why do I need a guardian?
The majority of UK boarding schools require all overseas pupils to have a UK guardian. When you are enrolling into a UK boarding school, the school will send you a form and ask you to tell them who you have selected as your appointed guardian.
A guardian should be a responsible adult living in the UK who can be there in an emergency situation on behalf of parents.
For those parents who do not have a family friend to act as guardian, then they have the opportunity of choosing an AEGIS accredited UK Guardianship Organisation such as Bright World to act in Loco Parentis for their child.
This not only satisfies the Boarding School requirements but also the UKVI guidelines and keeps international students safe while they are not in school and are unaccompanied. Bright World is accredited to Gold standard - the highest possible standard in the UK.
the different elements that make up guardianship
At our Head Office
You will be allocated with a Guardianship Care Manager based at our Head Office. They are fully trained and qualified to assist you and to liaise with host families and the school on your behalf.
Meet our Head Office Team here.
Near to the school
Students on the Bright World Guardianhip Programme benefit from the care of our Local Coordinator who lives near to the school. They are known to them as their Bright World Buddy and they visit the school on your behalf and make sure they are settling in. They can attend school meetings on your behalf if you need them to.
Meet our Local Coordinator Team here.
Safe and reliable drivers
Bright World carefully selects and works with Taxi Companies across the UK who are screened by us and who agree to follow our strict standards of care. Parents receive an online photo ID and profile of the driver each time they travel.
Emergency situations
As guardians, we also step in when there is an emergency situation. This could be a cancelled or delayed flight, a need for emergency accommodation, illness attendance, school meetings. Parents who choose Bright World Guardianships have access to our 24/7 emergency telephone and email service which can prove to be invaluable and offers great peace of mind. Read more about our Emergency Service here.
safe and well-considered host family accommodation
From time to time, students may need to leave school unexpectedly, their flight may be cancelled leaving a gap once the school has closed or they need to leave school during exeat weekends and half term holidays. Bright World can offer safe and secure host family accommodation during these planned and unexpected events.
our team of professional drivers across the UK
The driver who collects your child from the airport on arrival is probably the first person they will meet from Bright World. It is very important, therefore, that they recognise them and can find them easily. It is also important that the driver arrives on time and is kind and caring.
All our drivers are criminal record-checked and carefully screened by the team here at Bright World. These are reliable and caring people who are fully insured with good quality vehicles. We will send you a full colour profile of the driver who will meet your child before they travel. This will include their contact details and photograph.
where we offer guardianship
Bright World offers a high quality guardianship programme at over 400 UK boarding schools, colleges and universities across the UK in most schools and regions (except Ireland,). In each area we have a Local Coordinator and an excellent network of established host families and drivers to take care of our students.
Where our overseas boarding school students come from
UK boarding schools welcome students from across the globe; our UK guardians do the same. Boarding school students from another country studying in the UK will usually require a UK guardian; many that we welcome come from Africa, Asia, and the USA. Hong Kong, Malaysia, Nigeria, and Japan are just some of the locations that students may call home. Wherever an international boarding school student comes from, a Bright World UK guardian can support them.
why choose Bright World Guardianships?
A trustworthy service from an experienced team of professionals
A Bright World UK guardian will ensure that all the needs of your child are met and offers parents peace of mind and security in the knowledge that there is always someone there to give a helping hand. Our UK guardianship programme offers a total care package from day one of a student’s stay in the UK and throughout their study period.
Award-winning guardianship since 2000
Bright World was established in 2000 and has been dedicated to offering UK guardianship to international students ever since. Our staff are all expertly trained in Child Protection and Customer Service to create the optimum service for parents and to provide the support and mentoring that young children studying in the UK require. In 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 we were named winners in the Guardianship Organisation category at the prestigious Study Travel Secondary awards.
Impressive cloud-based portal
The online portal was designed to meet the needs of overseas parents and students and includes a unique Host Family Selection tool. Read more about Blink below.
Well considered, safe host family accommodation
Bright World can offer safe and secure host family accommodation during these planned and unexpected events. Find more about our host families below.
committed to safeguarding your child
Bright World has been accredited by AEGIS, the Association for the Education & Guardianship of International Students, since 2006. Bright World is a gold standard member, offering guardianship at the highest standard possible in the UK.
Blink for parents - your Bright World in the cloud
When you enrol on the Bright World Guardianship programme, you will automatically receive your login details to Blink. The bespoke cloud-based parent portal has been designed to match the needs of overseas parents so they can keep a close eye on their child's progress anytime they choose.
a dedicated profile and launchpad
Our clients (parents and their agents) benefit from the use of BLINK, our cloud-based parent portal where they can see a live timeline of our reports, visits and parents evenings feedback forms.
view your host family and driver details
Submit flight details, view your host family profile, Taxi Confirmations and driver profiles anytime. View, download and pay invoices and track your live guardianship expenses fund.
your guardianship toolkit
This innovation allows parents to; view school term dates, opening and closing times for over 400 UK boarding schools, generate visa support letters and create instant quotations.
host family selection
The final feature allows users to filter through and browse our host family network across the UK.
Easter, Summer & Christmas
Schools close during Christmas holidays and Bright World does not offer any host family options during this time and requires all students to go home or make their own arrangements in the UK. We have a large network of host families who are able to offer host family stay during Easter those students requesting this option.
We are also delighted to be able to offer a selection of holiday and revision programmes for students who would prefer this alternative option to homestay during Easter. Our partner residential courses are also available during the Summer holidays.
Mental health and emergency chaperone support
Sometimes our students need extra support if they are struggling with mental health issues or need us to take them to the hospital. Bright World has specially trained host families and staff to help out in these situations.
a professional and caring organisation...
The students benefit from being supported by a professional and caring organisation that they and their parents know can be relied on. In a mostly unregulated industry, it is refreshing to find an organisation that strives to achieve and promote the highest possible standards
Guardianship fees
Bright World recognises that different families have different needs. With this in mind, we have two levels of guardianship, Essential and Full. Essential is ideal for parents who have a family member or a friend living in the UK who will provide the accommodation for holidays, those who want their child to travel home for exeat weekends and half terms, and those who do not need to use our transportation services.
Full guardianship is ideal for parents who require a fully comprehensive safeguarding and care service for their child while they study in the UK. It will include a seamless provision of regular host family accommodation during the holidays and safe and secure airport and UK transportation.
View our boarding school guardianship fees page here.
Search our schools list
Find out about Bright World Guardianships at your chosen school. We offer high quality guardianship, host families and travel services across the UK at over 400 schools and you can search for your school here. In case you can't find your school just get in touch and ask.
Host family search
Browse our large database of host families close to the school by using our host family selection tool. You can then select your favourite host families based on those that best suit your requirements. We will then give you an availability update on the families you choose.
