Page 9 - Walton House Handbook

WALTON

BOARDING

LIFE

PREP Students should request their exeat before the Wednesday
The minimum requirement is that there is both an ethos and of the weekend in question, with parental/guardian
an environment within Houses that supports the academic permission required in advance. An email or a phone
work of all students. This means that during prep time, all message will suffice, however students are not allowed to go
boarders will be in appropriate spaces, the House will be on exeat without this parental confirmation. Housemasters/
quiet, and staff supervision good. Doors will be propped mistresses will always reply to an exeat request to confirm
when a bedroom is occupied. the plans accordingly. After parental permission is received,
travel chits are issued and transport arrangements are made
SIGNING IN/OUT by the school. Students are allowed to go out with their
When students leave or return to house for any reason family on a Sunday without this counting as an exeat.
(including getting on or off the school bus for country
houses) they must check in/out using the tag board or CARE OF PERSONAL POSSESSIONS
personally see house manager and/or the duty member of All possessions should be indelibly marked, name taped or
staff. It is essential that all students ensure that their return engraved. Clothing must have name tapes stitched/ironed
to the house is known to house manager and/or the duty on. Students will not be allowed to send clothes to the
member of staff. school laundry unless each item is named. Name tapes can
be ordered from the School Shop and spare name tapes
FIRE SAFETY are necessary for items purchased during term-time. Minor
A fire safety briefing will be given at the start of the sewing jobs such as name-taping can be done in houses
academic year and all houses carry out planned fire drills by house managers. Socks are bagged together in a single
every term. If the fire alarm is heard at any time, all students named bag, and so do not need to be individually named.
must congregate outside at the relevant fire safety location. Articles of value should be insured under your household
policy under all risks or you may wish to use the insurance
LEGAL GUARDIANS policy recommended by the school. Students should keep
Following the Children Act (1988), the Protection of Children the amount of possessions they bring to the school to a
Act (1989) and the Care Standards Act (2000) Millfield minimum. Lockable drawers for more valuable personal
School, in promoting and safeguarding the welfare of every possessions will be made available to all students via the
student, requires parents who do not live in the United Housemaster/mistress upon arrival.
Kingdom to appoint a guardian to act on their behalf for any
student in the school. The above legislation protects the ROOM ALLOCATIONS
rights of children and makes ‘proper and appropriate care’ a Year 10 students are accommodated in either double or
compulsory requirement. three-berth dorms, Year 11 students will have double or
occasionally three-berth dorms. Where possible, Upper
During term time, the school is legally responsible for Sixth students will be allocated a single room, although this
each student’s welfare, and undertakes delegated parental cannot always be guaranteed and Lower Sixth will be a mix
responsibilities. However, there are times (e.g. exeat of single and double dorms. Every effort will be made to
weekends, half-term breaks, or when a student is suspended accommodate sharing preferences, however compromises
by the school, etc.) when the school must be able to hand will have to be made from time to time. Dorm allocations
over these parental responsibilities to another adult – a change each term, therefore over the course of the two
properly appointed guardian. junior years, your son will have shared with most of the
boys in their year group. It is important that tolerance,
EXEATS understanding and acceptance is always paramount in a
Students are allowed three exeats a term and these can be shared boarding community. Rooms must be kept tidy at all
taken at any time. In addition to this, there is a compulsory times, especially in the mornings so the cleaning staff can
whole-school exeat in the Autumn Term where the whole do their job unhindered. Beds must be made and desks left
school will be closed for the entire weekend (Friday 12.45- free of clutter. Posters can be displayed on the pin-board
Sunday evening). Exeats start after games commitments alongside flags if desired.
on Saturdays (but not before 3.30pm). All students should
return from exeat by 9pm on Sunday to allow adequate BEDDING / LAUNDRY
time to prepare for school the next day. It is a statutory The school provides all bedding, duvets and pillows so there
requirement that all overseas boarding students have a UK is no need to bring these items from home. However, if
based guardian. students should wish to bring their items, these should be

HOUSE HANDBOOK 9