Latest Updates: Re-starting international travel to the UK

Tuesday 11th May Update 

As part of the UK Government’s plan to restart international travel from 17th May, an initial list of countries categorised as either ‘red’, ‘amber’ or ‘green’ for inbound travel to the UK, has been announced. The UK government has said that classifications are deliberately cautious, allowing them to have more flexibility as time goes on, and the lists will be reviewed every 3 weeks from 17th May.

We appreciate families may wish to wait until the next review at the start of June to confirm travel plans. However, if you have not yet submitted an application for a Reach Cambridge program, we recommend you apply as soon as possible to reserve your place on your chosen course and program dates, and commence communications with our admissions team.

The full list of countries in each category can be found here. Please ensure you check these lists carefully and identify on which list the country you will be travelling to the UK from can be found.

Our hope is that an increasing number of countries will be added to the ‘green’ list as we get nearer to the summer, and thus students from those countries will face the fewest restrictions. However, in order to serve those families for whom quarantine remains a requirement, Reach Cambridge has made provision to accommodate all students from ‘amber’ list countries who may require a place in which to quarantine in the UK this summer.

• Travel from Green Countries

If you are travelling from a country that has been designated ‘green’, you will not need to undertake a period of quarantine upon arrival. Travellers will be required to take a pre-departure coronavirus test and pre-order a test to be taken within 2 days of arrival in the UK. More information on the practicalities of booking your test will be shared in advance of the summer.

• Travel from Amber Countries

Travellers from ‘amber’ list countries will need to undertake a period of quarantine as well as adhering to the testing regime. We are happy to say that we have made provision to accommodate all students travelling from ‘amber’ list countries who may require a place in which to quarantine in the UK this summer.

Students may choose to take up our quarantine plan any time from 26^th June, throughout the summer. The UK government’s ‘Test to release’ scheme permits travellers to take a test on day 5 (in addition to tests on days 2 and 8) and end their quarantine as soon as they receive a negative test result, thus shortening the standard 10 day quarantine requirement. Our quarantine provision includes accommodation, meals, supervision by Reach Cambridge staff, daily outdoor exercise, interaction with other students over Zoom where possible and classes over Zoom if your period of quarantine covers class time. Please contact us for more information on our quarantine plan, including costs, testing and booking process.

• Travel from Red Countries

If you will be travelling from a ‘red’ list country or are planning to be in a red list country within 10 days of your travel date to the UK, please do get in touch and we would be happy to help ascertain your options for this summer.

Apply with Confidence

We are making two promises to our families this year:

1. Apply Now, Save Now & Pay Later

In any other year, a non-refundable deposit payment is always necessary to reserve your place and take advantage of any discount we have running at the time of application. But this year we appreciate that families may wish to wait before they commit for the summer, and so we are making the following offer to all families: Apply now and not only will you reserve your place on your chosen program, you can also take advantage of our excellent early bird discount.

How to take advantage of this offer in 3 easy steps:

• Apply Now: Register to reserve your place
• Save Now: Any discount in operation is automatically applied to your account.
• Pay Now or Pay Later: Balance payment deadline 30th April 2021

2. Our Refund Promise

• For our 2021 programs, we will offer a full refund (including the usually non-refundable deposit) if UK government legislation obliges us to cancel all of our Cambridge programs.
• In the event that government restrictions due to covid-19 prevent your attendance on our summer programs (e.g. your country’s government or the UK government imposes a travel ban, or you are unable to secure a visa due to covid-19 restrictions), we will offer you a range of flexible options:
  • Switch your program: We would work with you to find dates that are more suitable.
  • Switch to an online course: Take one of our highly rated, personalised one-to-one academic courses tailored to your needs. Visit reachcambridgetutors.com for more information.
  • Receive a refund:In the extraordinary circumstances outlined above, we will allow you to cancel and receive a refund of your balance, upon informing us by email and presenting documents verifying the reason for your cancellation. Please see the Force Majeure section in clause 23 of our Terms & Conditions for more information.

If UK government legislation does not prevent us from running the program, then we will proceed as planned with summer 2021. Any participants choosing to cancel their place will be allowed to do so in line with our normal cancellation policy as outlined in our Terms & Conditions. As with every summer, we recommend all families take out comprehensive travel and medical insurance prior to the program. Links to our travel insurance affiliates will be available via your online account.

Our Covid-19 Safety Plan

‘Participant welfare is paramount to the Provider. The ratio of staff to participant numbers is generous for example, in some lessons, two teachers are provided, or additional supervisors allocated, to ensure learning and safety are optimised.’ British Accreditation Council, Reach Cambridge inspection report, 2018

Since our first program 15 years ago, the health and safety of our students and staff has been, and always will be, our number one priority. We have consistently met and exceeded rigorous standards in Student Welfare and Safety as part of our accreditation from the British Accreditation Council (BAC). Furthermore, our welfare processes and contingency plans have been honed over the many years we have been running our programs, as we have dealt with incidents both large and small that have demanded robust and clear action plans.

Our preparations for 2021 are even more extensive: we have a dynamic management plan and risk assessment for Covid-19 that we are developing and updating as guidance changes, to ensure we are well prepared for 2021. This broadly divides into four detailed sections on prevention, detection, diagnosis and care.

We have received the ‘Good to Go’ industry mark to reassure our customers that our business adheres to government and public health guidance. In addition, we have received the World Travel and Tourism Council’s ‘Safe Travels’ stamp, enabling travellers to recognise destinations that have adopted health and hygiene global standardised protocols.

We are in regular communication with Cambridge colleges (who have all welcomed back undergraduates this academic year) to review, adapt and discuss their existing guidelines for Covid-19. We also have our own protocols for the general running of the programs, taking into account guidelines from WHO (World Health Organisation), PHE (Public Health England) and the UK government. Our highly experienced leadership team will be analysing, reviewing and updating all guidelines and protocols in light of any changes ahead of the summer.

Our mission has always been about bringing together bright and talented young people from around the world in a shared endeavour to prepare for their future – and that mission feels more important now than ever. We are confident that we will be able to offer a safe and supportive environment that still includes all of the joys of a truly international, engaging and life-changing Reach Cambridge program.

Our Summer 2021 Programs

Travel

We are monitoring travel guidelines carefully and are hopeful restrictions will continue to ease over the coming months. We appreciate every country is experiencing different restrictions and timelines, so please do let us know if you already know of any updates that may affect your ability to join us in Cambridge this summer.

For now, we would like to highlight these key points to help you with your planning:

• If you need to book flights this summer, you are not required to do so by the main deadline of 30th April, you can book your travel nearer the summer if you would prefer and, in all cases, we encourage you to take advantage of flexible booking terms.
• Find out more about visas on the travel tab of our useful info page.
• We recommend all families take out comprehensive travel insurance.
• We offer optional airport transfers between Cambridge and both London Heathrow and London Gatwick. Depending on restrictions in the summer, we may only offer individual taxi pick-up rather than coaches. Please see our travel tab of our useful info page for more details.
• If you believe you will require quarantine arrangements, please contact us directly to discuss your individual requirements.

Enhanced Safety Protocols

We will be following all UK government safety guidelines and site-specific requirements for our programs. These are likely to include, but not limited to, the following;

• Adhering to social distancing and wearing face-masks where required.
• Students and staff will be provided with all necessary PPE, and hand-washing stations will be clearly marked and hand sanitiser readily available.
• We will be implementing enhanced cleaning procedures in all accommodation and shared spaces.
• All staff will be tested before the start of the program and all travellers will be required to be tested before travelling to the UK according to current government regulations. We will continue to monitor guidance on testing requirements.
• If any staff or student tests positive we will ensure full compliance with government guidance, which currently involves a period of isolation.

Each family will receive a copy of our Covid-19 safety procedures and protocols in their welcome pack prior to their arrival in Cambridge.

Supervisory staff are first aid trained and will receive specific training related to Covid-19. Cambridge benefits from a world-leading research hospital and we have several GPs (Family doctors) and health experts within easy access of our accommodation.

If a student tests positive for Covid-19 and is required to self-isolate but feels well enough, we will ensure they can still access teaching and events virtually where possible so they do not miss out.

Accommodation

We are in close contact with Colleges and other partners regarding the safety processes and regulations required for this summer in all accommodation and shared spaces.  Accommodation has been operational throughout the year, with appropriate safety procedures in place.

Students will be accommodated in single rooms. Siblings or members of the same household may request to share a room subject to availability and covid guidelines. As happens every year, students will be accommodated within a small group of students alongside one Reach supervisor who is directly in charge of their overall welfare and lives onsite 24/7. This pastoral care ‘bubble’ will ensure they can socialise normally with a smaller group.

Academics & Evening Lectures

We are committed to providing the same unparalleled, high quality teaching and learning this summer.

Social distancing may need to be in place in shared spaces, including classrooms. This may mean we need to limit spaces on some courses due to classroom size, but we will do all that we can to accommodate all students where it is safe and possible to do so.

Due to the diverse and international reach of our expert tutors and speakers, it may be the case that some of our lectures will need to take place virtually this year. This will enable us to provide the same high calibre of highly-rated speakers to all students. 

Overall Experience

Although some aspects may be slightly different, we will do all we can to provide the same unforgettable, engaging and life-changing experience to all students this year. We understand that now more than ever, students are craving the opportunity to communicate openly and broaden their horizons with other students from all over the world.

We are working hard to provide as many opportunities as possible for students to socialise, learn and grow together in a safe environment. We plan to offer many of our usual exciting and inclusive activities as well as excursions to places outside of Cambridge. Cambridge itself is blessed with a wide range of museums, historic sites and outside spaces for recreation and exercise, not to mention the beautiful river Cam and the 31 Colleges.

Do you have questions or feedback?

Please don’t hesitate to get in touch via our contact form to arrange a phone call or online video call. Many thanks for all your support & we can’t wait to welcome you to Cambridge!

The Reach Cambridge Team

Please note – Circumstances are changing, so protocols are likely to change too. We will be following the UK government roadmap and updates closely and we remain in close contact with Colleges and other key stakeholders.

[Last updated – 11th May 2021]