Guardianship Packages Questionnaire | Марина Дженкинс

Choose Your Guardianship Package

Dear parents, please try to answer the following questions to better assess your situation and choose the most suitable option. The questions are based on my experience working with hundreds of students and thousands of real-life situations involving children and their parents.

Answer honestly — this is for your benefit. Imagine each situation and your actions or your child’s actions. Don’t worry: no one except you will see the answers, so honesty should be at the highest level. If you don’t know the exact answer, choose the closest one that feels right.

At the end of the questionnaire, you will receive a result sent to your email — the recommended guardianship package: Essential, Academic or All Inclusive.

Student’s full name

Age

School/College in the UK

Year of study

Your child did not call you today from school at the agreed time during the first month in boarding. You:

We know he is simply busy with friends or homework, and everything is fine, so we go to sleep calmly. We worry a lot and call the school after curfew to find out what happened. We worry a lot but don’t know enough English to call the school, and we don’t even know whom to contact. The night becomes sleepless.

Your child doesn’t know whom to ask about laundry, where to drop off or pick up clothes, keeps losing items in the laundry and can’t find them. Or they want a snack before bedtime and don’t know where to get food. You:

We know exactly what to tell them, where to look, and whom to ask; we explain how boarding works. We don’t really know how things work in school, but we trust the child will manage small everyday matters. Every time something like this happens, we get anxious with them, don’t know what to advise, and feel stressed.

Your child wants to change their roommate. You:

He won’t even ask us — he’ll sort it out himself, and we’ll find out later. We know exactly whom he should contact, what to say, and what arguments to use — and we advise him. Every time something like this happens, we get stressed, can’t help, his mood drops, and the overall school experience worsens.

Your child definitely won’t get lost at the airport… You:

My child won’t get lost — they can read signs, navigate the airport, check in luggage and call the driver. We will supervise remotely and stay in constant contact with the school and driver until they arrive. We can’t imagine the stress if they get lost. They won’t find their luggage or the driver. We don’t know what to advise and our English is insufficient.

You receive many informational emails from the school, various forms to fill out, and invoices to pay. You:

We can figure it out ourselves, we know which emails are important and which are not. We use a translator and ChatGPT to understand. Forms are completed by us or the child, and we contact the school’s finance office regarding payments. If we don’t understand something, we’ll find someone to ask, but we’d prefer someone else to handle this — it takes too much time. We know there are many emails, but we don’t understand where to start or which ones require a response. Forms are even harder — our English isn’t enough. We constantly fear missing something. How do we contact the school accountant?

If a student ends up in the hospital in an emergency, the school responds first and does everything possible. But afterward, parents must speak with doctors, look for private clinics, and make decisions — for example, in cases of fractures, concussions, flare-ups of chronic illnesses, or appendicitis. You:

We can calmly communicate with doctors over the phone and clarify all details. We can also find a clinic ourselves if needed. We will fly to the UK immediately and take control, or send relatives/friends. But we would prefer having backup. We need a professional who can manage these issues on our behalf, knows the local medical system, and can act quickly.

If your child seriously violates school rules or UK law (smoking, vaping, alcohol, drugs, bullying, fighting, disrespect toward staff), and they may be suspended for days or weeks, you:

Are sure this will never happen — your child is responsible. But if it does, we’ll arrange a taxi and pick him up within 3–4 hours. We’ll manage all communication with the school. Can’t imagine such a situation and would need help and guidance. Have no one in the UK who could collect the child, and don’t know the laws or school rules well enough to act correctly.

During holidays or exeats (long weekends from Friday evening to Sunday evening when the school requires you to pick up your child), your child will fly home and will NOT need a host family or camp in the UK. You:

Usually, he will fly home. We can handle everything with the school, fill out forms, arrange and supervise the taxi. If he won’t fly home, we have relatives/friends who can host him, but we don’t want to spend time and energy filling out forms. There are many holidays, and flying home isn’t always possible. We need someone reliable to host him, organise transfers, and manage everything.

Your child has been at school for a month and you haven’t received any grades. You:

Fully trust your child — he is responsible and knows why he came. He will tell us about his progress and challenges. We understand how assessment works in UK schools and know whom to contact. Would like someone to help with academics, especially communicating with teachers and tracking grades so nothing is missed. Don’t know how to monitor academic progress if reports aren’t sent regularly. We don’t understand whom to contact and will worry that we’re not in control.

You received an academic report. You:

Understand all numbers and teacher comments, know the grading system, can read between the lines and advise your child on improvements. We can handle daily issues ourselves, but the UK education system is complex — we need a specialist to explain and advise. We don’t understand GCSE, IGCSE, A Level, IB, BTEC, lower-school grading, or teacher comments. We don’t know what is expected of our child.

Your child is in their first month at school. You:

Not worried at all: everything is great, he made friends, settled in. No need for a guardian visit; he will send photos and videos. Not worried, but we’d like someone to visit, check on him, and send a detailed report. It’s essential for us that a guardian visits in the first/second month, meets everyone, and provides a full report.

You generally understand the British education system, know how boarding works, what to expect, and can support your child independently. You:

This is definitely us! But we would still like access to a specialist for academic or conflict-related questions. We need academic support only; we can manage daily issues ourselves. We need full support — this is all unfamiliar territory for us.

You received an invitation to a parents’ meeting. You:

Know how to book meetings online, what questions to ask, and speak English well enough to understand details. Prefer a professional to attend — someone who knows the nuances and can ask the right questions. Definitely need professional help at the meeting.

You constantly have questions about school life, boarding, academics, teachers, activities, etc. You:

Know how to resolve any issue and whom to contact. The child will figure things out, but we want the guardian to support academic matters. Need ongoing support — we want the guardian actively involved with the student, parents, and school.

The school asks you to buy additional uniform items during the year. You:

Know where you ordered the uniform, will reorder online, and ask the school if needed. Haven’t had this experience before, but we can sort it out; the child is independent. This is the type of issue we don’t want to handle — we need help.

Each school offers many activities that change every term. Forms must be completed on time, and schedules coordinated. You:

Can manage it easily, know English, and can communicate with the school. The child handles things independently, but we may need occasional advice. Our English is weak, and we don’t have patience — we need someone to do it for us.

The school sends many forms: medication/vitamin forms, travel forms, transfer details, activity forms, permissions, etc. You:

No problem — our English is good enough, and we are careful with details. We will complete them, but we don’t have time. We’d prefer someone else to manage them. We worry about missing something important or filling forms incorrectly — we need a professional.

Parent’s Name

Phone / WhatsApp

Choose Your Guardianship Package

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