Pre-Arrival Welfare Induction
Before every student arrives, OGELS sends a
comprehensive Pre-Arrival Welfare Pack covering
emergency contacts, how to report a concern,
local healthcare registration, and what to do
if they feel unsafe at any time. Students under
18 receive an enhanced version co-signed by their
parent or guardian.
Day One Welfare Orientation
Every student's first day at OGELS includes a
mandatory welfare orientation with their assigned
Welfare Officer. This covers the school's
safeguarding policy in accessible language, how
to raise a concern, online safety, and local
emergency numbers. Students sign a welfare
agreement confirming they have received and
understood this information.
Regular Welfare Check-Ins
All students under 18 receive a formal welfare
check-in with their Welfare Officer at least once
per week. Adult students are invited to check-ins
as needed and can request one at any time. Welfare
check-ins are strictly confidential and never
shared with parents or guardians without the
student's knowledge and consent, except where
there is a risk to life.
Online Safety & Digital Wellbeing
OGELS provides online safety guidance to all
students, including advice on social media use,
sharing personal information, identifying
exploitation or grooming online, and what to do
if they receive unwanted contact. Our school
Wi-Fi operates content-filtering appropriate to
the age of students enrolled.
Accommodation Welfare Standards
All homestay families are subject to full DBS
checks, annual home inspections, and signed
agreements with OGELS committing them to our
welfare standards. Accommodation is inspected
before any student placement. Host families
receive welfare training and know how to report
any concern about a student in their care directly
to the OGELS DSL.
Emergency & Out-of-Hours Support
A member of the OGELS welfare team is available by
phone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for students
under 18 and for any student experiencing an
emergency. The emergency number is provided in
writing on arrival, displayed in all accommodation,
and saved to every student's emergency contact
list before their course begins.
Confidential Reporting
Students can report any welfare concern — about
themselves or about another student — through any
of the following channels: directly to their
Welfare Officer, via an anonymous welfare concern
form available from reception, by email to
welfare@ogels.co.uk, or by calling the 24-hour
welfare line. All reports are treated with
complete confidentiality.
Referral to External Agencies
Where appropriate, OGELS works with external
statutory agencies including Oxford City Council
Children's Services, NHS Child and Adolescent
Mental Health Services (CAMHS), the local Police
Safeguarding Unit, and national helplines
including Childline (0800 1111) and the NSPCC
(0808 800 5000). We never handle a serious
safeguarding concern in isolation.
