Pocklington School - A Guide for International Families Pocklington International | Page 9

Security We are insured for all common matters, of course, but we would still advise against boarders bringing valuable and materially attractive items to school. Please make sure that your mobile phones, tablets, laptops, music systems and musical instruments have their own adequate personal insurance as there may be cases where we cannot admit liability. All boarders have a lockable cabinet in their room. The school site is protected by a security team who patrol the grounds every day. This protection is supplemented by 24 hour CCTV surveillance. This level of protection is supplemented by 24- hour CCTV surveillance. All external entry doors, including those into the boarding houses, are key coded and these codes are changed regularly. No visitors are permitted onsite within normal working hours without a formal visitor pass obtained at Reception. All members of staff are identifiable by official ID cards worn on lanyards or by Pocklington School lapel pins. We take the safety of everyone onsite very seriously and we appreciate that families of international boarders, being separated by so much distance, need to have the assurance of that commitment. Digital Communication Especially for International Boarders, being able to communicate with loved ones is absolutely essential. Every student throughout the Foundation is issued with a network login which gives access, at each appropriate age level, to our school digital network. This is managed through Firefly, an excellent internet-based communication system which enables safe digital dialogue and interaction. The School has fast and appropriately-filtered Wi Fi. Each boarding house has Skype facilities and landline provision which may be accessed to facilitate communication with home. In return, we expect all users to access the network responsibly and safely and we ask that both students and their families read, accept and sign our AUP (Acceptable Use Policy) before any network login is issued to them. Both the Prep School and Senior School operate ‘age-appropriate’ procedures relating to the everyday usage of internet-enabled mobile devices. No pupils in the Prep School may carry a mobile device with them around school – each device must be handed in to Reception at the start of the day. In the junior boarding houses, all enabled devices are locked away overnight and for monitored periods. From Year 10 (age 14+), we permit students to keep their devices with them in the houses, but they must adhere to policy usage. The Senior School has times and places where their use is not permitted. Our aim is to encourage healthy and appropriate personal interaction. We appreciate that our international boarders will want to feel close to their families at all times, and we would never discourage that. However, we feel an enormous responsibility to keep all our young people safe. We deliver age-appropriate education on internet safety to students across the school within our main curriculum, and the AUP helps us to act in loco parentis, ensuring that the internet remains an integrally positive part of their lives as they live among us. Guardianship All our boarders, whether UK or non-UK Nationals, must have a UK resident adult guardian over the age of 25 years. We appreciate that you are already making an enormous financial contribution to your child’s education, but we believe that a carefully selected guardian, who will be given your permission to act on your behalf if necessary, is an integral part of your parental responsibility. Please, therefore, choose carefully. If your chosen representative is a family friend or relative, please make sure that you child also has a good relationship with them and that regular communication takes place between them. We would like to meet your guardian representative and include them in our communications, as well as events where this is practical. If you do not know someone who could realistically take on this responsibility for you, then there are some excellent guardianship companies – several are local to us here in Yorkshire. We cannot personally recommend a guardian to you, nor can we offer a Homestay option, but we can help to 9