Crime checks on parents force schools to axe exchange trips

SCHOOLS are abandoning foreign exchange trips because of the burden of doing background checks on the British host families, headteachers have warned.

The rules are designed to protect pupils from abusers, but their impact on exchange programmes has been called ‘catastrophic’.

Many long-running schemes are being axed, while other UK schools accommodate foreign pupils in hotels or hostels, only allowing them to practise their language skills in hosts’ homes during the day.

According to the British Council, the proportion of independent schools running language exchange programmes has fallen from 77 per cent in 2014 to 53 per cent this year. Meanwhile, just 29 per cent of state schools run such schemes.

New Department for Education guidelines recommend that British schools ensure all adults in a host family undergo an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check for criminal convictions before they take in a foreign pupil. While the guidelines are not a legal requirement, schools cannot ignore them for fear of being sued later if a foreign pupil ends up being abused during an exchange.

Mike Buchanan, of the Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference, said: ‘The inevitable decrease in exchange visits means children are missing out on irreplaceable language learning.’