12th January 2016
Dear Parent/Carer,
As part of the Sixth Form Partnership’s commitment to the development of international relationships, we have secured significant funding for some 20 students to be guests of Richard Corbett MEP at the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium between Sunday 27th November and Wednesday 30th November 2016.
Students will enjoy an exciting and varied itinerary, including visits to a master chocolatier, Coca Cola Enterprises European headquarters, a river cruise followed by a climb to the historic Belfry tower in Bruges, shopping opportunities at the beautiful Bruges Christmas Market and a celebratory dinner at ‘Hard Rock Café’.
The centrepiece of the trip will be the chance to question our elected representative in Brussels to gain a deeper understanding of Britain’s role in the wider economy. This will provide students a unique opportunity to bring a vibrant insight to examination questions.
We will be working with the country’s premier school tour operator, National School Travel, which has almost 40 years’ experience in continental travel. The company has reserved our accommodation at the popular and well-reviewed Meininger Hostel, Brussels and have appointed a coach operator which complies with the highest level of safety expectations for international road travel. They will also provide full and extensive travel insurance policy, the document for which is available for your perusal.
Students who accompany us on the trip must have a valid 5 or 10 year passport (which expires no earlier than 1st June 2017) and an EHIC card, which provides its holder with free emergency medical care whilst travelling in Europe. The quickest way to obtain an EHIC is to apply online at dh.gov.uk/travellers (delivery within 7 days). You can also call the EHIC Application Line on 0845 6062030 (delivery within 10 days).
Every student who attends the trip will be supported by almost 250 Euros of Parliament Funding. Because of this help, the total cost for the trip (including all meals, accommodation, insurance, travel and excursions) is just £220.
Ralph Thoresby is committed to ensuring all students benefit from an academic trips. If you would like to discuss either financial or other arrangements to enable attendance, please contact me at school.
To secure a place on the trip, please complete and return the attached ‘E1’ form and a non-refundable deposit of £120 by Friday 29th January. A final payment of £100 must be made before Friday 8th July 2016. Please make cheques payable to ‘Ralph Thoresby School’.
Please also complete and return the attached passport information sheet.
The demand for this opportunity is expected to be high and in the event that the number of applications exceeds the number of places, we will request that students complete a short exercise to outline their reasons for wishing to attend.
A pre-departure meeting, compulsory for the student and at least one parent/carer, will be held on Monday 14th November 2014 at 18:00 with the purpose of answering all questions about this trip. However, if you have any queries in the meantime, please don’t hesitate to contact me at school or via e-mail ().
Yours faithfully,
Stewart McGill
Associate Assistant Headteacher
Passport Information Sheet
Please tick this box if the student does not yet have a valid passport.
Please tick this box if the student has a valid 5 or 10 year UK/EU (expiry no earlier than 1st June 2017)
Please tick this box if the student has a valid 5 or 10 year non-UK/EU passport (expiry no earlier than 1st June 2017)
Passport Details
Full name of student (including middle names and as printed in the passport)
Passport Number (9 digits)
Date of Expiry