Insurance cover

1. If your son is ill or injured on or prior to the departure date. The bottom line here is that pupils must not travel against medical advice. If this may apply, please contact us as soon as you suspect it. In some circumstances it will be clear that your son simply cannot take part in the trip, and a refund will be sought from our insurers.There is also the possibility that a youngster is confidently expected to make a full recovery well before the trip returns, and parents and staff might then discuss the feasibility of the child travelling out to join the party. In the case of flights, it is common practice in the travel industry for parents to check a child in as unaccompanied (depending on the age of the child and the rules of the specific airline), and the child is then collected at the other end. This is dependent on the feasibility, in the trip itinerary, of finding a location for the child to join us.For the insurance cover to work in either of these eventualities, a doctor needs to sign a note. Specifically in the case of suspected swine flu, the advice of course is not to visit the doctor or hospital, but to phone NHS Direct. In order to provide the necessary evidence, would you please phone your son’s GP and ask that they make notes of the conversation so they can sign the insurance form when you take it to them. It is essential that you consult a doctor if delaying or cancelling departure, since our insurers will not pay without this evidence.
2. If your son is ill or injured during the trip. In this eventuality we’ll use our medical/first aid kits and training and also refer to local medical advice where needed. The insurance provides for all medical costs together, in extremis, for the cost of transporting a patient back to the UK, or of a parent travelling out.
3. Belongings – your child’s property is insured against loss or theft whilst on the trip, providing that they take good care of it – the insurers will not pay out if possessions have been stored negligently (eg, left in a cafe unsupervised).

If you do have to consider delay or cancellation, or making a claim for lost possessions, please:

• Let the teacher in charge of the trip know at your earliest opportunity
• Obtain a doctor’s note or a receipt for the lost item
• Contact Beth Lavender, Insurance and Compliance Officer at The Schools of King Edward VI in Birmingham, to begin the claims process. A £100 excess applies to any claims. In a medical case, you might usefully download this form and take it with you on the day you see the doctor so they can complete it there and then and save you the trouble of contacting them later.