Term Time Host Frequently Asked Questions

• A bed in a private room, meals and laundry. 
• Transport for getting to and from school/extra-curricular activities. 
• Care and emotional support for the student staying with you.

1. Begin by filling out the registration form at the bottom of the main page.
2. A member of our Sark team will get in touch with some more information.
3. With consent, your contact details will be shared with Guernsey HSC.
4. HSC will request a series of checks and references, following their satisfactory return,  an assessment will be undertaken by a social worker who will assess your suitability.
5. Once approved, Sark’s Education Committee will be in touch to discuss and arrange for the student and their parents to meet with you and see your home.
6. Students will then be matched with Hosts and confirmed by both parties.
7. The Sark student will join your household just before the new academic year begins.

If you and the parents of the Sark student would like to arrange additional meetings prior to the start of term this is for both parties to organise independently.

Once you have been approved by HSC as a suitable term-time host, the Sark Education Committee will match each student with the most suitable household for them.

The Committee will be in touch with you as a host to discuss details and arrange meetings.

Yes absolutely, as long as you can provide the Sark student joining your household a bed in a private room. Having a child join your household will be a new experience and how this will be handled by existing children and other members of the household should be considered. More often than not it results in wonderful new friendships that are carried through into adulthood.

Being a term-time host is most often a positive and rewarding experience for both the host and the student; building strong bonds and connections between the Islands that last a lifetime. 

Previous hosts, Lynne and David, had the following to say about their experience:

“We loved having Charlie join our family for the time he was at Elizabeth College. We had a son, who was a bit older than Charlie, but it was lovely for them to grow up together. Charlie was quiet and polite; a pleasure to have around. We became great friends with his parents so even though the boys are grown up, we still pop over to Sark to catch up with Charlie’s parents!”.

Communication is key. As a host, you will have access to support and advice from Guernsey HSC for any issues that may arise. We also strongly recommend that hosts aim to stay in close contact with the student’s Sark family as many issues may be resolved through open and honest communication. 

Building a strong relationship with the Sark family will ensure that you as a host are confident and happy supporting their child whilst they are part of your household. Maintaining open communication will in turn provide the parents the confidence and surety that their child is receiving the best possible care whilst away from Sark.

In becoming a term-time host we recognise that you are making a big commitment, though one we hope is positive for all. However, should you decide that being a term-time host is no longer something you can provide, you should advise the student’s family immediately so that they may make alternative arrangements with as little disruption for their child as possible. 

You should then inform Guernsey HSC and Sark’s Education Committee for them to update their records. If you can provide any specific reason as to why you feel unable to provide the service this may be helpful for the future term-time hosting provision.

Yes. Term-time hosts for Sark children are paid for the service they provide. The amount is currently £25.40 per night. This equates to £127 per week during the Summer when the student is generally returning home to Sark on the weekends and £177.80 per week during the Winter months when the student is generally residing with their host across all seven nights.

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