Family

We strongly recommend that any students who bring their family with them arrive as early as possible and get settled before their children join them. This is because there is a lot to arrange and it will be easier for everyone if some of the practical things are in place before the children come to the UK. There are many things consider and students should make sure the fully understand the visa regulations relating to dependants before they plan to bring over a partner and children.

Enrolling your child into a school/nursery

Most children in the UK start school full-time in the September after their fourth birthday. This means they will turn 5 during their first school year.

Before starting full-time school, you can enrol your child in nursery (under 5 year old) which may help you manage your time as a student parent. The university campus has an excellent nursery facility, which opened in 2022. Find out more here. You can also search daynurseries.co.uk to find more options in your areas.

If you need to to enrol your child into a school or nursery(not on campus), the stoke council website allows you to search the schools near where you live and gives you instructions on how to apply. You can find the details on here: https:// www.stoke.gov.uk/info/20033/school_admissions

Unfortunately, International students are not eligible for free childcare hours as this counts as 'public funds'.

Registered childminders can be contacted for the paid care of your child/children whilst you study. https://www.gov.uk/find-registered-childminder

Please remember, as a student parent, is your responsibility to ensure your child is properly looked after whilst you are attending your classes. It is not appropriate for children to be present at lectures or in university study spaces and children must never be left unattended whilst on campus.

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Family planning

Whilst you are studying, you may want to access services that help you with family planning. The NHS offers free support if you need any help with family planning or sexual health.

Services include:

• Sexual health clinics and advice
• Contraception information
• Emergency Contraception
• Free Condoms
• Unplanned pregnancy information and support
• Abortion (Pregnancy termination)
• Sexually transmitted infection (STI) services

There are different centres providing different types of care according to your needs. Most require appointments but also provide walk-in or emergency services for some concerns.

Contraception

• You can get contraception free of charge from sexual health clinics or your GP.
• It can be a bit daunting sometimes to engage in a conversation around contraception, but remember the staff in these clinics and very supportive, confidential and happy to help!

Emergency contraception

• It is possible to get the emergency contractive pill (Morning after pill) or the IUD (intrauterine device) for free from contraception clinics, some pharmacies, most sexual health clinics, most GP surgeries and some hospital (A&E) departments.

• You might have to share your experience and details to get your free morning after pill, but if you are not comfortable with that, you can also pay to buy the pills from most pharmacies which cost around £25-£35.

There are also options available to terminate the pregnancy if you chose to do so. Abortions can only be carried out under the care of an NHS hospital or a licensed clinic and are usually free of charge. There are 3 main ways to get an abortion on the NHS:

• You can self-refer by contacting an abortion provider directly
• speak to a GP and ask for a referral to an abortion
• contact a sexual health clinic

You can also choose to pay for an abortion privately(not on the NHS) if you prefer. The costs vary depending on the stage of pregnancy and method of the procedure.

Having a baby

If you decide/ happen to get pregnant during the course of your degree, there are options and support available to you depending on how you choose to proceed.

The NHS website has a lot of important information and can guide you through your pregnancy 

There is a University of Staffordshire student pregnancy and maternity policy which outlines all the guidance and support to help you plan your next steps including, childcare facilities, adoptions, absences for health reasons etc. You can find the details here.

You are welcome to contact the international student support team if you want to discuss your pregnancy and get some guidance. We also advise you read through the Maternity policy so you know what to expect.

If you are a student studying healthcare related courses where you access the laboratories (i.e, Nursing, Biomedical Science etc.) you should contact your course leader informing them of your situation for health and safety reasons.

It is also recommended to get some private legal advice if you decide to go through with the pregnancy which will allow you to understand the legal responsibilities you will have as an international parent in the UK.

You will need to Register the Birth of your new baby and you will also need to make sure your baby has appropriate Immigration permission. Children born in the UK are not automatically British citizens. Check out UKCISA for more information.