ARELS, the Association of Recognised English Language Services, is the professional body of accredited, independent English language teaching establishments in Britain.

The Association represents over 220 member schools and colleges. They offer a broad range of high-quality general and specialist English language courses for adults and children at locations throughout Britain.

All members of ARELS have passed rigorous inspections by the British Council and are re-inspected every three years. Organisations with more than one course centre are inspected on the basis of a random selection of one in four centres inspected every three years.

The Association was formed in 1960 and has four main functions:

• To encourage members to raise their high standards even further;
  
  
• To represent the interests of members and their students to government ministers and other official bodies;
  
  
• To give students recourse to action if they have a complaint against a member school. If the Association cannot mediate between a school and student an independent Ombudsman is available to ensure fairness;
  
  
• To promote quality English language teaching in Britain both in the UK and overseas.

In addition to being accredited by the British Council, all member schools must abide by the ARELS Code of Practice. This guarantees that:

• Teaching is of the highest standard; ARELS has an extensive training programme to improve the already high standards of its members.
  
  
• Courses are designed to take account of age, country of origin and level of English.
  
  
• Schools seek and monitor feedback from students - this is used to improve and maintain standards.
  
  
• Schools and services must be described accurately in all advertising and publicity material.
  
  
• There are no hidden extras; ARELS schools must give a clear statement, before registration, of all fees and charges for which students or their representatives may be liable.
  
  
• High standards of health and safety are maintained; schools must take all reasonable steps to protect students in their charge. Each school has a student Welfare Officer and 24 hour emergency helpline.
  
  
• There are special measures for the protection of very young learners (under 12); the suitability of all teaching staff and adults in accommodation must be carefully checked.
  
  
• Accommodation is of a high standard; schools carefully check all student accommodation and ensure the suitability of host families.
  
  
• Complaints must be taken seriously and resolved to the satisfaction of students - In the unlikely event that you have a complaint that cannot be settled directly with the school, the Association has an established Complaints Procedure to which all members subscribe and an independent Ombudsman.

ARELS
56 Buckingham Gate
London SW1E 6AG
England

Chief Executive: Tony Millns

Tel: +44 20-7802-9200
Fax: +44 20-7802-9201
Email: web@arels.org.uk

ARELS website: http://www.arels.org.uk/