a lesson, seminar or 1-1 tutorials with their tutors, they are expected to contact staff at the BIA.

Tutors are made aware of any students who are under the age of 18 in their class and asked to share any concerns with the relevant Programme Manager and Student Wellbeing and Experience Manager. 

All students are expected to follow the University's Code of Practice on Student Academic Engagement which sets out our expectations.

University's Code of Practice on Student Academic Engagement

Staff are expected to:

• prioritise the wellbeing of children and young people
• provide a safe environment for children and young people ensuring equipment is used safely and for its intended purpose
• have a good awareness of issues to do with safeguarding and child protection and taking action when appropriate
• follow our principles, policies and procedures including:
• UoB and BIA policies and procedures for child protection/safeguarding, whistleblowing and online safety
• staying within UK law at all times
• modelling good behaviour for children and young people to follow
• challenging all unacceptable behaviour and reporting any breaches of the behaviour code to the BIA Student Wellbeing and Experience Manager and/or Designated Safeguarding Staff.
• Staff are expected to report all concerns about abusive behaviour, following our safeguarding and child protection procedures. This includes behaviour being displayed by an adult or child and directed at any person of any age.

We follow our safer recruitment policy which aims to prevent appointing staff who may pose a risk to under 18s.  All reference requests for staff appointed to the BIA include enquiry about suitability to work with students aged under 18. In addition to the checks conducted during recruitment, BIA staff with responsibility for or substantial access to under 18s, also undergo criminal record checks.

For teaching staff working with under 18s recruited within the UK, an enhanced DBS with Barred List check is undertaken by the UK Government's Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

The Children's Barred List is a list of people whom authorities have decided must not work with children, even if they have not been convicted. The Barred List also contains people with convictions against children.

For teaching staff working with under 18s recruited outside of the UK, first appointment reference checks are conducted, a recent police certificate from the last country they worked in, as well as the relevant UK criminal record check if they have been a UK resident.

UK Government Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)

There are a number of mandatory staff training courses which staff must complete immediately upon starting, or re-joining the University. All BIA staff must complete the Safeguarding and Prevent Training.

This training is repeated and staff are advised on the frequency.  University policies and local procedures to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all students under 18s are made available to all BIA staff on the staff intranet and through induction procedures and staff training.

Designated Safeguarding Leads

Ricky Joseph (Student Wellbeing and Experience Manager) bia-welfare@contacts.bham.ac.uk

Julia Clarke (BIA Wellbeing Officer) bia-welfare@contacts.bham.ac.uk

Designated Safeguarding Officers

Richard Gidwaney (Presessional English Programme Manager) r.gidwaney@bham.ac.uk

Veronica Raffin (Presessional English Programme Manager) n.raffin@bham.ac.uk

Neil Richards (Foundation EAP Programme Manager) n.j.richards@bham.ac.uk

The University provides a safe and secure environment for students, staff and visitors.  All students are given advice around personal safety on and off campus as well as information around services they can access.  The University has a Community Safety and Security Team that is on call 24 hours a day all year round patrolling campus, monitoring CCTV, greeting visitors at the gates, overseeing the SafeZone App, and planning for emergencies. You'll recognise them out and about with their 'Security' navy blue uniforms on. You can also visit the team at the Security office at the rear of Aston Webb in B Block courtyard, next to The Great Hall. 

The University provides a free confidential listening support service call UBHeard, this gives you immediate emotional and mental health support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.  We encourage students to download the SafeZone App at their Wellbeing and Safeguarding Induction.

Pause@uni is an on campus service where students can talk about anything that may be worrying them.

They are a friendly team of trained and experienced workers, and are here to offer a listening ear, and share support and advice if needed. They are open throughout the year including University vacations.

It is the responsibility of the student and the student's parent or their UK guardian to arrange travel to and from the University. This includes their journey back home or travel with or to their UK guardian during vacation periods.

We can provide information and advice on how to make travel arrangements, if requested. When you arrive we will also provide general advice on transport to and from the University and around the local area (including the use of taxi services and DBS checks). This will form part of your induction talk and welcome to the University.

Visit 'Welcome to Birmingham: information for international students' for information on travel and much more.

Welcome to Birmingham: information for international students

Parents and legal guardians of under 18 year olds coming to study at the University of Birmingham should remember that the University is an adult environment and subject to English law and to University regulations, students are expected to organise their own studies and social life and take part in activities available to the wider University community. In signing the Parental Agreement, you have agreed to your child taking part in social activities happening across the University and at the BIA. The BIA has it's own safeguarding guidance for social programmes and leisure activities which sets out how we organise and risk assess events.

However, whilst the University allows students under the age of 18 to take part in most of the events, societies and sports on offer, risk assessments are carried out before all activities, events and trips away from campus and whereas provision is made for the inclusion of under 18s where possible, participation in some activities may be limited. This may concern specific events with alcohol or where the University feels that the activity involved, though legal, is not suitable for under 18s. The University also reserves the right to refuse participation in an activity if it considers that a student’s health condition will make it unsafe. If a student has any concerns about a particular activity and whether it is suitable for them, they should be talk to the BIA Student Wellbeing Service.

For on and off-campus activities, day trips and social events organised by the BIA, there will be at least one suitably DBS checked adult group leader for every 20 students aged under 18. We ensure staff leading these activities and social organisers who support them are aware of their safeguarding responsibilities and undertake the appropriate level of training. For off-campus events, students under the age of 18 are briefed separately before the event takes place. We work closely with the University's Guild of Students and any external organisations hosting events for students aged under 18 around their safeguarding policies and procedures.

Student Living Plus makes it easy to eat well at uni while managing your money. Say goodbye to late-night shopping trips and meal prep, and hello to quality food and drink on campus.

Student Living Plus is our answer to catered accommodation at University of Birmingham. Once a week during term time, your university ID card will be loaded with £68.00 for you to spend at over 25 food and drink outlets across campus and the Vale (excluding alcohol).

Student living plus

If you have any questions around our care and support for Under 18s you can contact the BIA Student Wellbeing Service

Your team at the Birmingham International Academy:

• BIA Student Wellbeing and Experience Manager - Ricky Joseph
• BIA Wellbeing Officer - Julia Clarke
• BIA Student Wellbeing and Experience Administrator - Tye Seaton
• Designated Safeguarding Officers (DSOs) - Richard Gidwaney, Veronica Raffin and Neil Richards

Meet the staff at the BIA

During your introductory welcome event, the BIA Student Wellbeing Service will cover the following items:

• University support services
• Your mandatory fortnightly termtime wellbeing meetings
• How we monitor your attendance and make sure you are safe on campus and online
• Why it is important to attend class regularly
• The BIA Social Programme and how you can get involved
• How to look after yourself, healthy lifestyles and promoting your wellbeing
• How to access health care in the UK

Whether you are on campus or starting your course online, for more information on the University's wider wellbeing and support services and what to expect, visit student advice and support.