For families
What your child’s year looks like
This page is for the parents and guardians of our students, and for families thinking about applying. It covers the practical side: where your child will stay, who looks after them, how school fits in, and who to call. If something is not here, ask Francesca.
A residency block
A week at Modena
| Day | Morning | Afternoon | Evening |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday | Travel | Arrive; host families collect from Bologna airport or Modena station | Dinner with the host family |
| Monday | Kart circuit | Telemetry review; data-and-spanner in the workshop | Study time |
| Tuesday | Sim suite | Performance education module | Study time |
| Wednesday | Kart circuit or main circuit | Study time at HQ; g-force rig | Free |
| Thursday | Performance education, practical | Kart circuit or main circuit | Study time |
| Friday | Sim suite; one-to-one coaching | Review of the week; plan for home | Dinner at HQ, families invited |
| Saturday | Travel home |
Travel
We book and pay for all travel to and from residency blocks and the events we cover. For a student’s first block, and for every student under 16, a parent or guardian travels with them, and we pay for that too. Older students can travel with a Foundation chaperone instead.
Visas and travel letters are handled by Francesca. Start early: for some countries it takes months.
Where they stay
Students stay with host families near Modena, families we know well and visit regularly. Each host family takes one or two students. Parents who travel with their child stay nearby, at our expense, and are welcome at HQ for any session.
Keeping them safe
At least two adults are present at every session, and no student is ever alone with a single member of staff. Every adult who works with our students, including host families, is checked before they start. Students’ phones stay on, and they can reach you at any time.
On track, safety comes before lap time, always. Berto has been in junior motorsport for 40 years, and he decides when a session stops.
School
School comes first. There is supervised study time most days of a residency block, and students bring the work their teachers set. We write to schools before each block to explain where the student will be and why, and we can arrange a call with a teacher if it helps.
If a block clashes with exams, tell us. We will move it.
Between blocks
Once a month we have a video call with each student, and families are welcome on it. Before each race we cover, we send the plan; after it, we send a short note on how it went.
What it costs you
Nothing. Equipment, coaching, data, travel and accommodation are covered. If you find yourself paying for something related to the programme, tell us and we will put it right.
Contacts
Who to call
Francesca Lugli, our administrator, is the person to talk to about anything practical. Berto Marchetti is the person to talk to about how your child is doing. At the start of each block every family is given the mobile number of the member of staff on duty, which is answered day and night.
- Travel, accommodation, school letters
- Francesca Lugli families@thebridgefoundation.org
- Progress, wellbeing, difficult news
- Berto Marchetti families@thebridgefoundation.org
- Applications
- The coaching staff apply@thebridgefoundation.org
Open days