Major Incident Contigency Plan

This plan is designed to be implemented in the case of a major incident affecting the transportation of students within the UK, leaving the UK returning home or coming back to the UK to their school.

Plan

This plan applies to Bright World Guardianships student who are travelling unaccompanied and who are affected by a major incident, for example fog that closes an airport or an incident that closes an airport while they are in transit, deeming their onward journey impossible or subject to major delays.

The overall plan is to ensure that the child is moved to a safe place and if possible to safe accommodation which will be dependent upon whether the incident takes place within the UK or at a transport hub or location outside the UK.

All plans will be made in cooperation with the school, parents, transport companies and any authorities involved in the incident.

1. An incident within the UK

Bright World, as policy, allows extra generous time to travel to airports to cater for those times when check-in takes a long time due to enhanced security checks or travel problems en route due to traffic accidents and bad weather. We always add half an hour to the predicted travel time to the airport and we insist on arrival 3 hours prior to the departure of the flight.

If a student’s flight is cancelled or missed due to an incident, Bright World pledges to find them safe travel to a host family until their flight is rebooked.

If a student needs to be accompanied at the airport, Bright World will arrange an Airport Angel or Bright World Representative to sit and supervise the child until they can continue their journey.

2. An incident outside the UK at a transport hub

Bright World will remain in contact with parents, school and students in the case where a student is stranded at an airport, and unaccompanied whilst attempting to travel back to the UK or back to home.

Although we would be unable to travel to meet them we will do all we can to liaise with authorities, any help or information centres and act as a go-between for parents, school and students. International helplines would be set up for all enquiries and details of these would be available via the internet and social media as important points of contact with the statutory authorities.

If the said information centres are not able to help with accommodation if the child is to be stranded overnight, we would, on the advice of parents, arrange for hotel accommodation or alternative accommodation if necessary.

Bright World’s emergency telephone 01273836060 will remain live and available to anyone involved 24/7. In the event of our telephone being overloaded with calls, we will publish alternative telephone numbers to be used instead and we will ensure we are available 24/7.

Our outofhours@brightworld.co.uk emergency email address can be used within waking hours.

Throughout the incident Bright World will communicate with all interested parties, school, drivers, parents and students

3. In the event of missing or absent student

In the event of a missing or absent student, Bright World will follow our Absent and Missing Student Policy also found in this manual, liaising with the parents, school and police as appropriate.

4. In the Event of Health Pandemic

Bright World Guardianships is committed to working with our partner schools to ensure that students are safe and well-cared for during any health pandemics. We will monitor the situation regularly and follow the advice of Public Health England (PHE), or the Public Health bodies in Wales and Scotland accordingly.

Depending on the nature of the pandemic, Bright World understands that students, parents and schools may have to change their plans at short notice and will remain on hand to offer 24/7 assistance.

If a Bright World student presents with symptoms

Whilst at school

Bright World will place a student into one of our risk-assessed Covid isolation host families should they need to leave school.

In the event of a school closure:*

Bright World’s policy is that, in the event of a prolonged school closure, healthy students must ultimately aim to either:
a) return home
b) be looked after by their parents
c) be looked after by another responsible adult (family friend/relative 25 years+)

Published: March 2016
Reviewed: March 2023