Holidays, Leave and Absence

A student going on LEAVE means that they are leaving the school’s Duty of Care and being passed into the care of another. Boarders, followed by parents must apply to the Head of Boarding for leave via the REACH Boarding website. Instructions on Reach will be disseminated prior to the commencement of Boarding.

When on Leave boarders must have their mobile phone contactable at all times. This is applicable on all leave aside from when boarders are in the duty of care of another approved adult.

• Dinner Leave – Going out with family or friends for dinner and accompanied by a responsible adult. Students are to be back by 9:00 PM.
• Leave for External Activities – This includes sports that are run external to the school such as Touch Football or Friday night basketball competitions. Again a responsible adult attending the activity needs to assume Duty of Care for the student. Parents must understand that the staff of Edmund Webb Boarding House will not accept responsibility/liability for boys whilst they are involved in external activities that are not organised by the school.
• Weekend Leave – This involves overnight leave on Friday, Saturday and/or Sunday nights.
• Regular Leave – Regular leave can be identified by the parents/guardians at the beginning of the year with the Head of Boarding. This leave request does not require weekly approval by parents/guardians, however it must be entered into Reach.

*To help facilitate accurate roll keeping and catering, Leave must be sought at least 24 hours in advance. Parents must approve Weekend Leave by Thursday evening at 8:00 PM. Any leave requests past this time may be declined.

Whenever entering or exiting the Boarding House, boys are required to “sign” in or out. This is to help know when boys are in the House during times of an emergency. The sign in/out point is located in the Cambridge St foyer – under the view of the security camera. Boys must not sign for anyone else. Boarders on any form of Leave must also report back to the Master-on-Duty upon returning.

Boys going on Leave must have their host present to the Master-on-Duty (refer to Duty of Care section) or their parents unless parents have cleared other arrangements with the Head of Boarding.

Boys going to school or to a school-organised activity or the local shops do not need parent-approved leave. They do need to indicate their whereabouts by clicking the relevant button on the Reach Portal. This indicates to the Master-on-Duty the students whereabouts.

1.  Boarder/Parent/Guardian enters leave request
2. Parent/Guardian will receive an email
3. Parent/Guardian to thoroughly check the request – date, time, confirm with host and finalise details with boarder. The Head of Boarding should be contacted if you are not sure.
4. Parent/Guardian Approve or Reject leave request
5. The Head of Boarding signs off for final approval. Contact The Head of Boarding via email or phone if you are having any issues logging on to the portal.

Students must return from leave by 9:00 PM. If a student is returning to the Boarding House unaccompanied by an adult it is expected that he will be back prior to dinner. This is the ‘latest’ time and in younger year groups, the time expected may be earlier than this.

If a boarder is ill and will be absent from the Boarding House or the College during term time, then the following procedure should be followed:

Parents/guardians must call or email the Head of Boarding and Student Office in advance explaining the reason for the absence.

If the boarder is unable to attend school when residing in the Boarding House, the Master-on-Duty will inform the office at school. In this instance, boys will attend the health clinic for care and assessment. Communication will follow through to home via the school nurse. The student should return with a note from the parent/guardian covering the period of absence. This goes to the student centre in the Rae Building. For assessment tasks in senior years, a medical certificate is required.