Staff guidance: planning visits for under-18s

• Read the LSE Safeguarding policy and observe any local safeguarding procedures for working with young people under 18.
• Contact the School’s Head of Safeguarding (lse.safeguarding@lse.ac.uk) to inform them of the visit.
• We would recommend familiarising yourself with the Recruitment and Admissions Safeguarding Guidance and Procedures to learn about our approach, but you will need to follow the School and local arrangements applicable to your area.
• Review the Recruitment and Admissions team staff code of conduct that all staff working on Recruitment and Admissions activities are expected to follow. It is advisable to read this before hosting a visit with young people.

• Both the Student Recruitment and Study Abroad and Widening Participation teams have on-campus event risk assessments and are happy to share this as a basis for you to adapt with your own event details.
• Contact the Health and Safety Team (health.and.safety@lse.ac.uk) for advice and to get your risk assessment approved.

• Ensure a minimum of two LSE staff members plus student staff to support if required.
• Student Ambassadors can be employed through Recruitment and Admissions to support with on-campus events (see section below).
• Ensure there is a ratio of one staff member for every ten young people visiting (this can include Student Ambassadors), see NSPCC guidance.
• If possible, a member of staff should have an Enhanced DBS check with Children's Barred List. Contact HR Admin for advice.

• Check if any visitors attending have access requirements.
• If a visitor has a physical disability, they may need a Personal Event Evacuation Plan (PEEP) in place. Contact the Fire Safety Advisor for support on creating this.
• If a student has a physical disability, review the rooms you have booked and find alternative accessible rooms if necessary.
• Check the LSE accessibility webpages and contact the Disability and Mental Health Service (student.wellbeing@lse.ac.uk) for further guidance on ensuring the visit is inclusive for anyone who has disclosed a disability.

• Give pupils an opportunity to use the prayer room – make this known at the start of the visit and designate a member of staff or Student Ambassadors to escort anyone.
  • If only one visitor wants to visit, ensure you avoid a 1:1 situation with a young person.
• • How many students are observing Ramadan?
  • If providing catering, book an alternative space for students who are fasting to use.
  • Offer the use of prayer room facilities.
  • Ensure regular comfort breaks are included in your schedule.
  • Consider your event timings, as students may be breaking their fast.
  Check whether the event coincides with Ramadan, and if so, consider the following:

• Factor time into your schedule to set up the room and brief any Student Ambassadors.
• Choose a meeting location on campus that is easy for the group to find and include clear directions in your communications.
• Ask Student Ambassadors to wait at the meeting point to welcome the group and escort them to the room you are using.
• We always recommend including a campus tour in your visit – this is often the most highly rated part! Student Ambassadors are trained to deliver campus tours.
• Involve current LSE students (such as Student Ambassadors) in all parts of the event eg, welcoming the group, leading ice breakers, facilitating elements of workshops, Q&A panels or sitting with the group at lunch or during breaks to continue conversations.

Student Ambassadors are trained, and DBS checked undergraduate students who undertake a range of paid work activities for LSE's Widening Participation (WP) and Student Recruitment and Study Abroad (SRSA) teams for prospective students and offer-holders before they start at LSE.

Work opportunities include, campus tours, facilitating sessions with young people, Q&A panels, general online and in-person event support. They follow a strict code of conduct when working on any event.

Student Ambassadors are paid at a rate of £17.46ph (as of January 2026, reviewed annually) and are paid monthly via a timesheet submitted by the WP Team. We will need a budget code for payment to process any request for Student Ambassadors.

If you would like to book Student Ambassadors, please send a request to ard.ambassadors@lse.ac.uk at least 3 weeks in advance and provide the following details:

1. Event name
2. Event information
   1. Please provide a summary of what the event is and who will be attending
3. Date and time of the event
   1. For campus tours we suggest that Student Ambassadors start 10 minutes before the scheduled tour, and for longer events at least 30 minutes before the event begins to allow time for a briefing and any set-up
4. Location and meeting point
5. Number of Student Ambassadors required
6. Desirable criteria for Student Ambassadors
   1. For example, students from a specific academic department or who have an affiliation with a specific interest, area or cultural background.
7. Role of the Students Ambassadors
   1. Please provide more information about what the Student Ambassadors will be required to do
8. Budget code for payment of Student Ambassadors

Example 1 – A half day visit for a group of students who want to know more about studying at a university like LSE

Example 2 - A two hour visit that is tailored to a specific academic department