College Regulations – applicable to IB / Pre-IB Students

College Regulations – applicable to IB

Boarding Principles

St. Clare’s, Oxford is a residential community. We seek to advance international education and understanding. We bring together students from as many countries and cultures as possible, so they can interact with each other in academic and non-academic settings in a safe and tolerant environment. We provide accommodation for our students:

• to encourage development of independence, responsibility and the skills of community living.
• to give students a positive experience of international living. In St. Clare’s houses you will live closely together with students of different religions, nationalities and cultures.
• to encourage their participation in the life of the college and in the life of the city of Oxford.

It is important that we look after the needs and protect the rights of each student and build a sense of community within each house and within College as a whole.

These regulations aim to:

• protect your rights – especially the rights to privacy and to a positive study environment
• satisfy your needs – for security, friendship and for appropriate care
• ensure your safety and personal welfare while granting you freedoms appropriate to your age.

Students at St. Clare’s, Oxford, are expected to behave in a way that shows respect and consideration for yourselves, for your fellow students, and for the College community. Our regulations and boarding practice may not be as strict as those found in many other boarding schools; however, our rules are designed to foster the development of your independence and responsibility in an atmosphere of mutual respect and trust.  The experience of living away from home is, in itself educational, requiring students to become increasingly responsible for their daily lives. Students must take charge of their affairs in a more independent manner, a good preparation for university and adult life.

We expect non-residential students to participate as fully as possible in all College activities and to this end, will facilitate some overnight stays in College accommodation. These regulations apply to residential students and also to non-residential students who will be attached to a house.

Staff

While you are in or attached to a College house you will have a House Parent, who is the College representative in your house and acts in loco parentis.  The House Parent has a particular responsibility for you during your time in St. Clare’s and will work closely with you. In agreeing to accept College accommodation the student agrees to accept the authority of this person as the College representative.

The House Parent is charged to work with you in ensuring your personal well-being.  The House Parent and Personal Tutor are two members of staff, who will speak together regularly to ensure that your needs are being met both academically and pastorally.

Meetings

All houses have weekly meetings which take place at 22 :00 on one evening per week which you must attend.  One of the purposes of the meetings is to enable the house representative to the Student Council to give reports and to clearly represent your opinions.  The meetings also build up a sense of community spirit in the house and are the responsibility of all the members of a house, not just the House Parent. They give you the opportunity to discuss matters concerning all aspects of your college life.

Non-residential students will also have meetings with the Assistant Principal, Pastoral and will elect a representative to the Student Council. If they are staying in the house on meeting nights, they will be expected to attend meetings too.

Accommodation

1. Allocation of Rooms: You are placed in a house and in a room by the Vice Principal, Pastoral.  The use of that room should remain yours for the period of your stay, although this cannot be guaranteed, and College may decide that you must occupy another room.  If you share a bedroom, remember it is not my room but our room.  Occasionally students may need to change rooms and/or houses, but this cannot be done without reference to your Houseparent and the Vice Principal first. We expect such changes to be rare. Allocation of rooms for IB2 is by a lottery system, if demand for single rooms or rooms in particular houses exceeds availability (refer to the Accommodation Policy for further details). Your room is for your use during term time only.  College may require you to remove your possessions during holiday periods.
2. Access to Rooms: College staff may have access to all rooms within College housing in the pursuit of their duties.  They will always knock before entering and will always be sensitive to the needs of the student. College reserves the right to search the room of any student where there is reasonable suspicion of unacceptable behaviour e.g. drug use, alcohol use, theft or any other breach of College regulations. If possible, the student will be present during the search.
3. Furniture and Fittings: students may not dispose of any of the furniture and fittings in a room and they may not move fitted furniture within the room.  Beds are not to be placed together, because this causes problems for the domestic cleaners.  Students are not encouraged to buy additional items for their rooms and should always check first with their Houseparent as any inappropriate items, particularly electrical goods, will be refused and the student will have to remove them.
4. Damage to or loss of College property should be reported to the Houseparent immediately.  Charges appropriate to the damage will be made in the case of wilful or careless damage.  Normal wear and tear will not be subject to charge.  At St. Clare’s we provide a high standard of accommodation and continually seek to ensure that our rooms, furniture etc. are maintained to a high standard.
   • If you cause any damage to your room, you will be asked to pay for the cost of repairs
   • In shared rooms, if it is unclear who caused damage then the occupiers of the room will bear the cost evenly
   • In common areas if it is unclear who caused damage then the students in the House will bear the cost evenly
5. Cooking in rooms is forbidden as it breaches health and safety regulations. In the kitchens, which College supplies with equipment, no other cooking devices, supplied by the students, are to be used unless this has been agreed by the houseparent and has been safety checked.
6. Cleanliness: students are required to keep their rooms tidy.  They are to realise that the College domestic cleaners are employed to clean the houses but not to tidy up after students. Beds should be made daily and floors kept clear.
7. Laundry: the washing and drying of clothes is to be done using the laundry facilities in your house. Wet and damp clothing is not to be dried on radiators: instead the proper drying equipment provided by College is to be employed. 
8. Staff accommodation: the House Parents who live in the College’s accommodation in pursuit of their duties must have the privacy of their living space respected.  Students have access to some gardens, which are shared with the resident staff member(s) and so access should always be negotiated.

Security

1. House security: residential students must always lock their room door when they leave the house and should not leave their rooms with keys in the door locks unattended for long periods of time; bedroom doors and the front door of the house must never be left propped open.  Walk-in thefts are a danger in any city and everyone in a house has a responsibility to guard against them.  Restraints on the opening of windows must not be interfered with.  Lost keys/ID cards must be reported at once and keys/ID cards should never be lent to others.
2. Keys and ID Cards: College gives you a key or SALTO card for your room, and to access the front door of the house.  Both key and card remain the property of the College and must not be given to anyone else whether students of St. Clare’s or otherwise.  You return the key to the Houseparent at the end of your stay at St. Clare’s.  Carry your key and ID card with you at all times.  There is a replacement charge for lost keys and lost ID cards.
3. Loss and theft: you are strongly advised to take out insurance on your personal belongings e.g. laptops or bicycles as such items may not be covered by your travel insurance policy arranged by St. Clare’s. Report loss and/or thefts to the Houseparent immediately. The College will not accept liability for the loss or theft of your belongings which are your responsibility. You must use the safe in your room for money and valuables e.g. passports and travel tickets.
4. Visitors: everyone shares a common responsibility to maintain the security of the house.  No strangers should be admitted; send them to 139 Banbury Road.  Even if the callers are other St. Clare’s students, if the person they have come to see is not in, do not admit them. Visitors are the responsibility of their host, who must accept responsibility for their actions while in the house.
   • Visitors are allowed in houses from 16:00 on weekdays and from 12:00 on Saturday and Sunday.  Visitors must leave before 21:30 on the house meeting evenings and 15 minutes before curfew on all other nights.
   • The host is responsible for seeing they sign the Visitors’ Book and for seeing they leave 15 minutes before curfew.  You and your visitors must respect the rights of your housemates to quiet, comfort and privacy in their own house.
   • Any visitors who are not St. Clare’s students must be introduced to and approved by the Houseparent before they can enter the house.  They can only enter common rooms and no other areas of the house e.g. bedroom areas.
   • Visitors who are St. Clare’s IB students are permitted access to bedroom areas in other houses, unless otherwise directed by the Houseparent.
   • Visitors may not stay overnight.
   • The Houseparent may insist that visitors leave at any time.
   • IB students may not visit the International College senior houses.
   • Students from the International College senior houses are not allowed to visit houses used solely by IB students and may only visit common areas with the agreement of the Houseparent.

Safety

1. Smoking: St. Clare’s does not encourage or condone smoking; this includes the use of e-cigarettes. We endeavour to provide a smoke-free environment for all staff and students.

1. inside any buildings
2. in house back-gardens or front gardens
3. outside houses
4. on the streets in the residential areas of North Oxford surrounding the college.

• Students who persistently flout the smoking regulations will be suspended.
  

2. Smoke detectors must not be covered at any time. Heaters provided by College must not be left unattended.
3. Periodic fire drills will be part of the regime of all College accommodation, in order to meet with the national regulations governing educational establishments, and students must agree to take part in them and to accept the directives of the College Fire Officer.
4. Fire exits and extinguishers: fire exits must always be clear and the fire extinguishers in houses must never be interfered with.  This is a particularly serious matter, affecting the safety of all the residents in a house, and is a criminal offence under UK law.
5. Fire and Electrical Equipment: Any electrical goods used by students e.g. personal computers and CD players, must be checked by an independent contractor appointed by the College’s Health and Safety Officer.  Any electrical goods judged to be a fire hazard will be removed and the student required to dispose of them elsewhere.  Students are permitted to have only the following electrical items in their rooms – laptop, personal stereo, mobile telephone, hairdryer/straighteners, shaver, alarm clock, electric toothbrush and any chargers necessary for these items.
6. Candles, joss sticks, fairy lights and night lights are expressly forbidden in all student bedrooms (except for battery operated non-heating LED fairy lights, which may only be used if permission is granted by the Houseparent).

Consideration for others

1. Parties: parties are not allowed in bedrooms and may only be held in a house with the permission of the Houseparent; neither should large numbers of people congregate in one bedroom.  The Houseparent sets the number of guests at any gathering.
2. Music: music may be played quietly on small music systems or laptops up to 22:30. If other students are studying in the room, you must use headphones.  Loud music must never be played with the windows open.  Houseparents may remove music systems or loudspeakers from rooms if they are causing a disturbance or are not being used responsibly.
3. TV sets / Monitors / DVD recorders: personal television sets, monitors and DVD recorders may not be brought to St. Clare’s.  All College residential houses have a colour television set and DVD player in the Common Room. 
4. Telephone: houses are equipped with public telephones which should not be used to make or receive calls after 22:30.
5. Motor vehicles: no student may have a car or motorbike in Oxford whilst at St. Clare’s
6. Noise and the environment: College seeks to have excellent relationships with its neighbours and to do its part in maintaining the local environment.  Residential students are required therefore to limit their noise and to keep the immediate environs of the house clean and tidy.  Litter should be cleaned up and loud music must not be played in rooms with open windows.  When students are in the gardens of their houses, to which they have access, they must also limit their noise so as not to offend neighbours and other residents who may be studying or resting. Houses should be quiet after 21:30 so that those who wish to study may do so. From half an hour after curfew onwards, it is expected that students will be getting ready to sleep. Consideration to others should also be remembered at weekends and in the mornings. 

Responsible behaviour

1. Personal Relationships: you must recognise the rights of others to hold opinions different to your own, to have different cultures and/or religious beliefs, to have different sexualities, and to have the right to privacy. Personal relationships within St. Clare’s houses are built around mutual acceptance. Care must be taken not to presume on other people’s acceptance of the cultural norms governing your behaviour. This includes sexually intimate behaviour. Always establish clear communication and be honest with each other.
2. Alcohol: excessive drinking or any use of alcohol, which causes damage to yourself or offence to others, will not be tolerated.  No alcohol may be brought onto any college premises or consumed on college premises.  Licensing laws in Britain state that no person under 18 may buy or have bought for them any alcoholic drink.  Parents will be informed of any serious concerns about misuse of alcohol.
3. Drugs: the use of illegal drugs and substances known as ‘legal highs’ is strictly prohibited. (Cannabis is illegal in the UK).  Students using illegal drugs and ‘legal highs’ will be automatically suspended and parents will be informed.  The Principal reserves the right to expel such students.  The police may also be informed.  
   
   College reserves the right to insist on a student taking a drugs test should there be concern that s/he is using drugs or as part of a programme of random testing.  A positive drugs test will lead to suspension, regardless of when and where the drugs were used.  College will infer that a student has been using drugs should s/he decline to take a test. Dealing in drugs or possession of a quantity of drugs consistent with dealing, automatically results in expulsion. Students may not possess any equipment associated with drug use.
4. Fake IDs: Using a fake ID fraudulently is illegal.  Students are not permitted to hold any form of identification designed to prove an incorrect age (e.g. 18 years+). A student in possession of a fake ID will be suspended and parents will be informed.

Further details of St. Clare’s position on alcohol, smoking and drugs can be found in our Health Policy which is posted in the student handbook.

Leaving College campus in free time

1. Our campus is defined as college buildings and the streets in between those buildings. 
2. In order to be permitted ‘off campus’ during free time, after 16:30 weekdays or at weekends, students must have a mobile telephone with them which is fully operational and switched on.
3. They should always have (i) the college main number (ii) their Houseparent’s telephone number and (iii) the internal emergency number (On Call staff), with them when they go out
4. We use Microsoft Forms for our signing in and out system.  Any reference below to sending a message means through Microsoft Forms.   
5. Weekdays: students must submit a message after their last class of the day to inform us where they intend to be for the afternoon and evening.  They need to indicate approximate timings – see the following examples: “CAS debating until 17:20; campus till 18:00; home 18:00-18:30; Summertown until 20:00.”  If a student changes their plans, they must send an update e.g. “gym until 21:00”.  When they are back in their house and no longer going out, they should submit a message saying ‘home’
6. Saturday & Sunday:  students must submit a message when they leave their house, or at the latest by 14:00 if they stay at home in the morning.  They need to inform us where they intend to be for the day and evening. They need to indicate approximate timings – see the following examples: “London until 20:30”, “Campus then cinema in city centre until 22:00”, “weekend away, back Sunday 21:00”.   If a student changes their plans, they must send an update.  When they are back in their house and no longer going out, they should submit a message saying ‘home’. 
7. During the school day: additionally, if a student wishes to leave campus during the daytime e.g. if they have a free lesson / at break or lunch times, they must submit a message in the same manner as in points 5 and 6 above.
8. Students’ phones must be switched on as the Houseparent / On Call staff needs to be able to contact them, in case of an emergency.
9. Messages are monitored regularly by Houseparent and the Pastoral Managers.
10. Students who do not follow points 1 – 8 above will have sanctions applied e.g. gated evenings.

Curfew

To ensure that students are safe, and that College is fulfilling its role in loco parentis, the Houseparent will check that all the students in a house are safely accounted for. After curfew times everyone must remain in the house.  No one can leave the house without permission before 07:00 the next morning.  To do so will be regarded as absence without leave and is punished by suspension. 

1. All IB students:  evening curfew is at 22:30 every day of the week (21.30 on house meeting evenings) Sundays to Thursdays.
2. IB Students aged under 16: Weekend Curfew is 23.00 Fridays and Saturdays
3. IB students age 16+:  Weekend curfew is 24:00h Fridays and Saturdays

Additionally:

• Unauthorised absence from the house may be punished by suspension, since failure to co-operate with the curfew regime means that College cannot exercise its duty of care for students in whom it is in loco parentis.
• If a student is found to be in another student’s room without permission after curfew, both students will be suspended. Parents will certainly be informed of the students’ failure to keep to the rules which exist for their safety.
• The Houseparent will check that students are in at the curfew time and will expect the student to telephone if they are unavoidably delayed.
• Students who are late will be ‘gated’ (required to stay in the house in the evening) for an appropriate number of nights, at the Houseparent’s discretion.
• Students who return very late to their house or who stay out overnight without notice will be suspended.

Weekends away

1. Students aged under 18 must have parental (or legal guardian) permission for weekends away, to arrive not later than the Wednesday prior to the weekend away. Parents must include the name, address and contact telephone number of the person (or hotel) who the student will stay with over the weekend away. This address should be outside of Oxford, though a guardian’s address or staying with a parent in Oxford is acceptable.  If the student will stay in a hotel then the name, address and contact number of the hotel must be provided.  
2. Students are permitted to leave for their weekend away after their classes have ended on Friday afternoon. They should plan to return to their house by 20:00 on Sunday and certainly no later than curfew.  Early departures or late returns falling outside curfew hours are not permitted for weekends away.
3. Emails for permission for weekends away must be sent by the parent (or approved guardian) and must be sent from the approved parental email contact supplied on the joining form. Emails requesting weekends away should be received by your houseparent by 21.00 on the Wednesday before the weekend (or sooner). You HP will check your academic record and attendance and will inform you of approval of the weekend.
4. Students aged 18 and above can themselves request permission for weekends away from the Assistant Principal, Pastoral, provided their parents have given prior written consent to this arrangement.
5. Students in IB1 cannot take weekends away before October in the autumn term to allow them to get to know their housemates, Houseparents and Oxford.  From October up to half term IB1 students are permitted to take one weekend away; in the second half term of the Autumn term they are permitted 2 weekends away. Weekends away are also restricted around examination times; students are not permitted to be away the weekend directly before exams commence, or any weekend during an examination period.
6. Other than 5 above, students are permitted to take up to 4 weekends away per term in the Autumn and Spring terms, excluding half-terms, and up to two weekends away per Summer term. Too many weekends away are disruptive of study patterns and not conducive to building community spirit.

For a request to be approved, the following conditions apply: 

• The student should not have any unjustified absences on their record, for the week prior to the week in which the request is made. 
• The student should not have a more than two lates recorded, for the week prior to the week in which the request is made.
• The student needs to have met their CAS targets. 
• The student should be up to date with work commitments.

Additionally:

In order to ensure an appropriate study atmosphere for students during the IB final exams, all students must leave College on the day of their final IB exam. Misbehaviour in the period before and during final exams may incur the sanctions of students missing the Graduation party and/or Graduation ceremony in addition to the usual disciplinary sanctions.

Attendance

1. Attendance at all lessons is compulsory.  Absences from IB1 will be carried forward to IB2.  All absences, both justified and unjustified will be entered on the student’s academic record and included in reports sent to parents. Students may have to miss lessons occasionally through illness. These absences will only be justified if the student has seen the Nurse before the absence occurs. Any student who persists in missing classes without a genuine reason for doing so, may be required to leave the College. If a student from a non-EU country is absent for 10 consecutive teaching days’ then St. Clare’s will notify the United Kingdom Border Agency. This may lead to cancellation of the student’s visa.
2. At the beginnings and ends of terms and half-terms, late arrivals and early departures are not permitted. Students should make travel arrangements to fit in with the published holiday dates. If this is not possible, the college must be informed, in advance, but absences will not be justified. Students are permitted to leave their house during curfew hours only on official departure days at the ends of half terms and terms and only for the purpose of catching early flights. When returning to College flights must be arranged so students return between 10:00 and 20:00. Students cannot enter houses after curfew.
3. St. Clare’s does not authorise extended absence from College for sporting, musical, cultural or other such events. In exceptional circumstances, permission may be granted by the Vice Principal, Pastoral for a student to have authorised absence to participate in an event which will be of very significant educational value. The student will need to demonstrate clearly: the exceptional value of the event; that it cannot be scheduled outside term; that the student has no unjustified absences; that the student has excellent effort grades and that the student is capable of catching up on work missed by the absence. This decision is entirely at the Vice Principal’s discretion. 
4. Failure to respect any decisions in relation to requests for leave will result in a serious disciplinary response and could lead to a student being required to leave St. Clare’s.
5. Non-emergency medical appointments should be scheduled only during the holiday periods and should not impact on attendance to classes, particularly at the beginnings and ends of both terms and half-terms.  If such appointments need to be scheduled during term time, the request for absence should be made in advance, in writing, to the Assistant Principal, Pastoral emily.woodeson@stclares.ac.uk, but absences will not be justified. 

Further details of St. Clare’s position on attendance can be found in our policy Academic Monitoring System – Attendance which is posted in the student handbook.

Illness and absence from College

1. Students should inform their Houseparent first thing in the morning if they are ill and unable to visit the Nurse. The student should ensure that the Houseparent (or the Domestic Assistant) informs the Academic Office of their absence, before 09:00 if possible. If a student becomes ill during the day, they should see the Nurse if the surgery is open. If the surgery is closed, they should see the member of Boarding Staff on duty. or if unavailable report to Assistant or Vice Principal, Pastoral so they can be assessed, helped and advised on whether to return to their residence /home. If a student falls ill in the evening or at the weekend, they should see their Houseparent. If their Houseparent is not available, the Head of Boarding or On Call staff can be contacted.
2. The Nurse’s surgery runs from 08:00 to 16:30 Monday to Wednesday, 08:00 to 11.30 on Thursday and 08:00 to 14:00 on Friday.  During that time the Nurse will see students in her surgery and do house visits for those students who have been reported as ill that morning and unable to come to the surgery this may be the Boarding Staff member on duty. The College Nurse must confirm that the student is authorised to be absent from classes.
3. Students must not request a house visit from the Nurse unless they are extremely unwell and unable to walk to the surgery.
4. If a student has been prescribed medicines for their own use, they need to inform the Nurse and if permitted by the nurse they must keep the medicines safely locked away in their safe or lockable drawer. Alternatively, these may be held by the houseparent who will dispense them as required. Students should not have their own supply of any medicines (e.g. paracetamol, cough medicine) but should visit the Nurse when unwell. Houseparents also have supplies of ‘homely’ medicines to issue if needed.

Academic Honesty

Students are expected to be scrupulously honest in the way in which they carry out and present their work. This means that all parts of all work submitted for assessment, whether internal or external, must either be original to the student, or must be properly attributed. There are serious academic consequences for cheating and copying work. The International Baccalaureate Organisation will not award the IB Diploma to students who cheat.
 
Defamation and disrepute

Students are expected to be responsible representatives of St. Clare’s. They are not permitted to defame St. Clare’s in any way e.g. verbally, in writing or electronically. Students may not participate in any illegal or anti-social activities which could bring the College into disrepute or cause concern to College’s neighbours e.g. outdoor parties, gatherings and bonfires in Port Meadow or other public places are not permitted. The Port Meadow area is out of bounds after dark. Non-compliance with these expectations will be dealt with under the College’s disciplinary code.

Complaints and Suggestions 

College will ensure good standards of accommodation and care for its residential students.  Suggestions for improvements and complaints about such matters may be made by following the College complaints procedure.

College Policies

The following College policies are available to parents on the Parents’ Zone or from the Vice Principal, Pastoral on request:

Health 
Safeguarding & Child Protection
Medical
Anti-bullying
Complaints
Academic Honesty
Academic Monitoring – attendance
Rewards and Sanctions
Expulsion, removal and review (Exclusions)

Declaration by student

During Orientation, and at the beginning of each school year. Each student will be required to sign a declaration to confirm that they have read and understood the College Regulations and agree to abide by them.

Changes to College Regulations

The College Regulations – applicable to IB / Pre-IB students are subject to periodic change and revision. The regulations in place at any time will be displayed on the College intranet and on notice boards in residential houses. They are also available on request from the Vice Principal, Pastoral. 


Most recent review and/or amendments

APP August 2020

HoB June 2020​

Appendix 1
Pre-IB Regulations 2020

Routines

Life in PIB will be busy – you will have CAS, academic and leadership activities commitments to fulfil throughout the week. All of these will require you to manage your time effectively and efficiently and is aimed at preparing you for the much more rigorous self-discipline needed for you IB course.

Therefore, there are a number of routines in place to help you with this.

Weekdays

• You will be expected to get yourself up and to the dining room every morning for check in with the boarding staff and breakfast by 08.30 every morning.
• Lessons begin at 09.00 promptly and full attendance is obligatory.
• Break and lunchtimes can be spent in Sugar House or the dining room – a great time to get to know your new classmates and house mates. Although you may return to the house to collect materials or get changed for CAS you will be discouraged from spending this time in your bedroom.
• 16.30 onwards – you have free time – if you do not have a CAS activity. (See details about signing in and out)
• 18.15 Dinner time in the dining room
• 19.00 Supervised study for all PIB in D block until 21.00. On Tuesdays and Thursday some of you will be permitted to work in your rooms at this time. Details for this will be posted on your house noticeboard for this.
• 21.00 onwards is free time until your curfew or your house meeting. Sunday to Thursday curfew is 22.00 unless you have a house meeting, in which case it will be 21.00

Weekends

• Fridays – every Friday evening there will be an activity organised for you. Some examples of these are: a movie night in the hall, a quiz night or an open mic night in Sugar House. Timings of these may vary but you will be expected to attend all evening and then return to your house. Curfew on Fridays is 23.00 – but you will not be permitted offsite. Use your free time from 16.30 for going shopping if you need anything. Suggestions for activities are always welcomed!

• Saturdays – All students will take part in a house activity or outing. Details of the destination and departure will be posted weekly on your house noticeboard. It is your responsibility to check these and to make sure you arrive on time and dressed appropriately for the activity. After the activity you will usually have free time to go out until your curfew at 23.00.
• Sundays – are free for you to relax and spend your time doing your own thing.

Signing in and Out

Just as you would if at home if you wish to go out, visit friends, go shopping, go for a walk, to the gym, we expect you to have a fully charged and working phone with you and to inform your houseparent of your plans.

During the week from 09.00-16.30 you are accounted for in lessons so there is no need to sign in or out. However, from 16.30 onwards and any other time when you are not in lessons you will need to use “Forms” to sign in and out of your boarding house.

For this purpose, you will be sent a link via email which can be installed on your phone and laptop and you must use this system to inform your houseparent where you’re going, and when you have returned to the house. If your plans change whilst out – this needs to be reflected on your “forms” sign out which you would update accordingly. This system MUST be used daily and accurately -there will be sanctions if you fail to sign out accurately or punctually. Your houseparent will explain this in more detail in your first house meeting and can help you with this if you have any problems using it.

Living together

For many of you this may the first time you have been away from home, are boarding, and sharing a room. Being considerate and aware of the needs and feelings of others is vital in a boarding setting and our regulations are in place to help all of you with this.

• Rooms – your beds should be made every day and the floors cleared for the cleaners to clean your room and bathroom properly. No electrical items are permitted in your room other than those needed for work, i.e. laptops, phones, chargers; for personal use; hairdryers, straighteners, toothbrush etc. Kettles or any cooking appliances, monitors or DVD players are not permitted and will be confiscated. College reserves the right to search the room of any student where there is reasonable suspicion of unacceptable behaviour e.g. drug or alcohol use, theft or any other breach or regulations.
  
  Furniture should not be moved around nor should any additional items of furniture be added to the room unless this has been agreed with your houseparent first.
  
  

• Room Sharing – please be mindful that you are sharing a space, and this means being thoughtful of your roommate’s routines and habits and your own. Communicating in a mature and sensitive way are essential in order to ensure this relationship works for both parties. Loud music, gaming online, heating temperature, open windows, untidiness and poor personal hygiene can all become issues that can cause irritation – please be respectful of others. Remember it is our room and not my room!
  
  
• Visitors – visitors are not allowed in any house during the school day, nor are they permitted before 12.00 at the weekends.
  
  Any visitors to the house are your responsibility; you must ensure they sign in and out and they will only be permitted in the common rooms. If you wish to have a non-St Clare’s visitor to the house, he/she must be introduced to your houseparent before they are signed in and again, they are not permitted in any other part of the house but the common rooms.
  
  

• Laundry – all washing and drying of clothes is to be done using the machines provided, instructions and help are always provided. Wet clothing is not be dried in bedrooms.
  
  
• Garden use – please be aware of the need to keep noise to a minimum when in the gardens – our neighbours really appreciate it.

Security

Keeping yourself and others safe is a collective responsibility, walk in thefts or intruders can be a risk in any large city and you should be mindful of this when leaving and entering your houses.

• All students are issued with an identity SALTO card, this is only for your use. It should always be carried with you; never be lent to anyone else and should be reported immediately if it is lost or stolen. There is a charge for missing or lost cards.
  
  Please ask any unfamiliar visitors to the house to ring the Houseparent bell or report to the main site at 139. Never allow a visitor access to any college building – regardless of the reason they claim they need access for; if they are legitimate, they will either have access or will not mind reporting to main site.
  
  

• A safe is provided for every student in their rooms – you must use these to store any valuables or important papers in these. i.e. passports, visas etc. Large amounts of money should not be kept in your safes – it is much more secure to put this straight into your bank account.
  
  
• Insurance – you are advised to have insurance for your personal items such as laptops, phones, bikes these belongings are your responsibility and may not be covered by the college insurance.

Safety

• Fire Safety – all houseparents will carry out regular fire drills and checks of fire safety equipment. These are obligatory and it is vital you listen carefully to any instructions and follow them with care and maturity.
  
  Smoke detectors are installed throughout the houses and rooms – covering or tampering with these in any way not only puts you and others at risk but will be dealt with as a serious breach of regulations.
  
  

• Alcohol, Drugs and Smoking/Vaping – none of these are permitted on the college premises.  This includes any of the streets and roads near to the college campus. Purchase of cigarettes and alcohol for anyone under the age of 18 is illegal in the UK. All drugs termed as “recreational” drugs are also illegal to possess in the UK. Use or abuse of any of these substances will result in sanctions and to parents being informed.
  
  The college reserves the right to insist on a student taking a drug test or being breathalysed if there is a reasonable suspicion or a breach of these regulations. A refusal to take a test will mean the college will infer that the test would have been positive. The nurse also carries out a programme of random drug testing during the college week. A positive test will lead to sanctions regardless of when or where drug or alcohol use has taken place.
  
  
• Medicines – no medicines should be kept in bedrooms at any time unless agreed beforehand by the nurse. If you have brought any medication with you it must be taken to the nurse and she will decide whether you may self-medicate and keep it in your room or whether it is to be given to your houseparent who will monitor it and issue it to you as needed.
  
  Homely remedies such as paracetamol, ibuprofen, antihistamines and cold remedies are held by all boarding staff and can be administered to students when they need them.
  
  
• Feeling Unwell – if you feel unwell at any time, you should report this in the first instance to your houseparent, they will then inform the nurse who may come down to visit you if you are too unwell to attend the nurse’s surgery and lessons on that day. You will only be excused from lessons if the nurse has authorised this.
  
  The nurse’s surgery is open every weekday from 8.00 until 16.30. If you feel unwell during the day you should see the nurse immediately.
  
  If you feel unwell over the weekend you should report to the member of boarding staff on duty in your house, they will assess you and decide on the most appropriate course of treatment.
  
  Please do not phone home and tell your parents you are unwell if you have not spoken to a member of the college staff – this can worry your parents and make them feel very helpless!
  
  
• Fake IDs – the use or possession of a fake ID designed to prove an incorrect age is illegal. Students found in breach of this will be suspended and parents informed.

Weekends Away

• Students are permitted to apply for permission to spend weekends away as long as this is requested and authorised by your parents. All contact details of the stay must be provided and permission to stay in the local area will only be granted if this is with parents.
• Parents should email your house parent before Wednesday 9pm.
• Your house parent will review the request and approve them. If there are question marks or concerns about your behaviour or work then your request may be passed on to your Senior House parent or the Head of Boarding.
  
   

Weekends away are restricted during exam periods and on weekends where D of E expeditions are planned. You will be advised of these dates in advance.

The number of weekends away a term are limited in order to avoid disruption of your studies and to ensure you are contributing in a positive way towards building community spirit. In addition, permission for weekends away is dependent on your attendance to lessons, CAS and punctuality in the week before that weekend. No weekends away are granted in the first month of the new year in order for you to be settled and integrated into college life.

College Policies

All the regulations and guidance above are dealt with in much more detail in a number of policies and these can be found by you and your parents on our website or in the parent’s zone. In particular please refer to the following:

Health
Safeguarding and Child Protection
Medical
Anti-Bullying
Complaints
Academic Honesty
Academic Monitoring – attendance
Rewards and Sanctions
Expulsions, removals and review.

And Finally

Whilst this is not an exhaustive list of regulations – as mentioned above, much greater detail can be found in the policies above it does cover the basics of our expectations of you as a member of our community. Your houseparent will ask that you have all read and understand these regulations and you will be required to sign a declaration stating this.

Please do make sure you read them carefully and ask any member of staff for clarification on anything you are unsure of or do not fully understand.

Living together in a community involves a great deal of effort from all of those in the community to make it work at its best and to keep it special.

These regulations aim to:

• protect your rights – especially the rights to privacy and to a positive study environment
• satisfy your needs – for security, friendship and for appropriate care
• ensure your safety and personal welfare while granting you freedoms appropriate to your age

HoB/APP/VPP
August 2020​