Please note that our habits and rules in Britain may be different to those in your own country.

Always remember:

• Be polite and join queues

• Use bins. Do not leave litter anywhere, if you do, you might be fined

• Do not block paths or walkways. Think of other people who are around you

• Do not cross roads until you see the green light

• Remember that cars drive on the left so when you cross the road, look right then left

• Be quiet when you are in public places unless there’s an emergency

• Always say “hello”, “goodbye”, “please” and “thank you”

• Everyone is equal in the UK by law, so don’t treat people differently because of gender, nationality, religion, sexuality, skin colour, etc.

We all need a good night’s sleep. Even if you aren’t feeling very sleepy, your roommates, host family, or others in the same house probably are, so please respect their wishes.

Remember it’s not your room. You may be sharing it with other students, or on your own, but please keep your roommate / hosts happy by keeping your part of the room clean and tidy.

We highly recommend you bring a small padlock to lock your valuable belongings away in your suitcase when you aren’t using them. Please don’t leave expensive items lying around the school or your host’s house. 

Don’t do anything that might damage or break anything belonging to the school, other students or your hosts.

The school is used by many students, so it is everyone’s responsibility to keep it looking nice. Recycle paper and plastic wherever possible in the bins provided around the school.

Chewing gum is not allowed at school, it is very messy to clean up.

If you drop gum or litter in the street, you may be fined up to £100.

We want you to speak English as much as possible, because this helps you to improve your communication skills in English. Speaking English in class and during the activities is especially important.

Both staff and students wear lanyards with ID cards that include their names and photos. This is so we can identify each other easily. It also has important information about what you should do in an emergency.

We do not accept bullying at Languages United. Bullying can be causing physical harm to another person, but it can also be emotional, like making fun of someone in public or online. If you are being bullied, or if you witness someone being bullied, please tell a member of staff and we will

deal with it.

To keep you safe, we need to know where you are at all times. On excursions, students aged 13 or over are allowed some free time to go shopping. If you’re under 13, you’ll stay with a staff member who’ll take you around the shops. 

If we find you missing lessons or leaving your homestay without permission, we will take disciplinary action (see the section ‘If you break the rules’ below)

Drugs are illegal and you can be in serious trouble with the police! Smoking, vaping and drinking alcohol is illegal if you are under 18. If you are found with cigarettes, vapes or alcohol they will be taken from you and destroyed. The same applies to vapes. You will also be disciplined and serious offences might mean you are sent home. Although some of our adult students smoke at school, you are not allowed to smoke while you are here.

As well as being morally wrong, stealing can get into serious trouble with the police. We will

investigate all allegations of stealing and will take action against anyone we believe to be

responsible.

British police can stop and search you to check if you are carrying any knives or weapons. If they catch you with any weapons, you could be in serious trouble. Toy guns that fire pellets are also illegal in the UK.

Fighting and bad language (including in your own language) spoils the fun for everyone. If you have a disagreement with another student, try and work it out calmly or ask a staff member to help you. Conflict is something people have to deal with every day, and we will help you to solve the issue, but violence is not an acceptable response.

For the safety and wellbeing of you and other students, you are not allowed to view any sites that are illegal in the UK or not appropriate for your age. This is the same whether you’re using your own device, someone else’s, or the school’s equipment.

Our homestays can be busy places with family members and students. If you have a friend staying in another homestay or with their parents, you cannot ask them to your house unless you have the permission from both your host family and Languages United staff. You will not be allowed to go

to your room with your friend. If you get invited to dinner at your friend’s house, you can only go if you have permission from your host family. If you go without telling anyone, we will worry about you not being where you should be.

Equipment costs money to repair or replace. You or your parents will be billed for any school property that is damaged deliberately or through misuse. If you break something accidentally, don’t worry, these things happen. Make sure to tell a member of staff if that happens, and we’ll deal with it from there.

Some fire exits are designed only to be used in an emergency. Your homestay parent and other members of staff will tell you which exits you can use. Opening a fire exit might set off an alarm.

If you break the law, we might have to call the Police. Please ask any member of staff if you are unsure if anything is allowed.