Safety and Wellbeing

We take the safety of each boy very seriously to enable him to enjoy his time at Newington College.

Boarding House Safety Procedures

At Newington College the safety and wellbeing of our boys is central to the way we nurture and teach them.

As a Boarding House, our duty of care extends beyond the school day and beyond the school grounds; therefore, we have specific procedures for Request of Leave, Hosting and Supervision.

We take the safety of each boy very seriously to help him enjoy his time at Newington College.

Edmund Webb Boarding House Health Centre

The Boarders health needs are very well supported by our live-in nurse, Liam Hart and our newly developed Health Centre within the Boarding House. Mr Hart works in partnership with families to monitor all Boarder’s physical and psychosocial developmental needs and provides access to all health services, health education, health promotion and counselling of Boarders. The school conducts a weekly Physiotherapy clinic on site and has a partnership with a GP and Sports Doctor.

Supervision

Boarding staff are committed to effective supervision of the boys. They are all trained in the Australian Boarding Schools “Duty of Care”. Staff are responsible for the welfare and whereabouts of the boarders outside of school hours. However, boarders and parents are expected to communicate these under the “Leave” guidelines.

The supervision of the boarders also transitions into the day school. All staff have significant roles in the School and the Head of Boarding is in regular contact with teachers, the Heads of House and the Mentors.

Staff take a roll call each morning, at dinnertime and at night. Many of our Boarding staff members also participate in school events and hold teaching positions at the school. The Head of Boarding, for example, is a sports administrator at Newington College and so is in regular contact with Heads of House and Mentors.

All staff who work at Newington College are required to pass the NSW Commission for Children and Young People Working With Children Check and adhere to the child protection policy.

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Caring for our Boarders

At Newington College the safety and wellbeing of the boys is central to the way we nurture and teach boys.

Leave

Boys are allowed leave upon request. The Boarding House urges parents and family to co-operate with staff members regarding when and whom the boys will be taking leave with to ensure that the safety of the child is always guaranteed.

Whilst students are residing at Newington College the Duty of Care rests with the staff of the College. However, when a student goes on Leave, the Duty of Care is passed from the College to the adult who is now responsible for the student. This adult may be a family member or friend. They are deemed the “Host”.

Hosting a Boarder

A host’s responsibilities when taking a Newington College boarder out on leave are extensive. Whether it is for Dinner Leave, Day Leave or Overnight Leave, the College believes you are obliged to do the following:

Before collecting a student the host should:

  1.  Contact the boy’s parents/guardian to (if needs be) introduce yourself, outline your plans for the time you will have the boy on leave and exchange phone numbers/addresses. The boarder and his parents will then contact the Boarding House to make a leave request on your behalf.
  2. The parent/guardian will forward the host’s contact details (mobile, email, name) to the Head of Boarding, so that the details can be added to ‘Reach’.
  3. Note that a Host must be 25 years or over (unless it is a sibling of boy who has their parents’ permission). A boy cannot be collected by someone over 25 years of age to be subsequently transferred into the care of someone younger than 25 years of age.

When collecting a student:

Present at Edmund Webb House office to sight the Mentor-on-Duty and have the student sign out on “Reach”. If the MOD is not present, simply call him on 0407 140 571 or 555 from the foyer phone.

Whilst they are out on leave:

Hosts are responsible for the boarder’s wellbeing and whereabouts at all times. This includes the obvious (providing meals, accommodation etc.), but also involves a number of other more onerous responsibilities:

  1. In the event of an accident or emergency, please contact the parents and, if possible, the Boarding House, in order to co-ordinate the return/treatment of the boy;
  2. Owing to your responsibilities under the common law principle of in loco parentis (literally “instead of the parent”); you must not transfer a boy into the care of another person, without informing the boy’s parent of that fact. Dropping a boy off to any form of social function without accompanying them is a definite breach of this obligation.

Upon return:

Present at the Edmund Webb House foyer to sight the Mentor-on-Duty and have the student sign in on “Reach”. Once again, if the MOD is not present, simply call him on 0407 140 571 or 555 from the foyer phone.

Please Note:

Failure to abide by these leave protocols could result in the College’s recommendation to the boy’s parents that you no longer be eligible to take their son out on leave.

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