International Groups: Information for Parents

It is your responsibility to check that your child has the correct documentation including passport, visa, insurance, European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) or Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) and tickets. Your agent may assist with some of this documentation, please contact them to confirm the details.

PGL does not include travel insurance as standard. We recommend checking with your agent to understand what insurance cover you have.

You must agree and organise any travel and transfer arrangements through your Agent. This includes airport and Eurostar travel into and from the UK as well as transferring between centres. We will help provide UK transportation only based on the last written instructions provided by the agent coordinating the booking.

Please refrain from contacting your child directly to amend any travel plans or transfers.

A small on-site shop offers snacks and souvenirs. We suggest that £5 per day should suffice. During excursions, there may be additional opportunities for shopping, so the amount of spending money you provide is at your discretion.

It is strongly recommended that all money and valuables be handed over to PGL staff for safekeeping. Please note, all money must be in UK currency (GBP). There are no currency exchange facilities or cash machines at the centres.

If your child is traveling with a mobile phone or tablet, please ensure that international roaming is activated. Mobile phones and tablets are not permitted during activity sessions and lessons; the specific times they are allowed will be discussed with the Tour Leader on arrival.

As with money and other valuables, it is advised that mobile phones and tablets are entrusted to PGL staff.

PGL is not accountable for lost or stolen goods or money.

Please refer our phone policy for further information on best practice and use of phones.

We can accommodate most diets, but we need details of any dietary or medical needs at least six weeks before your child travels. Providing detailed information early helps our teams prepare and make any necessary adjustments for your child’s needs.

For group bookings, it is essential that agents complete our SEND form. Please contact your agent if you need help or to confirm the form is accurately filled.

If your child is attending a Kids Camp Programme, parents or guardians will need to complete an EGIF form. Please provide your contact details to your agent so we can securely send you the form and ensure accurate and confidential information is shared with our teams.

Read more about meals and menus here

If your child has an additional requirement that needs to be taken into consideration for any part of their stay, including transportation, accommodation and activities then please let your agent know as soon as possible.

PGL is committed to help all guests realise their potential. In order to do this, we need full disclosure of requirements, capabilities and recommendations well in advance to allow us sufficient time to put any necessary plans in place.

As we are not medical or disability experts ourselves, we may refer cases confidentially to a range of relevant organisations for advice. Groups should inform us of any participants with additional needs relating to disability by completing our SEND and Dietary Needs form.

If your child is attending a Kids Camp Programme, parents or guardians will need to complete an EGIF form.

Please seek further support from your agent to ensure this is completed accurately as soon as possible. Therefore, enabling us plenty of time to work with them and ensure we can provide the best advice and support as possible.

Children should pack old clothes and/or sports clothes for activities, clean outfits for excursions and evenings, towels (one for showering and one for water-based activities), and toiletries such as shampoo and soap.

The UK is famous for being a wet and rainy country and so we highly recommend that your child has the appropriate wet weather clothing that is suitable for activities and excursions. Come rain or shine, our PGL colleagues will embrace the wet weather with your child as they will do everything they can to ensure the outdoor activities can be safely enjoyed. Please avoid bringing spray deodorants or hairspray as these may trigger the fire alarms.

We would recommend that the student’s clothes are labelled with their name, this will be particularly helpful when the children retrieve their jackets and jumpers after putting them down during free-time or on the coaches.

A complete packing list is available here.

Please check luggage limits with your airline. As storage space in our rooms is limited, soft bags or holdalls are preferred. Your child should also bring a small bag or rucksack for excursions.

For guests staying 8 nights or more we provide a free laundry service. Additional laundry is available at £10.00 per person.

It is very important to note that our laundry service is for commercial use and so is likely to be more robust than the washing machines for personal use. Therefore, please ensure that your child only puts clothes in the wash that can withstand temperatures more than 40 degrees.

For guests travelling as part of a group with a Tour Leader, we are able to provide access to Wi-Fi.

The use of phones and Wi-Fi is kept to a minimum to encourage as much interaction between students as possible.

We are unable to offer Wi-Fi directly to any individual guests travelling without a Tour Leader. If your child is on a Kids Camp programme, then you will be able to contact the centre to organise a time to speak to your child. Your agent will provide you with the centre’s contact details. There will be certain free-time period of the day where the students will have access to their phones.

The meals we provide at our centres offer a wide range of tasty and nutritious dishes which are attractive to children’s palates. To assist young people in selecting a balanced meal we serve generous portions of fruit, vegetables and salad with plenty of carbohydrate for energy.

There is also a mix of freshly-prepared hot or cold meals at various mealtimes throughout the week, as well and a self-service salad bar for children to help themselves to as much salad as they like at lunch and dinner. There is always plenty of bread and fresh fruit available, as well as hot and cold drinks.

On excursion days we will provide a packed lunch.

See our sample menu here.

PGL centres can cater to a wide range of dietary requirements as specified by culture, religion and medical concerns. Whilst we do not cater for weight management programmes or “faddy” diets, the nutritional value of the dishes can be viewed via our sample menu.

We regularly provide meals for a wide variety of needs including coeliac, diabetic, food allergies and vegetarian/vegan.

Information relating to complex dietary requirements should be provided at the time of booking. Providing us with as much information as possible at the time of booking will enable our centre teams to make the most relevant adjustments required.

Agents must state any individual dietary requirements on the SEND Form and for our Kids Camp Programme, you will be sent an email with an (EGIF) form to complete. If these are not completed correctly and at least 6 weeks before arrival, we may not be able to make the necessary adjustments at short notice.

To ensure our guests have a safe and enjoyable experience, we ask that agents supply information relating to nut allergies as early as possible before travel.

Download the PGL Nut Policy

Descriptions and photography of our accommodation can be viewed on our centre pages.

All guests on site are PGL guests.

Living alongside and mixing with other children is a key part of the PGL experience. We want all students to enjoy their holiday and we keep a close check on antisocial behaviour that may spoil the enjoyment of others.

Please explain in advance to your child that :

• All guests, PGL staff and property must be treated with respect
• No alcohol or drugs are permitted
• Smoking is only allowed with parental permission and in agreed areas
• Students cannot leave site, unless with the Tour Leader or a member of PGL staff

We reserve the right to send home any child immediately for anti social or illegal behaviour. No refunds will be provided and travel and any other costs will be billed to parents/guardians.

Behaviour deemed inappropriate may include (but is not limited to):

• Under age buying and consumption of alcohol
• Leaving the site unless accompanied by a PGL member of staff
• Suspected involvement with illegal drugs
• Smoking and using E-cigarettes or Vaporisers outside of designated areas and smoking by under 16s
• Entering accommodation used by the opposite sex
• Theft or illegal activities
• Threatening behaviour, bullying, offensive or insulting language to other guests, PGL staff or any other person resident on center
• Anti-social behavior affecting other guests’ enjoyment of their holiday
• Leaving rooms during the night without a legitimate reason
• Deliberately tampering with safety systems (e.g. CCTV, Fire Alarms)
• Misuse of mobile devices
• Sharing or viewing inappropriate material or abuse of social or other media
• Damaging other guests’ property

Yes, our centres have trained colleagues always on site. A PGL group leader will be the main point of contact for group members.

We will programme a variety of activities in groups of about 12-15 students. Activities are instructed by trained and qualified PGL staff. These activities have been specifically designed to match a particular age range, ensuring that they are fun and challenging in a safe environment. This does mean that there may be some activities you will have seen on our website that your child might not be able to do.

If you are unsure about the ages, please speak to your agent to confirm the overall ages of the group your child is travelling with. We highly recommend groups travel with students of a similar age.

It is very important that you advise your agent if your child cannot swim.

If your child’s course incudes English lessons, we will allocate children to the appropriate class based on their English ability, nationality and age. Therefore, although your child might be going with a friend, if their English abilities are significantly different, it is likely they will be put in separate groups. Don’t worry though, whilst they are making new friends, they will still be able to catch-up and have fun together during free-time and their full day excursion.

Your agent will advise regarding the content of the excursions. Guests will be accompanied by PGL staff. For EFL programmes, they will be led by PGL staff. The excursions usually include some free time for shopping, which students will be allowed to do in small groups.