6. Leave Arrangements and Policies

Boarding Handbook

6. Leave Arrangements and Policies

All leave from the residential community must be approved by the Director of Residence in the context of trust. Boarders must only go to the places and hosts that have been arranged and approved by their parents and Director of Residence. Parents are asked to complete a Leave Arrangement Form at the commencement of each year. On this form you will be able to provide us with a list of approved hosts who you will be able to give permission to take your son out on leave. Please ensure you know or have had contact with the people you place as a host for your son. You should be comfortable that the approved host will be supervising your son while he is in their care. The Leave Arrangement Form acts as a contract between the boarder, his parents and the College concerning what leave he will be entitled to under the residential community guidelines. It must be emphasized however, that even if a leave request is in accordance with the leave contract, the Director of Residence reserves the right to permit or deny leave at their discretion.

Leave will not be granted when a student has sporting or other school commitments, or when he has an outstanding detention for misdemeanours in either the day school or boarding house. Senior students are expected to exercise common sense and a sense of balance at all times in their request for leave, bearing in mind that they often have a heavy study commitment.

It is our preference that new boarders do not take leave for the first two weekends after they enter the residential community, to facilitate their settling into the boarding community. If any of the leave guidelines are breached this is deemed as a serious matter and the student may be gated or denied residence.

Making Leave Arrangements

The procedure for parents and hosts taking boarders out is as follows:

• Parents or Hosts complete an online leave request form through the REACH platform. • Your son notifies his Director of Residence of his leave intentions by filling out his REACH leave request. • Once the Director of Residence and student’s parents confirm the request is appropriate, leave is granted. • When your son is collected from the boarding house, the person collecting him must meet the person on duty and ask the staff member on duty to sign them out via the REACH kiosk. • Boys must return to the boarding house by 5.00pm on the Sunday evening and and ask the staff member on duty to sign them in.

Boarding Handbook

6.1 Local Leave. Local leave will normally be granted for activities such as visits to the Welwyn Avenue shopping centre, Ley Street, and Letchworth shops, or a bike ride for Year 10, 11 and 12 students. Trips to Canning Bridge or Karawarra

Shopping Centre are NOT classified as local leave.

Local leave is normally for the duration of one hour for all students. Students in Year 7/8 must always be in groups of no less than three.

On sports training days (Monday and Wednesday for Years 7, 8 and 9, Tuesday and Thursday for Years 10 to 12), local leave is generally not permitted. Boys are due back from local leave by 5.00pm. 6.2 Day Leave. Day leave may be taken for trips to the city, the beach, sporting competitions, to visit or go out with friends and relatives. Students may request permission to be absent from the College on Saturday or Sunday. Leave is limited to a period of five hours. unless otherwise arranged with the Director of Residence. All day leave must go through REACH leave system. Year 7 and 8 students may only leave the College in the company of adults, or occasionally, senior students. Year 7 and 8 students are not permitted to take leave to the city. Year 8 students may on some occasions be given permission to visit Garden City Shopping Centre. Year 9 students may have one Saturday or Sunday each side of the Exeat weekend in the city. Leave is limited to a period of five hours absence from the College. They may go in groups of no fewer than three. The Recreation Officer will provide weekend activities for the Year 7 to 9 students most weekends.

Mid-week trips to the city or to Booragoon may only be taken for a specific purpose e.g. to pick up a suit. 6.3 Beach Leave. Year 7-10 students are not permitted to take leave to the beach. Students in Years 11-12 may take leave to the beach at the discretion of their Director of Residence. Students must only attend beaches that are patrolled by Surf Lifesaving Guards and MUST swim between the flags. Students may only request leave to the beach if parents have given permission on the Leave Arrangements Form. Students may only take leave to the beach in groups of no less than four. Beach leave is not permitted on week days. Students requesting beach leave must have completed the College organised Beach Proficiency Course run by Surf Life Saving WA.

Boarding Handbook

6.4 Overnight Leave. The school does not allow boys to take overnight leave with young hosts, and this may include brothers and sisters. This policy does not call into question the integrity or responsibility of specific young hosts but acknowledges that young people, and the situations in which they live, may not be suitable overnight host places of teenagers. Overnight leave is only permitted for boys when there is parental supervision. Leave other than for Exeat Weekends is a privilege. Students must receive permission from their parents and their Director of Residence for such leave.

Students are not to assume they automatically have leave.

Overnight leave requests must be submitted through REACH. Leave must be submitted no later than 2.00pm on the Thursday before the leave. If the Director of Residence and Head of Boarding together believe there are good reasons for withholding overnight leave permission, they will do so. Students and parents are asked to achieve a balance in their requests for leave from the boarding community.

6.5 Exeat Weekends. These occur once in each of the first three terms, and are announced in advance in the term Calendar. Return time after Exeat Weekends is 3.00pm - 8.00pm on the Monday, except where boys must use later flights. The boarding houses will be closed on these weekends. All boarders are to leave the boarding houses on Exeat Weekends.

The Houses will not re-open until 3.00pm on the Monday.

Students returning after 10.00pm must seek alternative accommodation and return to school the following day.

REACH leave requests must be submitted one week prior to the

Exeat weekend.

6.6 End of Term. Students are expected to depart the College only after the scheduled end of school. All students are expected to help with the routine clean up of the House at the end of each term so that the House is left in an orderly state for the benefit of the whole community. Travel arrangements should not be made prior to the officially announced time. Students who miss school assessments because of chosen early departure are expected to liaise directly with teachers so it does not have implications on their academic progress. Students are normally expected to travel directly home from the College and return in the same manner. All students must ensure that the College is fully informed of all their movements to and from home. Students who are unable to satisfy the College of their whereabouts will be deemed absent without leave.

End of Term REACH arrangements must be completed one week prior to the end of term so that travel arrangements can be arranged.