Accommodation and Homestay Policy 2026–27

Purpose

This policy outlines the guidelines and procedures for learners under 18 years old residing in student accommodation or homestay during their time at Cardiff and Vale College (CAVC). It ensures learner safety, wellbeing and effective communication between learners, hosts, parents/guardians and the College.

1. Curfew for Safety and Wellbeing

To ensure the safety and wellbeing of learners, all under-18 learners residing in student accommodation or homestay must adhere to a 10:00 PM curfew.

  • Any exceptions require prior approval from a parent or guardian as well as the College and, where applicable, the learner’s educational agency.

  • Requests for curfew extensions must be submitted in advance with justification and supporting details.

  • For learners staying at Zenith, any request requiring parent or guardian approval must be sent by the authorised parent or guardian directly to houseparent@cavc.ac.uk.

  • For learners staying in homestay, requests should be sent to international@cavc.ac.uk.

2. Holiday Requests and Late Returns

Learners requesting time away from their accommodation or a late return after an event must follow these guidelines:

  • International learners must ensure compliance with their educational agency’s policies, where applicable.

  • Requests must be submitted by an authorised parent or guardian at least 7 days in advance, providing full details of the event or holiday.

  • For learners staying at Zenith, the authorised parent or guardian must send the request directly to houseparent@cavc.ac.uk.

  • For learners staying in homestay, the request must be sent to international@cavc.ac.uk.

3. Requesting Absence from Accommodation

Learners seeking permission to be absent from their accommodation for an event or holiday must have a request submitted by an authorised parent or guardian from their registered email address.

The request must include:

  • A detailed description of the event or holiday, including dates, times and location.

  • Travel details, including transport arrangements, names of travel companions and any alternative accommodation arrangements.

  • Emergency contact information for the duration of the absence.

Requests must be submitted at least 7 days in advance.

For learners staying at Zenith, requests must be sent to houseparent@cavc.ac.uk.

For learners staying in homestay, requests must be sent to international@cavc.ac.uk.

Additional authorisation from the learner’s home agency may be required before approval.

4. Guests at Student Accommodation

Learners staying at Zenith who wish to have a guest stay with them must have approval requested by an authorised parent or guardian. The request must be sent to houseparent@cavc.ac.uk and include:

  • The guest’s full name, age and relationship to the learner.

  • The intended duration of the guest’s stay, with a maximum of three days in Zenith accommodation.

  • Guests under the age of 18 are not permitted to stay overnight at Zenith, in accordance with Zenith’s accommodation policy.

Requests must be submitted at least 7 days in advance.

Learners must also inform Zenith of any approved guest in accordance with Zenith’s accommodation procedures.

Learners staying in homestay should follow the separate guest arrangements outlined in Section 7.

5. Travel Outside the UK

CAVC does not encourage learners under 18 to travel alone outside the UK.

If a learner intends to travel outside the UK, they must:

  • Obtain prior approval from the College.

  • Follow the absence request procedures outlined in Section 3.

  • Ensure that appropriate travel arrangements and safety measures are in place.

For learners staying at Zenith, the authorised parent or guardian must send the request to houseparent@cavc.ac.uk at least 7 days in advance.

For learners staying in homestay, the request must be sent to international@cavc.ac.uk at least 7 days in advance.

6. Confirmation of Authorisation

Once a request for absence, lateness, curfew extension or a guest stay has been submitted by the authorised parent or guardian, confirmation will be provided stating whether the request has been approved or denied.

Learners should not assume that a request has been approved until confirmation has been received.

If a response is not received within the expected timeframe, the parent or guardian should follow up using the appropriate email address:

7. Homestay-Specific Arrangements

In addition to the above policies, learners residing in homestay accommodation must adhere to the following additional procedures:

Absences and Holidays

  • Any planned absences, holidays or changes to arrangements must first be discussed between the learner, their parent or guardian and the homestay host.

  • Once arrangements have been agreed, the authorised parent or guardian must email international@cavc.ac.uk, providing the details of the absence or holiday as specified in Section 3.

  • The homestay host should also be kept informed of the agreed arrangements.

  • At least 7 days’ notice should be provided for planned absences or holidays.

Guests and Visitors

  • Learners must ask their homestay host for permission before bringing any guest into the homestay.

  • The final decision on whether a guest is permitted to enter or stay at the homestay rests with the homestay host.

  • Permission from a parent, guardian or the College does not override the homestay host’s decision.

  • Learners must respect the host’s decision and any household rules relating to guests and visitors.

  • Any questions or concerns relating to homestay arrangements should be sent to international@cavc.ac.uk.

Review and Amendments

This policy will be reviewed annually by Cardiff and Vale College to ensure it continues to meet the needs of learners and complies with relevant regulations and best practices.