Operated at Edinburgh Airport and expanding to include Heathrow and Gatwick, the service ensures that children flying alone are met by trusted, fully-vetted guardians. These guardians guide students from airport security to school-arranged transport that meets strict safeguarding standards, including verified drivers.
The scheme uses technology to integrate school, individual and transport provider data in one platform, giving families peace of mind and strengthening Scotland’s position as a destination of choice for global education.
Around 2,700 overseas students attend Scottish independent schools each year. As they grow older and begin flying unaccompanied, the service ensures every aspect of their journey is secure. As well as helping to achieve compliance with safeguarding standards the technology replaces the time-consuming manual processes used previously.
There is also visibility through dashboards and other tools for parents, students, travel providers and school management. Parents can assign permissions for their children to manage their own bookings.
The initiative, supported by the Boarding Schools’ Association (BSA) and managed by I-GTM, a provider of travel management software, introduces a dedicated Airport Guardians service. Fettes is the first school in Scotland to use the service and it is hoped that it will be rolled out to others.
Sue Bruce, Head of Wellbeing at Fettes College, said: “The best schools in Scotland are attractive to students from all over the world. On every step of their journey, we want them and their families to feel safe and secure. This is an extra level of comfort that technology allows us and other schools to provide.”
David Walker, Director of the BSA, said: “This initiative ensures international students are supported not only in the classroom, but from the moment they arrive. Scotland is already a very welcoming country but can always enhance the experience even more.”
David Williams, CEO of I-GTM, added: “For many, attending school can be their first time travelling without a parent. For them, and for their families, peace of mind is everything. By combining secure operations with smart technology, I-GTM not only supports safeguarding compliance but also replaces the time-consuming manual processes schools previously relied on.”
Source: Scottish boarding schools launch new service to welcome and safeguard international students
