Students Under 18

The English Language Centre Bristol welcomes students aged 16+ throughout the year.

ELC has a responsibility to provide a safe and healthy learning environment for all our students and staff.

  • The majority of our students are 18+, so students under 18 will need to feel comfortable in an adult environment, especially outside the summer months when there are very few under 18s in the school. The average age of our students is around 22/23. There is no maximum age.
  • Students under the age of 18 will study in classes with adults
  • ELC does not provide 24-hour supervision
  • Students will travel between the Young Adult Summer Residence or their homestay and school unsupervised
  • Students will be unsupervised outside lesson times including during the breaks and at lunch time
  • Students will travel to and from the social programme meeting points unsupervised
  • The school runs a full and varied social programme which is organised on a pay-as-you go basis. Students under 18 are allowed to attend all school activities
  • On full-day weekend excursions to other destinations, students will normally have about 2 or 3 hours free time unsupervised for shopping
  • Students have to be back home by 22.30h from Sunday to Thursday and 23.00h on Friday and Saturday
  • Students under 18 are not allowed to visit the over-18 school residences or flats at any time.
  • Visitors are strictly not permitted inside the under-18 flats
Parental Agreements

Before a student under 18 starts a course at ELC, both the parent/guardian and the student must read the Under 18s' Handbook and must sign and send us the Agreement for students under 18 to study at ELC to confirm that they understand the procedures and the rules we have in place for the welfare of under 18s and the level of supervision that we provide. They must understand that if a student under 18 breaks the rules, we will inform the parents/guardian and in serious cases we have the right to ask the student to return home and, in such cases, the fees are not refunded. The parent/guardian must also complete our Under 18s Medical Information Form. If parents wish to authorise a guardian to act on their behalf when their son/daughter is in Bristol, then they must sign a guardian authorisation form giving their consent.

When a student under 18 travels to the UK, he/she should have a Parental Consent form to travel to the UK with him/her as the airport immigration officer may request to see this and want confirmation of who is meeting the student at the airport.

Airport Transfers

ELC recommends that students under 18 have airport taxi transfers arranged by the school on arrival and departure.

However, if parents give permission for their child to travel independently, then we do not insist on the taxi transfer, provided the school and the homestay provider are both given the student’s travel details in advance (flight times and flight numbers), confirmation of how the student will get from the airport to their accommodation and their expected arrival time in Bristol. You must also give both the school and the homestay the student's mobile number and once the student has arrived in the UK, the student must keep the phone switched on and charged.

Accommodation

Our students under 18 during the summer period stay in our Young Adult Summer Residence. We are sometimes able to find homestay accommodation for under 18s, but this is extremely limited, unfortunately.

Alternative arrangements, where the student will have adult supervision, such as staying with a family friend, will be accepted provided ELC finds it suitable and provided we have written confirmation of the arrangements from the parents/guardian at the time of the enrolment. We would not allow students aged under 18 to stay unsupervised in a hotel or guest house. If a student under 18 wishes to stay out overnight in another city, unsupervised by the school, we need the parents/guardian to sign a parental permission form to stay out overnight. See 'Other Important Documents.