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6
Security and Safety
The Boarding Houses are kept secure and the safety of
boarders is enhanced in various ways:
•
Duty staff are provided with a mobile and the duty
porter’s contact number. All boarders have a direct
contact number to their house duty mobile and/or
housemaster’s mobile.
•
Keypad locks are fitted to all doors leading into the
boarding houses, with codes changed regularly.
•
Boarders must sign visitors in and out of boarding houses
and they must inform the member of staff on duty
whenever they go off-site and as soon as they return.
•
School gates are closed at night.
•
Electric sockets must not be overloaded (only one four
socket extension per socket).
•
Windows are fitted with safety restrictors
•
Boys must not climb over gates or walls
•
Cooking equipment (e.g. kettles etc.) is only allowed in
the house kitchens and not in bedrooms
The Role of the Staff
The boarding housemasters have overall responsibility for
the welfare of boys in their houses and are
in loco parentis
.
They are ably assisted by a team of tutors, a house matron
and a team of cleaners.
A member of staff is on duty at all times, and is assisted in
the evening by duty prefects.
Prefects
The Head of House and house prefects are appointed from
the Upper Sixth by the housemaster. They are essentially
the conduit between boys and the house staff where
necessary, their role is to make the lives of boarders in their
respective houses happy, free from incident and a positive,
fulfilling experience.
Prefects’ responsibilities include assisting the staff in the
running of the boarding house and helping in both the
pastoral support and safeguarding of welfare of the boys in
their house.
Prefects are expected to use their status and authority in a
mature and sensitive manner, and in turn expect the respect
of those under their care. They are given training by the
housemaster in how to carry out their duties and in
Safeguarding and Child Protection.
Rewards and Sanctions
The boarding houses follow the School’s system of Rewards
and Sanctions, although the boarding community also
approaches discipline as parents might at home, matching
sanction to inconsiderate behaviour. In addition boarders’
equipment such as mobile phones and computers may be
confiscated for improper use.
Peer Relations and Bullying
The School has an effective policy on bullying with specific
reference to the boarding community. Peer relations and
friendships are particularly important within a boarding house.
We acknowledge that living together can be challenging
and requires the development of patience, consideration
and diplomacy.
All boys are encouraged to speak up swiftly about ‘bullying’
or any physical or verbal abuse. Attempts are then made to
defuse tensions where they occur between particular boys
and to repair relations before any boy is tempted to engage
in verbal or physical bullying.
Our policy assumes that sometimes adolescent boys lack
awareness of the impact of their behaviour on other people,
which can explain their own behaviour. Our first step,
therefore, is to discuss the effects of bullying behaviour with
the parties involved and encourage self-awareness before
resorting to disciplinary measures.
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The boarding houses follow
the School’s system of
Rewards and Sanctions.