Day School Hosting at Gabbitas
What is Day School Hosting?
Six years ago Gabbitas pioneered a new service – Day School Hosting – to enable international students to attend the Sixth Form of a selection of Independent Day Schools in the UK to study A Levels. This has proved to be a popular and successful alternative to boarding for international students who are accommodated in host families in the local community, advertised for through the school parent body and hand-picked by Gabbitas via a strict selection process.
Why choose Day School Hosting?
Choosing a Day School which offers Day School Hosting for international sixth formers has several advantages over traditional boarding:
Cost. The combined annual cost of day school fees, Gabbitas’ service fee and host family fees are significantly less than the annual cost of boarding school fees. In addition there are far fewer ‘extra costs’ compared to having an international student as a boarder. There are no additional payments for exeats or half terms (these are included in the annual fee) and the students tend to fly home less during the academic year which also reduces costs.
Cultural Immersion. Students are welcomed as part of the family and experience life as a British day school student. They tend to make more friends with local students at the school compared to those who are in a boarding house.
Language skills. Being the only non-English native speaker in a family means that there are plenty of chances to practise English – including round the dinner table. Students who live with a Host Family tend to see a quicker improvement in their English language skills than those who live with international boarders.
Growing independence. Day school hosting which involves the student travelling to school and back each day – normally on public transport – gives the student more independence and is good preparation for university life and beyond.
Why Gabbitas?
For close to 100 years Gabbitas has been helping families living overseas find a ‘home from home’ for their children who are studying in the UK. Traditionally this has been guardianship for international students attending boarding schools (which we also still offer as a service in parallel) but we are now the market leaders in Day School Hosting. We were a founding member of AEGIS, the Association for the Education and Guardianship of International Students, established in 1997 and are a member of the Boarding Schools Association (BSA) Certified Guardian Scheme. Our policies and procedures have been established with the assistance of the National Society for the prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC).
We believe we offer the best of both worlds. Our small guardianship team with a named consultant for your child means that it is a very personal service. That consultant will have met all the host families in the area and will be well placed to decide the best fit for your child. As a wider company, involved in the education sector since 1873, we offer other services which may be of help to you – school and university placements, assessments and tutoring. Our team in London includes speakers of Mandarin, Cantonese, Russian and most European languages and we are an international company with offices in Shanghai, Guangzhou and Beijing.
What we offer
• We help to support the Tier 4 Visa application to attend the school.
• We provide a guardianship arrangement whilst the student is living with a local Host Family to ensure the appropriate pastoral care is in place.
• We hand-pick (interview, visit and check) the dedicated Host Family, including an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and two references. Parents receive a visit report to help them select the family they would like their child to stay with.
• Parents have the opportunity to visit the Host Family if they are visiting the UK or can video call with them direct if they are not.
• 24/7 emergency response service to support the student, parents, school and Host Family.
• Organisation of travel to and from school using school or local public transport or by arrangement with the Host Family as appropriate.
• A visit to the school each term to see how your child is settling in/progressing.
• Attendance at one parents’ evening on the parents’ behalf.
• Annual breakdown for accommodation costs.
What our clients say
“It’s so lucky to live with such a lovely family. They’re really friendly and thoughtful, and it’s joyful to participate some activities with the Sergent family, such as playing monopoly or having a excursion. I’ve deeply experienced the daily life of local family and local traditions,which wouldn’t appear in my life if I chose to be in a boarding school.”
- Chenwu Zhao, International Student, Norwich School
“Coming to the UK was a nervous but thrilling step but ending up with such a lovely host family made the transition smooth and my stay has been more than delightful. Despite being far from home, both Gabbitas and my host family made me feel safe and comfortable. Even amidst the current situation, Gabbitas has made processes simple with great consideration.”
- Aishath Jiyad, International Student, Colstons School, Bristol
“Hosting N. has been a pleasure! The set up with Gabbitas was very smooth and they are always on hand if needed. N. is like a big sister to our young boys; she has fitted in with our family perfectly. She is a lovely young lady and we enjoy having her stay with us!”
- Helen Conway, Host for Colstons School, Bristol
“Over the last 6 years, Norwich School has built a great relationship both with Gabbitas and with the excellent host families they have found for our pupils. It has been a great source of comfort for our international families to know that the educational and pastoral excellence of Norwich School is complemented by Gabbitas’ expertise in guardianship. We feel that the homestay programme has not only given our pupils an authentic British experience of living with local families but many other advantages too including superior English language skills and better preparation for independent living at university and beyond.”
- Will Croston, Director of International Programme, Norwich School
Gabbitas is at the forefront in providing this important and unique service for international student families.
If you would like to find out more about how we could work with you, please contact our Guardianship Team.
guardian@gabbitas.com
+44 (0) 203 026 7443
Schools we work with include:
