bright sounds

Join Lia for a special edition of Bright Sounds as she takes listeners behind the scenes at the Bright World Guardianships Annual Conference. Featuring special guests from across the Bright World Team, conference highlights and a look back at the past academic year, this episode celebrates the teamwork and shared commitment that make Bright World what it is.

What happens when an international student needs urgent support in the middle of the night? In this episode, we take a closer look at “The Emergency Phone”, a vital part of our guardianship support for students and families studying in the UK. Lia is joined by Simon King and Tom Kane to discuss who’s behind the calls, how the system works, and some of the real-life situations where immediate suppo...

Ever wondered who’s behind our University Guardianship programme? Or what it takes to support international students as they begin university life in the UK? In this episode of our Meet the Team series, Lia sits down with Casper and Isabelle to introduce the people at the heart of this important role.

What does “hosting” really mean? Why do international students choose host families? What does it take to become a host, and what checks are involved? Join Lia Ferris as she sits down with Annie Constable and Tori Percy to break it all down. The essentials to the unexpected benefits, we explore what hosting looks like in practice, and why it matters.

What happens if a student forgets their passport? What happens if a host family has concerns? Join Lia Ferris as she puts Maria Novais and Tom Kane in the hotseat, and finds out what guardians actually do when plans go off-script.

Snowed in, flights cancelled, and a new school term just days away. Join Lia as she chats with Simon, Casper, and Tori to relive a chaotic start to the new year, and the behind-the-scenes effort it takes to keep students safe and supported.

With more UK schools offering Immersion Programmes, we take a closer look at what these short-term boarding courses are all about. Cory Holden and Maria Novais join Lia to discuss why these programmes are becoming so popular and introduce listeners to our new Immersion Guardianship Programme designed specifically with these students in mind. 

Child Student Visas are back in focus after the November 11th updates. Lia sits down with Su Warren and Lana Foster to explore the latest UKVI changes, why they’re important, and what they mean for international students.

Ever wondered who finds the perfect host families for our students? Or what an Accommodation Manager actually does? In this episode of our new Meet the Team series, Lia sits down with Tom Kane and Tori Percy to introduce the amazing team behind one of Bright World Guardianships’ most important roles.

With the start of the new academic year just around the corner, Lia joins Charlotte and Cory to discuss Bright World's recent pre-departure webinar, and cover all the tips and tricks for a smooth arrival for international students.

After passing our AEGIS Gold Re-accreditation with flying colours, Lia sits down with Lana Foster, Annie Constable, and Robbie Piper to discuss what goes into a Gold Standard AEGIS Re-Inspection. 

Following recent changes and new Rules that came into force on 29th May for the Child Student Visa route, Lia joins Lana, Su and Cory to break down the UKVI updates, and discuss Nominated Guardians, Permitted Living Arrangements and our new Letter of Undertaking supporting the visa application process.

In todays episode Lia, Lana and Su get together to discuss Bright Worlds monumental 5th time win and First Class status at the StudyTravel Secondary Awards.

Steve Greaves, Head of Boarding at Pocklington School, joins Lia to discuss what students get up to on their exciting Weekend Activity Programme. Along with Guardianship Care Manager, Isabelle Amor, and Business Relationship & Marketing manager, Charlotte Hamson, we learn all about the courses, skills and programmes available to students in the beautiful York area. 

Bright Sounds podcast returns for it's highly anticipated fourth season. Lia Ferris joins Lana Foster and James Foster to discuss recent changes within the industry, reminisce on the last five years, and look forward to a monumental year at Bright World Guardianships. 

Lana Foster joins the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society in conversation on Listening In . 

In our Season 3 premier episode, Lia sits down with Jenny Rumble and Lana Foster to discuss all things Quarantine. Where will students stay, what measures are in place, and what goes into being a Bright World Quarantine Host Family?

Hot off the press from their win at the StudyTravel Secondary School Awards, Lia sits down with Lana and James Foster to talk about the excitement that surrounds these awards, the new Guardianship category, and why winning the ST Secondary School Award - Guardianship Organisation 2020/21 means so much to all of us here at Bright World

It is back to class for our students and Bright World is armed with a new Welcome Back Guide to help them adjust. In today's episode, Lia sits down with Safeguarding Director Jenny Rumble and one of our champion Local Coordinators, Sarah Bozier, to talk about back to school nerves, excitement and the importance of keeping in touch.

On today's episode, we are joined by Adam Lubbock, Director of Kings River Education and the provider of our new Safeguarding Training Platform for Host Families and Bright World Staff. Lana, Lia and Jenny discuss this exciting new development with Adam as we enter our third week since launching this amazing new dashboard.

Scarborough College has played a key role in the community during the pandemic. With a Rugby Club turned Vaccination Centre, vital vaccine transport links for the elderly and not to mention an NHS clinical trial, this leading independent boarding school has embraced the local community spirit and offered some much-needed peace of mind to overseas parents. Remco Wheeler, Director of Admissions and...

Jenny chats to Bright World Host Family, Ellie about Homeschooling. Ellie and her Family have successfully adapted their routine during lockdown to provide Bright World student, Kevin the best learning from home experience possible, whilst his school is closed.

It is finally official! Schools will be reopening on 8th March. This means many students will be back a few weeks before Easter and will be needing something interesting to do for the holidays.  On this episode, Lia introduces Lana, Su and our special guest, Michael Voice, Principal of Cambridge Melchior College. We are discussing our special Easter residential programme Relax & Revise @ Easter ru...

Safer Internet Day 2021 has arrived! James is joined by Charlotte to discuss this year's theme: #AnInternetWeTrust. The campaign focuses on how we can know what to trust online, supporting young people to question, challenge and change the online world.

On this week's episode, Lana chats with Amandine Smilevich, Head of Boarding and Joanna Leite, Deputy Head (Pastoral) at Sidcot School about boarding life in lockdown.