2009

Old House Boarding Handbook

CRANLEIGH PREPARATORY SCHOOL

BOARDING IN OLD HOUSE

Introduction

This handbook is a guide for you to keep and refer to during your time as

a boarder in Old House.

Remember, one of the aims of the staff and pupils in Old House are to

create a warm and friendly atmosphere for all of the boarders to live in.

It is important that you are safe and happy in the house and that you feel

that you can approach any of the staff if ever you have a concern or

problem.

MORNING ROUTINE

7.00am Wake up call – Get dressed, wash, brush your

teeth, make your bed. Make sure room is tidy.

7.30am Breakfast

8.05am Registration in classroom

Until 5.10pm Boarders follow same routine as the day

pupils

EVENING ROUTINE (M/T/T/F)

Time What happens Notes

5.10pm - 5.30pm Boarders’ Free time Change into home

clothes

5.30pm – 6.15pm Boarders’ Prep Couper Building

6.15pm – 6.40pm Supper Dining Room

6.40pm Boarder’s Meeting Dining Room

7.00pm – 7.30pm Optional Prep/Drop in

Clinics

Couper Building

7.00pm – 8.00pm Activities Meet at Activities

7.30pm 3rd and 4th Back to Shower and get ready

Houses for bed

7.45pm 3rd and 4th Form Free

Time

Hearing readers,

testing on

spellings/vocab if

needed

8.00pm 3rd and 4th Form Snack

And Meeting

Forster’s Kitchen or

Lords

8.00pm 5th and 6th Back to

Houses

Shower and get ready

for bed

8.15pm 3rd and 4th Form Quiet

Reading

Own Rooms

8.30pm 3rd and 4th Form Lights

Out

8.15pm 5th and 6th Form

Freetime

Testing on vocab etc if

necessary

8.30pm 5th and 6th Form

Snack/Meeting

Forster’s Kitchen or

Lords

8.45pm 5th 6th Form Quiet

Reading

Own Rooms

9.00pm 5th and 6th Form Lights

Out

Wednesdays

Evening routine in Old House

In the evening you go to Old House where there is an evening meeting at.

Mr Forster will do a roll call each night and then meet with you. The

meeting may simply be about what laundry to change that night or about

weekend arrangements or about wider topics to do with boarding, life at

school, work etc. The meeting will also give you an opportunity to raise any

issues you feel you need to.

3.30pm End of games

4.45pm Tea

4.45 - 5.30pm Activities/Free time

5.30 – 6.15pm Prep

6.15pm Supper

6.45pm Boarders’ meeting in dining area

7.00pm Video in Old House (optional swim)

9.00pm Lights out

Once the meeting is over you must then go and shower, change and get

ready for bed. It is also the time to see matron if you need to. When all

jobs are completed a bedtime snack is provided in the Forster’s kitchen

or Lords.

Reading

Your 15 minute reading time before lights out is an important time. You

should have your own book in Old House. It is not the time for revision,

although you may be able to do some work in exceptional circumstances.

It is important that you take this reading time seriously as it is a time for

you to unwind and relax after a busy day at school. You should read a book

not a comic or magazine. Please check with Mr Forster if you’re not sure

if what you are reading is suitable or not. We would like you to read not

because you have to but because you want to. If you have not brought a

book with you, you are most welcome to borrow one from the Old House

‘library’.

Quiet time

After lights are out there is time for a quick chat before sleep. If you

are to work and play to your full potential you must make sure you get a

good nights’ sleep!

Weekends

Saturdays

We often have a lie in until 8am and over for breakfast at 8.30am

The routine is then the same as for Wednesdays until 5.30pm

There is usually a meeting at 5.30pm for all the boarders staying in

for the weekend. The evening activities/entertainment will be

discussed at this meeting.

If you are staying in for the weekend then a ‘weekend plan’ will be

published on the House notice boards.

Sundays

Wake up is at 8.30am

Breakfast is at 9am

The rest of the day will vary according to the days’ activities.

Usually a trip out is planned which will last most of the day. Refer

to published plan on notice boards.

Back to Old House by 7.30pm – usually for a video.

Optional weekends – Signing out for the weekend

You must tell Mr Forster by the Wednesday evening preceding the

weekend whether you are going to be in or out for the weekend.

If you are going home for the weekend then you may be picked up

at 4pm on Saturday afternoon. Please ensure that you check out

with matron at old House before you leave for the weekend. You

must be signed out by matron unless you are in an away match in

which case you may be picked up by your parents directly from the

match. Please make sure that you inform the coach at your match

that you are being picked up by your parents.

You should wear school uniform when you go home at weekends.

You may return after the weekend either on Sunday night by 8pm

or on Monday morning by 8am. But please let Mr Forster know your plans in advance -by Friday 5.00pm (Exeat) or Saturday 5.00pm (non exeat).

Exeat weekends

These begin at 5.30pm on Friday evening.

You should make sure that you check out with Mr Forster before

going home.

Return times are as for the optional weekends. But please let Mr Forster know your plans in advance -by Friday 5.00pm (Exeat) or Saturday 5.00pm (non exeat).

Rooms in Old House

There are 9 rooms in total in the house. All are either 5 beds, 4 beds or 3

beds with the exception of one which is a 2 bed room. Generally the

upstairs rooms are for the younger boys and downstairs for the older.

Each boy has a cupboard to keep clothes and personal belongings in.

Each bed has a notice board for posters.

Appropriate decoration in the rooms is encouraged so that they

look well lived in and ‘just like home’!

You may find that you change rooms each term or you may stay in

the same room. This will depend on new boarders, current boarders

leaving and so on.

All room changes are made by Mr Forster.

Tidy rooms

You should open the blinds and make your bed in the morning.

Please make sure that your room is tidy before you leave for

breakfast each morning.

Make sure that you hang up your uniform on your hooks or in your

cupboard when you come back to change into your own clothes for

the evening. It is essential that your uniform is not left in a

crumpled heap on the floor. Use the hooks please!

Rooms are checked every morning before breakfast and rewards

given for neatness.

Laundry

All your school uniform is kept in Old House in matron’s room. All your

games kit is kept over in School House. Laundry/uniform is looked after

by the matrons and it is very important that you put the items of clothing

into the wash that matron’s ask you to each night. There is a laundry

basket put on each floor where all the dirty washing has to go. All clean

pants and socks will be put out by matron in the bags which you must then

empty and distribute to each boy in the room and then all the dirty pants

and socks should back in to the bag and into the laundry basket.

Daily laundry

Mondays Pants & socks – Trousers - Bedding

Tuesdays Pants & socks – Shirts – Sports Kit

Wednesdays Pants & socks – Towels - Flannels

Thursdays Pants & socks – Pyjamas - Shirts

Fridays Pants & socks

Saturdays Pants & socks

Sundays Pants & socks

Home clothes

These should be kept in your draws or your lockers. They should be

put away neatly. It is up to you to ensure that your cupboards and

lockers are kept neat and tidy – they will be checked regularly.

If your home clothes are dirty please ask matron or Mr Forster

nicely if they could wash them.

Please make sure that ALL home clothes are named clearly. If an

item of clothing goes missing and it is not named it can be twice as

hard to re-unite it with you.

Try not to bring too many items of clothing back to school.

Dress

You should ensure that each morning you are neatly dressed, your

hair is brushed, your shirt tucked in, tie done up properly and your

shoes are clean.

You should take pride in your appearance not just for breakfast

but throughout the day.

No jewellery – no necklaces or bracelets (except for religious or

medical reasons).

Tuck

Every Wednesday tuck is provided after supper, there is a choice of a

sweet or a savoury item. On other nights a boarder’s sweet is given. No

tuck is to be brought in from home.

GAP STUDENTS

Two gap students live in Old House and are very much part of the house.

One of them has a room upstairs and looks after the top floor – the other

has a room downstairs and is in charge of those downstairs!

Both of the gap students play a huge role in boarding – they are with you

every night, they are on duty in the house every evening, they will do

activities with you, they will nag you about your laundry and brushing your

teeth, they will watch films with you, they will talk to you about their life

back home, they will talk to you more like an elder brother does. Make

them feel at home, respect their privacy and respect them and we will

have an even happier house!

MUSIC/GAME BOYS

Personal stereos/Discmans/MP3s are allowed in Old House.

Please make sure that they are clearly marked. They are expensive

items so please look after them. Please make sure that they are

insured by your parents.

Any CD’s you bring to school should be marked with your name on.

Parental advisory CD’s are not allowed in school.

Remember, even with headphones, the sound of music can carry, so

please do not play them too loudly.

Game boys/PSPs are allowed in Old House. Again please make sure

that it is clearly marked (and insured) and are to be handed in

before lights out!

It is not always a good idea to lend your walkman or game boy to

someone else as it may be damaged or even broken. This can cause

upset and unnecessary arguments.

Private property & bedside lockers/cupboards

Make sure you look after your own belongings. If you bring in any of your

own games, music or other property it is important that they are marked

clearly with your name. You should keep them in your bedside

locker/cupboard. If anything goes missing, and you have exhausted the

usual ways of finding it, please tell Mr Forster.

SECURITY

The house is locked every night once everyone is in for the night. The

front door remains locked until 7.20am. During the day the house is

open if you need to get anything from your room. No day pupils are

allowed in the boarding house. If you see someone that you do not

recognise acting suspiciously around the house, tell a member of staff

immediately. Please do not talk to them yourself.

OUT OF BOUNDS

The following areas are out of bounds for boarders at Old House:

The car park area beyond the side gate at Old House

The housemaster’s house and garden.

See school rules for school out of bounds areas.

REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS

In the boarding houses you are treated with affection and kindness and

are asked to respond to reasonable requests to behave in a civilised way –

just as you do at home. If and when the need arises however, we operate

‘home style’ rewards and sanctions separate from school ‘minutes’. You

are now ‘at home’ and, within reason, your punishment/rewards do not spill

over into the school day. For example, being disruptive during boarders’

film – miss the film, persistent talking after lights out earlier to bed the

next night. It is a matter of respecting those around you and being part

of the boarding family, the same as in any family, albeit rather larger.

Punishment of all sorts is kept to a minimum and is only used as a last

resort.

For keeping your dorm in a clean and tidy state you will be given a reward,

which may be extra tuck or a special treat.

FREE TIME FACILITIES

Games room/common room in School House

These may be used after the evening meeting on week days if

there are no organised Activities.

Weekend usage is more flexible.

You may watch TV in Lords. Programmes on TV are strictly

monitored. You will be told what you are able to watch on TV each

night at the meeting.

Library

The library is a place to work, to read quietly and to use the

computers.

Please do not use the library as a social place to gather and to chat.

The Wyatt Hall

Supervised evening activities take place in the Wyatt Hall on some

evenings.

You should not go into the hall unless an adult is present except if

you have their specific permission to do so.

TELEPHONES

There are two telephones for you to use in Old House – One is a pay

phone in the front entrance to the house and the other is in matron’s

room. You will need a BT charge card for the pay phone which you should

keep in a safe place in your room. If you want to make a quick local call

then you must ask either matron or Mr Forster if you can use matron’s

phone. It is not to be used without permission. Please remember that

between 8.30pm and 9.00pm lots of boys wish to use the telephones. Try

to make your calls earlier in the evening. There should be no phone calls

made after 9.00pm. There is also a pay phone in school outside the

dining room. Mobile phones are not allowed in school.

MEDICAL

All medicines are kept by matron either in Old House or at School House.

Medicines, creams, inhalers etc must be handed in to matron by your

parents. You must not keep any medication yourself under any

circumstances.

If you are feeling unwell or you get injured during the day then you must

go and see a matron over at School House. If you feel unwell in the

evening then see matron who will be on duty until 9.30pm.

At night, if there is a problem, you should go and see Mr Forster,

whatever the time!

If you are not well enough to be in school you will either be taken to the

school san or your parents will be contacted and they will come and collect

you to take you home.

If you have been away and missed work, find out what you have missed

and make sure you catch up quickly. You may like to speak to your

boarding tutor, or to your form tutor or to Mr Forster about how best to

manage catching up missed work.

HYGIENE

There are some simple rules to follow to ensure that you stay healthy,

clean and well turned out! You are responsible for your cleanliness!

Make sure you brush your teeth every night before you go to bed

and every morning before you go over to school for breakfast.

You should shower every night using soap/shower gel!

If you feel at all unwell or are injured in any way make sure you see

a matron – it is better to be checked than to leave it.

PLEASE CAN I ASK THAT NO AEROSOL TYPE DEODERANTS

ARE BROUGHT TO THE BOARDING HOUSE.

BIRTHDAYS

If you have a birthday during term time then you will be able to have a

birthday table at tea time with some friends. Mums can drop off a cake

for you or Mrs Forster will get one for you if you wish.

STATIONERY AND ADDITIONAL ITEMS

If you run out of stationary or require something from the school shop

this can be arranged and the cost added to your end of term bill.

GOING OUT FOR THE EVENING

You are allowed to go out for special occasions such as birthdays or

special family celebrations. Please ask for permission from Mr Forster in

good time so that arrangements can be made.

OVERSEAS BOARDERS

Overseas boarders must make sure that any tickets and passports are

handed in to Mr Forster at the start of term. Mr Forster will keep you

informed of any travel arrangements for the end of term/exeat

weekends/half terms.

Please see Mr Forster if you wish to make a call to your parents if they

live overseas as it might not always be possible to do so on the school

telephones.

Try to make sure that if you need to leave school early at the end of

term then your parents must write first to the Senior Master (Mr

Howard) to ask for permission. The school must be given plenty of notice

so that any arrangements can be made in good time.

EVENING ACTIVITIES

Every evening activities are run by members of staff. These usually run

from 5.30 to 6.15pm but some start earlier/later. You will need to look

carefully at the list of activities at the start of term to see which ones

you are signed up for. There is always a meeting at the start of term

when the activity are explained. We would like you to do all the activities

on offer so you experience as many as possible even though you many

prefer one over another. Hopefully the range of activities on offer will

entice you to do so!

ACADEMIC WORK

You must never feel that ‘work is getting to you’. We are all here to help!

Who do you turn to for help?

Your form tutor

Your boarding tutor

Any other member of staff – perhaps with the subject in mind

which is causing any difficulty

Mr Forster and/or any of the other boarding staff

You must try not to bottle any problems up but make sure you speak to

someone about them.

Boarding Tutor

When you first board you will be given a choice of whom you would like to

be your boarding tutor. You should choose a member of staff that you

feel comfortable talking to, someone who you get along with in and out of

the classroom, someone who you feel will listen to you and someone who

will support you when needed. Once chosen you should try to meet with

your tutor once a week on a formal basis when you should raise any

concerns you might have particularly with regard to your academic work.

You should try to talk through your cards with your tutor to identify what

areas you might improve upon.

Prep time - Prep diaries

This is a crucial time when you must make sure you complete your work as

instructed. Be on time for prep and be prepared with all the right work.

You will be allocated a ‘prep room’ in the Couper building and will be

supervised by the member of the Common Room who is on duty for that

particular day. Feel free to ask for help from the teacher on duty but

always try to have a good go at your prep first.

You will be given a ‘Boarders’ Prep Diary’ which you must make sure you fill

in and keep up to date. You should try to take this along to your meetings

with your boarding tutor who will check it with you.

Drop In Clinics

Throughout the week, in addition to prep, members of the Common Room

operate clinics to give extra help in the main subject areas. This is

particularly valuable to those of you preparing for Common Entrance.

Optional Prep

There is a supervised optional prep in the library at for those who need

to catch up with their work or for extra revision particularly as exams

approach. In the week(s) leading up to exams this prep may become

compulsory. It is also important for those who have perhaps been doing an

activity earlier and may have missed the first evening prep to catch up.

Be responsible about your work. It is often easy to put off doing your

work because there is something else going on or because you want to go

and play with your friends. As much support as we can give you we will but

you have to make sure that you play your part as well as you can. Your

time off will seem so much more enjoyable if you know that you have

completed all your work.

BULLYING

Bullying is not tolerated in any way at Cranleigh. If you are being bullied,

if someone is making your life uncomfortable, DO NOT PUT UP WITH

IT. Speak to someone about it as soon as you can. The person(s) you talk

to may be a friend, a member of staff, a gap student, a matron or your

parents but make sure you bring it to someone’s attention. Do not let

bullies make your life a misery. They get away with it only if they are

protected by your silence.

Other personal problems

If you have problems with any part of school life your form tutor,

housemaster, boarding tutor or second master may be able to help with

useful advice. The chaplain will always talk to you in complete confidence.

The matrons are also very good listeners. Do not bottle things up: If you

do the problems will only seem worse.

It is usually better to talk to someone at School first about school

problems, rather than your parents because:

- Your parents are not in school

- You may have to wait a few days to talk to your parents

- Your parents will worry if you are worrying

- Someone at school is more likely to be able to help you sort

it out, whatever it is. They may discuss with you whether it

is necessary to telephone your parents.

When you have spoken to someone at school you can then tell your

parents and let them know that a member of staff is helping you to sort

out the problem and this will help stop them worrying.

If you do not want to talk to someone in school there are independent

people that you can talk to:

- The Revd Canon Nigel Nicholson – Tel. 01483-273620

- Childline – Tel. 0800 111

- Dr Ros Chesser 01737 763704

- Social Services Department of Surrey County Council – Tel.

01483 517700

Homesickness

At some stage in your time boarding you may feel that you are missing

home. It is a good idea to tell someone how you feel. You can always

speak to Mr Forster, Matrons, Gaps, your friends, your Boarding Tutor or

any other member of the Common Room. We will be able to help you and

you will soon feel 100% better!