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Writer's pictureNeil McLoughlin
May 12, 20216 min read

Exactly how we will be running our summer school this summer and answers to your questions

Updated: Jun 9, 2021

If you are travelling to the UK from an “amber” list country and you have never been to Buckswood Overseas Summer School (BOSS) before, we can guarantee that you won’t even realise that you are in quarantine. A look at our green green quarantine programme (below) will have you scratching your head and wondering what the difference is between this programme, and our normal summer school programme. Well the short answer is very little. Almost nothing in fact.



Normal summer school? How is this possible?


Quite simply by following the UK’s government advice which in a nut shell states that:


“For the purposes of quarantine, a mainstream boarding school is usually considered a ‘household’,”


and…


“Boarding school students may leave the place in which they are quarantining for exercise only under staff supervision. School staff should ensure that boarding school students within a quarantining household do not come into contact with any individuals from outside the boarding school students’ household.”


For more information about the government guidelines, please click here.


So what will quarantine at Buckswood Overseas Summer School look like for students from amber list countries?


It will look like this:



So summer school will be more-or-less normal for my “amber list country child”?


There will be two differences to “normal” summer school:


  1. We will be splitting our campus into two areas, a “green area” and an “amber area” (see below). Students from the green area cannot cross into the amber area and students from the amber area can only cross into the green area when their quarantine is complete.

  2. During quarantine, amber are students will unfortunately be unable to join the half day excursions on Tuesdays and the full day excursions on Wednesdays. Instead, we will be spending time in the vast countryside that surrounds our school and participating in outdoor nature based activities and countryside walks.


What about my “green list country child”?


Apart from necessary COVID tests with 72 hours before travelling to the UK and on or before day 2 in the UK, summer school will be pretty normal for students from green list countries.



Are you expecting many students from amber list countries?


No. While we have students from all over the world, we are forecasting that this summer, the majority of our students will be from Europe and most European countries are expected to be added to the UK’s green list at some point in June.


The UK government will be reviewing the traffic light system every 3 weeks. The current list can be found here.


Can you recommend a government approved test provider?


We have the luxury of being part of Buckswood School, a school that has actually been fully functional with real-life international students during this pandemic and they have recommended Oncologica UK (https://covid19.oncologica.com/). Buckswood School has been using Oncologica UK and has always had the test results back within 24 hours. We are therefor advising everyone to book all of their required tests using this company.


It is extremely important that when purchasing the tests, the name of the student is very clear and that the following address is used:


***NAME OF STUDENT***

C/O Neil McLoughlin

Buckswood School

Rye Road

Guestling

East Sussex

TN35 4LT


Can you outline as simply as possible step-by-step the whole summer school experience?


For students from green countries


  • Students from green countries do not need to quarantine.

  • Students from green countries must produce negative COVID tests:

    • Within 72 hours before travel to the UK

    • On or before day 2 in the UK

  • Students from green countries can enjoy summer school more-or-less as normal from the day that they arrive in the green area of our school. Check out our programme here.


For students from amber countries


  • Students from amber countries must quarantine for either 10 days or 5 days if they do “test and release”. We are recommending that all students from amber countries complete the 5 day test to release quarantine.

  • Students from amber countries must produce negative COVID tests:

    • Within 72 hours before travel to the UK

    • On or before day 2 in the UK

    • On day 8 in the UK

  • Students from amber countries who arrive on one of our allotted arrival days are able to form a household.

  • Students from amber countries do not need to quarantine in their rooms, they can mix and mingle with other students in their household, whilst of course being very careful.

  • Students from amber countries will spend their quarantine participating in classes, activities and “excursions” in the amber area of our school as well as having a dining area and other necessary facilities.

  • Students from amber countries will move to our school’s “green area” on day 5 in the UK (pending test results) and enjoy summer school as normal.



How do we arrange the COVID tests?


You must book your tests in advance and when making travel arrangement and completing your “passenger locator form”, you will be asked to provide the details of the tests you have booked and provide an address to which the tests will be sent. The correct address is:


Buckswood Overseas Summer School (BOSS)

Rye Road

Guestling

East Sussex

TN35 4LT


Please be sure to clearly state who the test is for by including the name of the person who will be attending BOSS.


How much do the COVID tests cost?


We have seen prices range from £99 to £350.


What COVID protocols will you have in place this summer?


Firstly, we will of course have our “green” and “amber” areas for quarantine purposes and in these areas, protocols will differ.


Secondly, COVID protocols in the UK are forever changing within a school setting. Right now (12th May 2021) for example, masks are not required in outdoor areas and are required indoors only if a distance of 2 metres cannot be maintained. From Monday (17th May) however, masks will no longer be required in schools in the UK.


The main protocols that we will be enforcing this summer will include:


  • We will forever be encouraging our students to clean their hands (as we always have done to be honest!)

  • Communal areas will be deep cleaned following each activity/meal/departure, etc.

  • We will be carrying out temperature checks every day for all students and staff.

  • All staff will be taking COVID tests twice a week on Wednesdays and Sundays.


What if a student tests positive?


Currently, if a student tests positive, all students within their household must quarantine. However, things may be about to change meaning that any contacts of a positive case may no longer need to quarantine and instead take a lateral-flow test every morning until they a) test positive or b) a period of 14 days of negative tests has passed. We will keep you posted regarding this, and if this change to the rule becomes a reality.


Will you provide accommodation and food, etc. if a student must quarantine after a positive result?


Of course however we do not cover the cost of any missed flights, etc. should a student need to quarantine longer then they planned to stay in the UK.


Will I have to produce a negative COVID test result before returning to my home country?


This is not something that the UK is asking for and the answer to this question will depend on your home country’s requirements.


To summarise…


Green or amber, we are confident that our students will as near to a normal summer school experience at BOSS this summer, and always, we will keep you updated with what we know as we know it but for now, please know that we are always here for you so if you have any questions, require any further information or just fancy a chat, please just let us know.


Remember, we are not asking for any deposits or payment until we are 110% that a student can travel to BOSS. For more information about our booking and cancellation policy, please check out our blogs – Book in Confidence With No Deposits and our 100% Money Back Guarantee and 100% Money Back Guarantee with Buckswood Overseas Summer School.


Finally, please note that despite what is written in this blog, government advice is constantly changing. In addition, the availability of tests from our suggested suppliers may be limited and may be unavailable at your time of booking. If this is the case, please let us know.

 

Buckswood Overseas Summer School (BOSS) is a British Council accredited young learner language school for international students aged 8 to 17. To find out more, please visit www.buckswoodsummerschool.com or contact us here.


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