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Where a student is from overseas and the parents remain outside the UK, we require details of a nominated guardian for the child who is in the UK, and preferably in or near to Nottingham. 

A nominated guardian is expected to: 

• provide regular welfare monitoring of the student and contact the student at least once a week 
• be a point of contact 24/7, able to provide emergency support for unexpected situations and be the named contact in case of a medical emergency
• live close enough to be able to come in person in a timely manner and support the student in unexpected/emergency situations 
• contact the parent/legal guardian and university with any other concerns about the student
• act “in loco parentis” (in place of the parent), taking on responsibility for medical and welfare decisions when the parent/legal guardian cannot be reached 
• contact the university Safeguarding Team if there are concerns about the wellbeing of the student 

We have specific requirements for nominated guardians for students at the ����ԭ�� – any guardian nominated in the parental consent form must meet all of the below: 

• Over 21 years old
• They must live in the UK, with a valid UK address and phone number and be easily contactable 
• Must have the right to remain in the UK for the duration of the student’s study, or until the student becomes 18 
• Available 24/7 to respond to emergencies at any time 
• Fluent in English and able to communicate effectively with the university 
• They cannot be a UoN student or staff member 
• If guardianship is to be provided by an agency, the agency should be fully regulated by Proof of the agreement with the agency (even if just in principle) should be provided 

Parents/legal guardians must ensure that they have discussed the responsibilities of this position with any potential nominated guardian before submitting the consent form containing their information. 

Guardianship agencies

Applicants who don't have a trusted contact in the UK who is willing and able to act as a guardian can access the services of Educational Guardianship agencies. If this arrangement is chosen, the agency should be fully regulated by which is the UK Body that inspects guardianship organisations to ensure they meet UK government safeguarding guidelines. Guardianship agencies are familiar with university guardian requirements and will be able to provide all of the information required to complete the parental consent form adequately. 

Please note that the university is not able to sponsor any applicant who will be under the age of 16 at the time of registration for a Student Route Visa. 

It is essential that students under the age of 18 or their parents/guardians provide emergency contact details for a parent or guardian prior to their arrival at the university. The student should not be able to register without this information.

This person should be able to make wellbeing decisions for the student, and the university will contact them regarding wellbeing issues when assessed as appropriate by Wellbeing Team Managers. The student will normally be made aware of this, but there may be times when the university feels it necessary to contact the student’s parent or guardian in regard to wellbeing issues without their knowledge and/or consent.

If there are any safeguarding concerns identified about a student who is under 18 these should be referred as soon as possible to the Report and Support who will make any onward child safeguarding referrals required.

If a medical emergency arises and it is not possible for the university to contact the named individuals, a senior member of the university will, on behalf of the student's parents or guardians, give such consent to treatment as is in the best interests of the student. By signing the parental consent form, the student's parents or guardians indicate their consent to this.

Safeguarding training

All staff working with students who are under 18 should complete the required training as detailed in the guidance.

The relevant Head of School will be notified, prior to registration, of any student within their school or department who will be under the age of 18 years on entry to the university.

The Head of School will then assign a member of staff to directly work with students who are under 18 in each school – this staff member should have undertaken safeguarding training in line with university requirements and have been subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check in their current role.

However, some teaching staff and other staff the student may interact with may not routinely be made aware of a student's age, and therefore all staff should also be aware that we have under 18s on campus and potentially in teaching sessions. This is covered in Safeguarding at UoN training. In initial Consent training new students are also made aware there will be some students who are under 18 and the different legislation which applies to them.

If a student will be under 18 years old after 30th November of their entry year and are offered a place in university accommodation, they will be required to live at specified halls of residence on University Park Campus or Jubilee Campus. These halls will have dedicated areas for students who are under the age of 18.

They will have additional levels of support from our Residential Experience Team (who have also undertaken DBS checks) which will include a pre and post arrival check in, and will be expected to agree to a regular wellbeing check in during term time. These checks will end when the students turns 18 years old, although wellbeing support will of course continue to be available to them after this.

Some of our courses may involve compulsory or optional field trips, excursions or other periods of study away from the university. If students who are under 18 are attending, the member of staff will overall responsibility for the trip should complete a risk assessment to include consideration of DBS requirements, safeguarding training for all staff attending, staff supervision arrangements and sleeping arrangements. This should be signed off by the Head of School prior to the trip.

Explicit consent for students under 18 to attend should be sought from their parent or guardian, who should have information about supervision, planned activities and sleeping arrangements. Other students should be made aware that there is an under 18 present on the trip, and therefore they must not buy them alcohol etc.

We treat students as independent individuals and therefore in relation to their studies it is our usual policy that we deal primarily with students (whom we have a contractual relationship with) and not with parents, guardians or other third parties.

This approach will also apply to students who are under the age of 18 years, however please also refer to the Wellbeing and Safeguarding section which also references parental/guardian contact.

It is illegal for alcohol to be sold to or bought by students who are under the age of 18 years. The university takes reasonable steps to seek to ensure that the law is not broken in relation to licensed premises under the university's control but cannot undertake to supervise any individual student.

The Students' Union is responsible for ensuring that appropriate arrangements are in place for its own licensed premises on campus.

Students who are under 18 are not permitted to hold committee positions within any Students' Union society or club. 

Under the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2000, it is a criminal offence for any person in a position of trust (which may include members of university staff) to engage in sexual activity with someone who is under 18 years. This is also specified in our Staff/Student Relationship Policy.

Some courses have alternative age requirements, often due to regulatory, accreditation, or placement restrictions. Students who do not meet these age requirements will not be permitted to apply for these courses and this will be checked by the Admissions Team.

Please ensure you check the specific web page for the course you are interested in before applying to confirm that you meet any additional age requirements.

Some sports clubs offer pre-season sessions, which happen over the summer break prior to the student commencing their studies.

Students who are under 18 will not be able to attend these sessions due to the fact they have not yet registered and therefore some of the requirements outlined above may not be in place.