If you will be under the age of 18 when you register and begin your course with the university, your parents or legal guardian must complete an under 18 consent form.
Our policy for students under the age of 18
Most universities admit some students who will commence their studies before they are 18 years old, and this is also the case at University of Nottingham. In most cases this will be a very temporary situation, as the student will be approaching their eighteenth birthday at the time of enrolment, but some students may be younger than this.
In most cases the usual pastoral and academic support arrangements will apply to students who are under 18 years, however we also provide some additional support and safeguards which are detailed below.
Parental consent
The university is not able to take on the usual rights, responsibilities and authority that parents have in relation to a child, and it will not be able to act in loco parentis in relation to students who are under the age of 18 years.
We therefore must receive consent from the student's parents or legal guardians, to acknowledge their acceptance of our protocols. This is a condition of admission to the university for all students who will be under 18 years of age at the time of registration. If a student will be under the age of 17 at the time of registration we require a satisfactorily completed consent form prior to any offer of study being made.
Parental consent form
International Students
Where a student is from overseas and the parents remain outside the UK, we require details of a guardian for the child who is in the UK, and preferably in or near to Nottingham. The guardian should be accessible to the child and to the university if the need should arise and must be able to make wellbeing decisions for them.
Guardianship agencies
If you do not have a contact in the UK who is willing and able to act as a guardian then there are a number of agencies who will, for a fee, make guardianship arrangements for you.
The Association of Educational Guardians for International Students (AEGIS) inspects and provides accreditation to guardianship organisations in the UK in line with current UK legislation.
Agencies we are aware of who are able to make guardianship arrangements include:
This list is not comprehensive and should not be taken as an endorsement of any individual agency. We recommend that you research the arrangements, prices and options available before engaging the services of any agency.
Please note that the University is not able to sponsor any applicant who will be under the age of 16 at the time of registration for a Student Route Visa.
Wellbeing and Safeguarding
It is essential that students under the age of 18 or their parents/guardians provide emergency contact details for a parent or guardian prior to their arrival at the university. The student should not be able to register without this information.
This person should be able to make wellbeing decisions for the student, and the university will contact them regarding wellbeing issues when assessed as appropriate by Wellbeing Team Managers. The student will normally be made aware of this, but there may be times when the university feels it necessary to contact the student’s parent or guardian in regard to wellbeing issues without their knowledge and/or consent.
If there are any safeguarding concerns identified about a student who is under 18 these should be referred as soon as possible to the Report and Support who will make any onward child safeguarding referrals required.
If a medical emergency arises and it is not possible for the university to contact the named individuals, a senior member of the university will, on behalf of the student's parents or guardians, give such consent to treatment as is in the best interests of the student. By signing the parental consent form, the student's parents or guardians indicate their consent to this.
Safeguarding training
All staff working with students who are under 18 should complete the required training as detailed in the Prevent and safeguarding training for staff guidance.
School Arrangements
The relevant Head of School will be notified, prior to registration, of any student within their school or department who will be under the age of 18 years on entry to the university. The Head of School will then assign a member of staff to directly work with students who are under 18 in each School, this staff member should have undertaken safeguarding training in line with university requirements and have been subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check in their current role.
However, some teaching staff and other staff the student may interact with may not routinely be made aware of a student's age, and therefore all staff should also be aware that we have under 18s on campus and potentially in teaching sessions. This is covered in Safeguarding at UoN training. In initial Consent training new students are also made aware there will be some students who are under 18 and the different legislation which applies to them.
Accommodation
If a student will be under 18 years old after 30th November of their entry year and are offered a place in university accommodation, they will be required to live at specified halls of residence on University Park Campus or Jubilee Campus. These halls will have dedicated areas for students who are under the age of 18.
They will have additional levels of support from our Residential Experience Team (who have also undertaken DBS checks) which will include a pre and post arrival check in, and will be expected to agree to a regular wellbeing check in during term time. These checks will end when the students turns 18 years old, although wellbeing support will of course continue to be available to them after this.
Field trips
Some of our courses may involve compulsory or optional field trips, excursions or other periods of study away from the university. If students who are under 18 are attending the member of staff will overall responsibility for the trip should complete a risk assessment to include consideration of DBS requirements, safeguarding training for all staff attending, staff supervision arrangements and sleeping arrangements. This should be signed off by the Head of School prior to the trip.
Explicit consent for students under 18 to attend should be sought from their parent or guardian, who should have information about supervision, planned activities and sleeping arrangements. Other students should be made aware that there is an under 18 present on the trip, and therefore they must not buy them alcohol etc.
Parental/guardian involvement in studies
We treat students as independent individuals and therefore in relation to their studies it is our usual policy that we deal primarily with students (whom we have a contractual relationship with) and not with parents, guardians or other third parties. This approach will also apply to students who are under the age of 18 years, however please also refer to the Wellbeing and Safeguarding section which also references parental/guardian contact.
Alcohol
It is illegal for alcohol to be sold to or bought by students who are under the age of 18 years. The university takes reasonable steps to seek to ensure that the law is not broken in relation to licensed premises under the university's control but cannot undertake to supervise any individual student. The Students' Union is responsible for ensuring that appropriate arrangements are in place for its own licensed premises on campus.
Holding Office in the Student Union
Students who are under 18 are not permitted to hold committee positions within any Student Union society or club.
Relationships with staff
Under the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2000, it is a criminal offence for any person in a position of trust (which may include members of university staff) to engage in sexual activity with someone who is under 18 years. This is also specified in our Staff/Student Relationship Policy.
Restricted courses
Some courses have alternative age requirements, often due to regulatory, accreditation, or placement restrictions. Students who do not meet these age requirements will not be permitted to apply for these courses and this will be checked by the Admissions Team. Please ensure you check the specific web page for the course you are interested in before applying to confirm that you meet any additional age requirements.
Sports Pre-Season sessions
Some Sports clubs offer pre-season sessions, which happen over the summer break prior to the student commencing their studies. Students who are under 18 will not be able to attend these sessions due to the fact they have not yet registered and therefore some of the requirements outlined above may not be in place.