2021-22 NLCS Jeju Boarding Home Handbook

Boarding Home Handbook 2021-22

BOARDING HANDBOOK

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Our School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. The School expects all teaching staff, non-teaching staff and volunteers to share and uphold this commitment. If a child cannot feel safe they cannot learn to their full potential.

TABLE OF CONTENTS 4

1. Welcome from the Vice-Principal

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2. Term 1 - Key Dates for Boarding Parents

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9.1 Phones and Electronics 9.2 Computers or Laptops 9.3 Valuables and Money

7 3. Welcome from the Assistant Vice-Principal

9.4 Electrical Appliances 9.5 From Home

9 4. The Boarding Houses 4.1 Junior School 4.2 Senior School 4.3 Sixth Form

9.6 General

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10. Boarding Rules

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11. Arriving & Leaving Campus 11.1 Arriving to Begin a Term

10 5. Staff Connected to Boarding

11.2 Departing to End a Term

5.1 Leadership

11.3 Exeats and Scheduled Exeats

5.2 BMs and ABMs

11.4 Parental Visits

5.3 Graduate and Gap Assistants 5.4 Matrons 5.5 Academic Support

13 6. Communication & Positive Relationships 6.1 Who to contact?

9. Personal Items

11.5 Canons Village, GEC, and Weekend Passes

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12. Homesickness and Other Issues

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13. Parent Code of Conduct

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14. FAQs

6.2 How to contact?

6.3 When to contact?

6.4 Positive Relationships

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7. The Boarding Routine 7.1 Morning 7.2 Afternoon 7.3 Evening 7.4 Weekends 7.5 The Medical Centre 7.6 Boarding Activities

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8. Student Leadership 8.1 Boarding Captains 8.2 Home Leadership Teams 8.3 Boarder Committees 8.4 Academic Ambassadors 8.5 Big and Little 8

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1 WELCOME from THE VICE-PRINCIPAL Dear Parents, It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the NLCS Jeju boarding community. Ours is a particularly cohesive community that has established itself over the past ten years as one of the most vibrant, supportive and well-resourced boarding environments in all of Asia.

I hope this guide will provide you with the guidance and detail you need to feel welcome and informed about your son or daughter’s Boarding Home and the School’s wider provision for boarders.

We are very grateful that you have chosen to place your trust in us to look after your child in boarding; I can assure you our staff will work hard to ensure your child receives outstanding support, challenge and opportunities as a member of the boarding community.

NLCS Jeju is proud of the achievements of the boarding students and the boarding community as a whole; I look forward to celebrating this ongoing success with you.

Yours sincerely, Toby Waterson Vice-Principal (Pastoral)

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2 TERM 1 - KEY DATES FOR BOARDING PARENTS NLCS Jeju is a busy place and all our students are extremely busy but our boarders have even more opportunities and adventures to come.The following is an extract from the school calendar highlighting some of the important events which are likely to impact boarding students. Please be aware that the school calendar can change and that this is not a live document so whilst it is accurate at the date of publishing, it could change and parents still need to check the official school calendar.

AUGUST Wednesday, 18 August 2021

Boarders arrive

Monday, 23 August 2021

Senior School House Competition: Scrabble Scramble

Saturday, 28 August 2021

Boarding Student Trips Senior School House Competition: Mathletics

Monday, 30 August 2021

Senior School House Competition: Years 7 & 8 Quiz Senior School House Competition: Years 11 to 13 Football

SEPTEMBER Friday, 3 September 2021

Junior School Boarding House Tea

Saturday, 4 September 2021

Bryant 1:1 Senior School House Competition: Chess

Monday, 6 September 2021

Senior School House Competition: Years 11 to 13 Quiz Senior School House Competition: Years 9 & 10 Football

Friday, 10 September 2021

IGCSE Certificate Presentation Ceremony

Saturday, 11 September 2021

Bryant 1:2 Senior School House Competition: Spelling Bee

Monday, 13 September 2021

Senior School House Competition: Years 9 & 10 Quiz Senior School House Competition: Years 7 & 8 Football

Friday, 17 September 2021

Start of Chuseok Holiday

Sunday, 26 September 2021

Boarders Return Senior School House Competition: Years 11 to 13 Rugby

Monday, 27 September 2021

Senior School House Competition: Years 7 & 8 Badminton Senior School House Competition: Years 9 & 10 Table Tennis

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OCTOBER Saturday, 2 October 2021 Saturday, 9 October 2021

Seoul Information Session Bryant 1:3 Bryant 1:4 Senior School House Competition: Years 7 & 8 Rugby

Monday, 11 October 2021

Senior School House Competition: Years 9 & 10 Badminton Senior School House Competition: Years 11 to 13 Table Tennis

Friday, 15 October 2021

Scheduled Exeat starts

Sunday, 17 October 2021

Exeat Boarders return Senior School House Competition: Years 9 & 10 Rugby

Monday, 18 October 2021

Senior School House Competition: Years 11 to 13 Badminton Senior School House Competition: Years 7 & 8 Table Tennis

Saturday, 23 October 2021

Bryant 1:5

Monday, 25 October 2021

Senior School House Competition: Swimming Boys

NOVEMBER Monday, 1 November 2021

Senior School House Competition: Swimming Girls

Thursday, 4 November 2021

Half-Term Break Starts for Students

Sunday, 14 November 2021

Boarders Return Senior School House Competition: Quiz Final

Monday, 15 November 2021 Saturday, 20 November 2021 Monday, 22 November 2021 Saturday, 27 November 2021 Monday, 29 November 2021

(House performance prep begins) Bryant 1:6 Senior School House Competition: Years 9 & 10 Basketball Senior School House Competition: Years 11 to 13 Public Speaking Bryant 1:7 Senior School House Competition: Years 7 & 8 Basketball Senior School House Competition: Years 9 & 10 Public Speaking

DECEMBER Friday, 3 December 2021

Scheduled Exeat starts

Sunday, 5 December 2021

Exeat Boarders return

Monday, 6 December 2021

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Senior School House Competition: Years 11 to 13 Basketball Senior School House Competition: Years 7 & 8 Public Speaking

Saturday, 11 December 2021

Bryant 2:1

Friday, 17 December 2021

Start of Christmas Holiday

3 WELCOME from THE ASSISTANT VICE-PRINCIPAL Dear Boarding Students, It is my pleasure to welcome you to the NLCS Jeju boarding community and thank you for taking that allimportant first step towards becoming the amazing young men and women that you could be. We are a boarding school and we are proud that our students come to see us as a “home away from home” whilst going through some really important transitions in their lives. Many boarding students enjoy the unique benefits of this learning environment and they thrive within our structures and routines. This leads to many useful life-skills, including independence, self-confidence, resilience, teamwork skills, and mutual respect.

Boarders also get to live in an engaging English language environment, with other young people, who bond and end up cultivating friendships for life. For students who board with us, transitioning into university life is a natural step, and they excel with the improved organisational skills, the enhanced emotional intelligence, and the selfdiscipline that are all developed under our care.

Boarders who try new experiences and push their own personal boundaries make the most progress during their time with us. There are fantastic facilities available for you to keep a healthy lifestyle, regular and free access to faculty staff to improve their academic attainment, and caring experienced pastoral staff there to help. Living in boarding will provide challenges for you but also support this means there is a lot of potential for the development of ‘soft skills’. Boarders learn to be assertive, know right from wrong, listen and compromise. There might well be brief moments of arguing about something as petty as the temperature on the AC controls with a roommate; these moments develop your social skills and give you better conflict management techniques.

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Please remember that whilst we are expecting great things from our boarding students, we do not expect you to do it alone and there is always help and support available. There are counsellors available, ready to help with emotional issues, and the greatest advantage a boarder has is that you have a Boarding Master/Mistress there with you all the way. They are an advocate for you and will do everything they care to make sure that you are safe, secure, and supported.

Best wishes and good luck, Mr Scargill - AVP (Head of Houses)

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4 THE BOARDING HOMES NLCS Jeju now enables children to start their boarding developmental journey from Year 3 and continue all the way through to Year 13. Young children start their journey in Darangswi Home, continue through the Senior School Boarding Homes, and then perfect their life-skills in our Sixth Form Boarding Homes. Boarding is an extremely supportive and nurturing environment which gradually develops their independence, assertiveness, and interpersonal skills so that our students leave as confident, mature, and independent learners ready to face the challenges of the world. Apart from Darangswi, each Boarding Home is single gender and this is to ensure that our boarders get the best use of their Boarding Home facilities and staff available.There is a communal area, or atrium, in the middle of the House where boys and girls from other Boarding Homes can come together and socialise.

4.1 JUNIOR SCHOOL Darangswi Home opened in August 2020 and established itself as a nurturing and supportive environment which has enabled several Year 6 boarders from last year to transition into the Senior School Boarding Homes this year. This is a very exciting and exhilarating time for the new students joining Darangwsi as they have the opportunity to flourish in such a modern and enhanced boarding environment.

4.2 SENIOR SCHOOL Students in Years 7 to 11 have the opportunity to make really efficient use of their time at NLCS Jeju and join one of the Senior Boarding Homes.There are 5 Boarding Homes, split into 3 Boys’ Homes and 2 Girls’ Homes, and they are named after coastal features of Jeju Island; Hyeopjae (Boys), Aewol (Boys), Yongduam (Boys), Pyoseon (Girls), and Iho (Girls).

4.3 SIXTH FORM The two Sixth Form Boarding Homes, called Halla North and Halla East, are where the Year 12 and 13 boarders are accommodated. These are also single gender, Halla East is a Girls’ Home and Halla North is a Boys’ Home, and there are frequent opportunities for collaborative work and socialisation between both Boarding Homes in preparation for their lives at university.

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5 STAFF CONNECTED TO BOARDING

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TEAM

NAME

ROLE

E- mail

Leadership

Toby Waterson

VP Pastoral

twaterson@nlcsjeju.kr

Peter Scargill

AVP Boarding

pscargill@nlcsjeju.kr

Simon Cox

AVP Sixth Form

scox@nlcsjeju.kr

Richard Washington

AVP Junior School

rwashington@nlcsjeju.kr

Stella Taylor

Head of Girls’ Boarding

staylor@nlcsjeju.kr

Stuart Brown

Head of Boys’ Boarding

sbrown@nlcsjeju.kr

Daniel Long

Darangswi Home (BM)

dlong@nlcsjeju.kr

Viv Brookes

Darangswi Home (ABM)

vbrookes@nlcsjeju.kr

Seungmo Chung

Darangswi Home (ABM)

schung@nlcsjeju.kr

Sebastien Crebier

Hyeopjae Home (BM)

screbier@nlcsjeju.kr

Andy Cronin

Hyeopjae Home (ABM)

acronin@nlcsjeju.kr

Warren Neiland

Hyeopjae Home (ABM)

wneiland@nlcsjeju.kr

Patrick Youell

Aewol Home (BM)

pyouell@nlcsjeju.kr

James Tuffs

Aewol Home (ABM)

jtuffs@nlcsjeju.kr

Adam Yates

Aewol Home (ABM)

ayates@nlcsjeju.kr

Thomas Perry

Yongduam Home (BM)

tperry@nlcsjeju.kr

Mark Ramsey

Yongduam Home (ABM)

mramsey@nlcsjeju.kr

Mark Moss

Yongduam Home (ABM)

mmoss@nlcsjeju.kr

Natalie Sangster

Pyoseon Home (BM)

nsangster@nlcsjeju.kr

Aahuti Barai

Pyoseon Home (ABM)

abarai@nlcsjeju.kr

Naomi Wilson

Pyoseon Home (ABM)

nwilson@nlcsjeju.kr

Jodie Torrance

Iho Home (BM)

jtorrance@nlcsjeju.kr

Claire Washington

Iho Home (ABM)

cwashington@nlcsjeju.kr

Mary Zhang

Iho Home (ABM)

mzhang@nlcsjeju.kr

Lesley Gissane

Halla East (BM)

lgissane@nlcsjeju.kr

Darija Minic

Halla East (ABM)

dminic@nlcsjeju.kr

Chaden Alsaadi

Halla East (ABM)

calsaadi@nlcsjeju.kr

Scott Davies

Halla North (BM)

sdavies@nlcsjeju.kr

Martyn Fernandes

Halla North (ABM)

mfernandes@nlcsjeju.kr

Sangduk Park

Halla North (ABM)

spark@nlcsjeju.kr

BMs and ABMs

GRADUATE AND GAP ASSISTANTS There are a number of other adults that work within the Boarding Houses and have a direct impact on the lives of the boarders. The Graduate and Gap Assistants are young adults, with an interest in a potential career in education, who are a very important part of life in the Boarding Homes. Several of our Graduate Assistants have then progressed to become faculty teachers at NLCS Jeju which is a strong testament to their skills, attitude, and professionalism. The Graduate and Gap Assistants assist with ensuring that our boarding students are supported and developed, to the best of our abilities, throughout their time with us.

MATRONS Each Boarding Home has a non-residential Matron who is responsible for the basic housekeeping of the Boarding Home and for ensuring the quality of our laundry provision, cleaning, and maintenance. They are amazingly warm and welcoming to our boarding students and do so many small things which help to support our main aim of providing a home away from BOARDING HANDBOOK

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home environment.

ACADEMIC SUPPORT Students are likely to be introduced to a number of other members of faculty staff who give some of their time in the evenings to ensure the boarding houses offer the best boarding provision possible. We expect our boarders to make great academic progress and the faculty staff make a valuable contribution to the boarding houses with a focus on delivering academic challenge, stimulation and support for our boarders. “Academic Support” is a very broad term and the academic needs of our boarding students are just as wide and diverse. An academic support duty could include support for identified students and ‘drop-ins’ for boarding students, or enrichment and revision lectures to a larger group of boarders, for example.

The Academic Support Programme is created with the collaboration of the VP (Academic) and AVP (Boarding) so that it can best meet the needs of our students without jeopardising the NLCS educational ethos.

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6 COMMUNICATION & POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS 6.1 WHO TO CONTACT? In an emergency during the school day, please contact the BM in the first instance; however, if you are unable to make contact then please call the Main Reception on 064 793 8000/1, option 0 for Senior School students and option 5 for Junior School children. Beyond the school day please call the Boarding Home office number which will forward to the duty staff member’s mobile phone.

Darangswi

064 793 4609

Hyeopjae

064 793 4104

Aewol

064 793 4004

Yongduam

064 793 4309

Pyoseon

064 793 4204

Iho

064 793 4509

Halla East

064 793 4409

Halla North

064 793 4404

As with all students, day or boarding, your child still has a Form Tutor who sees your child daily and monitors each child’s progress and engagement. If you have a general question, that is not an emergency, about your child then please contact the Tutor.Your child’s Tutor will contact you at the start of the academic year, with an informal introduction.You should expect to hear informally from your child’s Tutor once a term or more often if there is an issue of concern or celebration. In addition to the Tutor, parents of boarders can expect frequent communication from boarding staff that may relate to any aspect of a child’s welfare, education or practicalities of boarding life. If you have a question that relates to your child’s boarding experience, please contact the relevant Boarding Master/Mistress (BM) or Assistant Boarding Master/Mistress (ABM). If you need to refer the matter further then please contact the Assistant Vice-Principal (Boarding), Mr Peter Scargill and then the Vice-Principal (Pastoral), Mr Toby Waterson.

6.2 HOW TO CONTACT? We will translate any email written in Korean or Mandarin into English, so please do not hesitate about contacting us. Please understand that there will be a short delay whilst your message and our reply is translated. During term time, our staff members should reply to you within 24 hours, and we do have translation services available (Korean or Mandarin translation) but these translation services are normally only available during office hours. If you have not received acknowledgement of your message within 24 hours (during the working week and in term time) please contact the Senior School Office or Junior BOARDING HANDBOOK

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School office and explain the situation.

6.3 WHEN TO CONTACT? Please make any requests to take your child out of school during term time in advance to the Tutor and Head of Year via the Parent Portal and at least a week in advance. We would encourage you to avoid requesting a leave of absence during term time as far as possible. It is advised that family holidays should be organised only during school holiday time. The school will generally authorise absence for certain situations: •

The student is representing the school in a competition/event;

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The student is representing their country in a competition/event;

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The student is required for a family gathering of importance, eg funeral;

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The student requires medical attention that cannot wait until holidays;

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The student is required to attend an interview.

If boarding students will not be returning at the usual time at the beginning of a term or half term, parents should contact the BM. Please always contact the relevant BM, as well as the Medical Centre, to inform them of any developments in the health or medical requirements for your child. It is very important that boarding staff are kept fully informed. It is very important that your contact details on our iSAMS database are correct for this purpose. Parents can amend these details yourself or let the HM know and they can follow up for you. The Head Nurse, Ms Minju Jeon, can be contacted for urgent matters or emergencies on 064 793 8736 and please use nurse@nlcsjeju.kr for routine contact.

6.4 POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS It is important to remember that everyone at NLCS Jeju and all our parents want the same thing; everyone wants the children under our care to be happy and to grow and mature into the successful young adults that we know they can be. We feel that we can get the best out of your children if we work together as a team, and that can only happen if we all make an effort to make sure positive rapports are in place and positive relationships are in practice.

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7 BOARDING ROUTINES

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Our boarders follow regular routines whilst in the boarding homes and we recognise that they can sometimes take a bit of time to understand and become habitual. The routines are designed to ensure that our students make the most of their time at NLCS Jeju and that there is a healthy, balanced lifestyle for all our boarders. Not everyone agrees with all of the routines but they are a nice compromise, merging both Korean, British, and International cultures into something that makes us proud.

7.1 MORNING Students of Senior School age and above are encouraged to have alarm clocks and take responsibility for getting themselves up and dressed each morning; matrons and boarding staff can and will support this. This is obviously an important life skill.

However, entrenching this life skill for many teenage students will need ongoing supervision and guidance from an adult team and so BMs and their teams take the overriding responsibility for this each day.

For all boarders; 07:00 Matrons arrive and begin checking students are awake.

07:30 Morning registration before going to breakfast 08:10 Tutor time in the main school

7.2 AFTERNOON Junior Boarders will leave Darangswi with all they need for the day. This is because they will have their CCAs straight after their last lesson of the day. After their activity, they will be received by the staff member on duty.They will use the time before dinner getting ready for their homework time and dinner. Dinner will be compulsory for all our children and they will be accompanied by the boarding staff. After dinner, they will have some free time to socialise under supervision before they begin their homework. Homework will be supervised and assisted by Junior School specialist teachers to drive forth the scholarship of our children.

Students in Years 7 to 11 return to their Boarding Homes after their afternoon lessons and can get changed before their CCA if needed. Students must leave the Boarding Home in good time if they are to be at their afternoon activities on time.

Boarding students return to their Boarding Homes after CCAs where they are welcomed by the staff member on duty. All students should make sure that they attend supper in the dining hall between 17:45 and 18:45. The duty members of staff attend supper together with their boarding students and an informal register is taken during this time to monitor attendance and ensure healthy eating habits.

7.3 EVENING For Junior Boarders, they will be expected to be within their house after dinner. The staff accompanying them to dinner will ensure that the children are ready and settled for prep at 18:30 and work until 20:30 with an appropriate break in between. They will then prepare for the next day before going to their rooms at 21:00 and then lights out will be at 21:30.

By 19:00, at the latest, all Senior School boarders should be back in the Boarding Home and the evening routine started; only by prior arrangement can exceptions to this be made. Evening registration and house meeting take place at 19:00 and prep should be started before 19:15.

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Prep ends Electronics Low lights Lights out

Year 7/8 20:45 21:00 21:15 21:30

Year 9/10 21:15 21:45 22:00 22:15

Year 11 21:45 22:00 22:15 22:30

Sixth Form 22:00 N/A N/A 23:30

Between prep ending and low lights (reading) time, it is important that the boarders get themselves ready for the following day. Uniforms need to be organised, school bags need to be packed, and we often have to remind them to call home if they have been too excited or busy to remember.

7.4 WEEKENDS The weekends are a busy and vibrant time for the boarders and parents must be aware that this is an extremely important part of the Boarding Home routine. Saturday mornings are often filled with Bryant activities and the boarders join with the day students for this. However, whilst the day students leave school after 12:00, the boarders are only just getting started with their weekend routine. Each Boarding Home designs their weekend routine in conjunction with their Boarder Committees and they must fulfil certain minimum requirements each weekend: academic activity or time to work independently; time to read and relax together; time for a sporting activity or exercise; and, an activity designed to bring the boarders more integrated and closer together.

The Boarding Homes make great use of the excellent facilities on offer around the school and they often take the boarding students on trips outside the school and GEC. It is important to note that all these trips are risk-assessed and appropriately supervised by our boarding staff. If there is a weekend without a Bryant then the Boarding Homes have introduced a number of new events that are now in the calendar for the next academic year. There are Boarders-Only events, like Boarders’ Bryants, special brunches or BBQs, and Scheduled Exeats sporadically interspersed throughout the year so that we get the most out of the students under our care.

There are two worship services available as it is important to meet the spiritual needs of our religious boarders. These focus around an off-site Catholic service at St. Isadore’s or an on-site Presbyterian service which are optional weekly events available to all our boarders. The weekend routine is not affected by these services and boarders can choose if they want to attend without it detrimentally impacting their weekend schedules.

7.5 THE MEDICAL CENTRE At NLCS Jeju we have 24-hour medical care available through our Medical Centre which is staffed with professional, qualified, and experienced nurses. If your son or daughter takes regular medication, this must be taken to the Medical Centre at the beginning of term as soon as you arrive - medicines are not to be kept in student rooms.

All boarders have access to the Medical Centre during clinic hours which are displayed on the Boarding Home notice boards.

If a boarder feels unwell then they should see a member of the boarding staff or the member of staff who is teaching them in the first instance. They will issue a medical slip which will allow the student to go to the nursing staff, who will assess and then treat appropriately. The Medical Centre will contact you directly if your son or daughter requires emergency medical attention, or if there is a question regarding their regular medication or prescription. If a student is likely to be unwell for a long time, boarding staff may arrange for them to go home; however, between the Medical Centre staff and the Boarding Home staff, we are capable of dealing with most medical situations.

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If a boarder requires medical attention outside of clinic hours, in the nighttime, for example, it is really important that they do not take themselves to the Medical Centre alone and without telling the duty member of staff. There is always a designated staff member on duty which can be contacted, even during the night, in case of emergencies and they must be informed that there is a problem so that they can assist. Boarders can ask their roommate or a friend to get the duty member of staff if they are unable to get out of bed.

7.6 BOARDING ACTIVITIES The boarding provision is designed so that the students under our care make the most efficient use of their time and maximise the advantages and opportunities available to them at NLCS Jeju. We have amazing facilities available at our school and these are used regularly by the boarding students outside of school hours; the indoor and outdoor sports facilities, Swimming Pool, Art Rooms, Music Rooms, and Drama performance spaces. These are all available and can be booked by Boarding Home staff so that supervised activities can take place, especially over the weekend. In addition, the Boarding Homes often take trips so that borders can experience the delights that Jeju Island has to offer. Across all the homes, there are always frequent trips and boarders can enjoy beach trips or Olle Trail walks, museums or cafes.

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8 STUDENT LEADERSHIP As students move through the school we very much hope that their progress is linked to a greater understanding of the values and needs within the community. There are a range of positions that provide opportunities for our students to develop leadership and social responsibility. Students in positions of leadership, in addition to undertaking specific tasks, are expected to understand the principles behind standards of behaviour that are encouraged and to promote these as role models. The boarding environment provides outstanding scope for educators to nurture, encourage and develop leadership qualities in young people. Living in a close-knit, family-like environment boarding students will appreciate and respond positively to playing a part in the governance of the community. It is intended that all students in a Boarding Home shall receive an opportunity, during their life in the House, to practice and develop their leadership potential.

8.1 BOARDING CAPTAINS In the Senior Houses, the BM gathers feedback on the students in their Boarding Home from the boarding staff and boarding students. A student is selected and appointed to become the Boarding Captain of each Boarding Home; becoming the Head of Hyeopjae or Head of Aewol, for example. These students work in collaboration with the boarding staff to represent the views of their fellow boarders and are responsible for forming student-led Boarding Committees in each of the Boarding Homes.

8.2 HOME LEADERSHIP TEAMS For Darangswi, we will encourage children to take up leadership on rotation.This will promote unity and group responsibility in preparation for leadership roles in the Senior School. Their responsibilities will be managed by the BM so as to maintain cohesion amongst the children.

In the Senior School Boarding Homes, the BM may appoint other senior members of the boarding students to assist with supporting the Boarding Captain. This collection of senior students form the Home Leadership Team and they also work closely with the BM and ABMs in each Boarding Home.

8.3 BOARDER COMMITTEES (SENIOR HOUSES) The Boarder Committee is a committee of students, two boarders from each year group, chaired by the Boarding Captain and under the guidance of an ABM. The Boarder Committee changes at least once during the course of an academic year although the Boarding Captains remain as Year 11 representatives over their entire term of office.

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8.4 ACADEMIC AMBASSADORS It is a fundamental strength of boarding that the older and more senior students help and assist the younger students.

It should happen in every boarding house around the world and we are really proud of the level of positive interaction between our students in the Senior School Boarding Homes and the sixth form students in Halla East and Halla North.

Academic excellence amongst our sixth form students is a prized asset and their achievements at IGCSE should be recognised and championed so that younger boarders can see them as the role models that they are.

Academic Ambassadors are titles which can be appointed to the Year 12 boarder who has achieved the highest IGCSE result and who have offered to help support students younger than them in that subject. So the Y12 boarder who scored the highest in IGCSE Physics could becomes the Physics Ambassador and is responsible for fostering a love of that subject, basic academic support, and subject enrichment to the boarders in the lower years.

8.5 BIG AND LITTLE 8 The Big 8 are a group of Halla students who apply for the posts to lead and represent the school in the following capacities: •

Leaders of the School Council

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Global Awareness Ambassador (leads the student Cultural Committee)

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Sports Ambassador

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Student Welfare Ambassador (leads Student Welfare Awareness Group)

•

Service Ambassador (leads Toweraid, the school’s service and charity committee)

•

SEC Chair (Societies Executive Committee)

Two of the Big 8 will also carry the roles of Head Girl and Head Boy. The tenure begins at the end of Term 1, Year 12 and runs for twelve months. Traditionally a large proportion of the Big Eight are boarding students and we look forward to seeing them lead the school over the next academic year.

Similarly, the Junior School boasts a Little 8 who are voted in by teachers supported by their applications for leadership.

They meet with the Head of Junior School every week to discuss an array of matters affecting the school community; they are a great support to the student council.

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9 PERSONAL ITEMS It is important that students bring a few things from home as it is advised to personalise their own personal areas. Whilst most of the things that they need are already provided, sometimes a few home comforts make a huge difference.

9.1 PHONES AND ELECTRONICS If you give your child a mobile phone then we ask that you give us the number so that we have a record of it. Boarders may use their mobile phone before and after school but not during Prep or after Lights Out and it is important that the students do not bring their mobile phone into school. We would appreciate it if all parents send in a list of the electronics your child has brought back to school. This is to enable us to make sure they are used responsibly and at the correct times and please do not send extra (or second) electronics to your child without the BM’s knowledge and consent. In all Boarding Homes, apart from in the Sixth Form, all electronic devices are handed in before lights out. This means that the students are not playing games, making phone calls or texting during the night which helps ensure a good night’s sleep.

9.2 COMPUTERS OR LAPTOPS All Boarding Homes have secured study areas that have networked iMacs with filtered internet access and there is access to a printer. There is Wi-Fi around the house and so students are able to use their own laptop; however, this is not strictly necessary for the younger students. The school provided Wi-Fi is stopped during the night time (when everyone should be asleep) so we ask parents for their support in ensuring that their child does not have an unlimited mobile data supply or internet hotspot.

9.3 VALUABLES AND MONEY Students are discouraged from bringing valuables into school and the school cannot take responsibility for any of these items.

Passports and items of particular value that you have to bring to school should be given to the BM or ABM for safekeeping.

These items will be kept in the BM’s safe. Any money that you would like your child to have should be handed into the BM or ABM at the beginning of the term and taken from the safe when required. It may be advisable to open a bank account so that small amounts of pocket money can be withdrawn from the ATM machines.

It is useful for boarders to have a sum of money to pay for small items and house trips during the term although this is something more for the boarders not in the sixth form. A sum of 150,000 won should be more than adequate for the term and ideally, this should be in small denomination notes (10,000) and should be handed to the BM on arrival for safekeeping.

Parents can make contact with the BM and put a limit on the weekly amount issued if they would like to.

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9.4 ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES Please understand that a Boarding Home is a communal home and if everyone brought extra electrical appliances then the electrical load on our sockets would reach dangerous levels. Kitchen appliances are not permitted in the rooms; there are fridges, microwaves, kettles and toasters in the brew rooms, though their use is restricted during the school day.

Boarders are allowed personal electrical equipment in their room, such as a reading lamp, alarm clock, or music player but these need to be kept to a minimum and multi-sockets are not permitted due to the inherent fire risk.

9.5 FROM HOME Please do provide your own duvet, pillows and towels (duvet covers, bottom sheets and pillowcases will be provided by the School but you may wish to bring your own). Boarders may also like to bring posters, photos, ornaments or other decorations with which to personalise your room. Please don’t forget to bring Blu-tak, as drawing pins and sellotape are not allowed. In addition, please ensure that everything is clearly named. All belongings - clothes, linen, electrical items - everything needs to be clearly labelled, please.

9.6 GENERAL

Room Items

Single Duvet

1

Pillow

1 or 2 as required

Duvet Covers

2 sets

Pillow Covers

2 sets

Plastic drinking cup

1

Alarm clock

1

Laundry bags with zip

2

Dressing Gown

1

Pyjamas or other sleepwear

2

Slippers for inside House

1 pair

Large beach/swimming towel

1

Large Towels

2 Must include: Toothpaste and tooth-

Toiletry Bag

brush, soap, shampoo, comb and brush, sanitary products for girls, a razor for boys (as required) Must be handed to the Medical

Personal medication

Centre or HM upon arrival to the Boarding Houses

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Hole puncher and files

No specified number

See-through wallets and file dividers

No specified number or type

Dictionary Thesaurus Desk Items

External Hard Drive

Korean / English and English / English (Electronic or paper) English / English Backup for computer files - no specified storage limit

Glue Stick Sellotape Desk Tidy

No specified type

Stapler and Staples

No specified type

Pads of lined paper

No specified number or type

Underwear

Minimum of 10 changes Might include: Skirts, Trousers, Shorts

Personal Clothes

Casual clothing for weekends

(no shorter than mid-thigh), sensible casual shoes (not heels), jeans, tshirts, polo shirts, sweatshirts.

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10 BOARDING RULES The NLCS Jeju has a Behaviour Policy, which ensures a consistent approach to all matters of discipline. It is important to note, however, that the discipline policy is not primarily about rule enforcement, but a means of preventing poor behaviour and promoting good relationships so that everyone feels happy, safe and secure. With that aim in mind, Boarding Homes have their own reward systems to encourage students to respond positively to all those aspects of community living which serve to create an orderly and safe environment for everyone. Expectations of appropriate behaviour are made explicit by the BM, and students are given appropriate guidance and support to meet those expectations. Where students do not respond positively, the usual sanctions would be the withdrawal of privileges, duties such as tidying up common areas, and loss of free time.

As a guiding principle, boarding related behaviour is dealt with by boarding staff in the home and school-related behaviour should be dealt with by the teaching staff in the school.

The following rules apply to all boarders: •

Boarders are responsible for waking themselves up in the morning and going to bed at night. Silence should be maintained after lights out and all your electronic devices should be handed into duty staff for locking away.

•

All students must attend registration, both morning and night, and all meals.

•

Students should not enter another person’s bedroom without permission.

•

Students from other Boarding Homes are not allowed into different Boarding Homes unless they are visiting the common atrium during the set times.

•

No students are allowed to enter any of the residential staff accommodation at any time, including the Graduate and Gap Assistant’s flat.

•

Preparation of snacks in boarding kitchens must only take place at the times set out in the Boarding Home.

•

No age-restricted films are to be watched by those students under that age.

•

High-caffeine products and chewing gum are all not permitted in the Boarding Homes and they will be disposed of immediately if found.

•

Personal music in bedrooms must be listened to through the use of headphones.

•

Study time must be used solely for the purpose of academic work, including reading an English book.

•

No student is to leave the school site at any time without specific permission unless accompanied by a member of staff on a school activity.

•

After lights out, no student is permitted to leave the Boarding Home under any circumstances, unless directed by a member of the boarding staff or in the event of a fire.

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•

Tampering with smoke alarms, fire alarms, fire equipment is strictly prohibited.

•

Tampering with the school ICT network is strictly prohibited.

•

Nobody is to use the sports facilities or creative arts facilities unless supervised by a member of staff.

10.1 BULLYING The school is committed to having zero tolerance towards any form of bullying and it is important that boarding students understand this. There is a specific anti-bullying Policy (PC015) which the school follows and students who engage in bullying are swiftly addressed.

10.2 SMOKING AND ALCOHOL No student may smoke on the School site, bring cigarettes, or e-cigarettes/vaping paraphernalia onto the School site, smoke during their journey to School, smoke on a School trip, nor supply cigarettes to other pupils. Students should not smoke anywhere whilst wearing School uniform and a student who is not smoking but who is present with another student who is smoking may also receive an appropriate sanction.

No student may purchase alcohol, bring alcohol onto the School site, supply other pupils with alcohol nor arrive at a School function having consumed alcohol. These rules apply to students on any school trip and anyone found to be involved with smoking or alcohol can expect to receive a serious sanction.

Students and parents should be aware that alcohol breathalysers are available on the school site and the BMs can request to use them. Nicotine (cotinine) testing kits could be requested by the AVP (Boarding) if a significant concern has been raised regarding the possibility of smoking. Repeated failure to follow these rules can result in a student’s place in the school being put in question and can ultimately result in a student being removed from NLCS Jeju.

10.3 CLASSIFIED DRUGS AND BANNED SUBSTANCES No student may bring classified drugs nor banned substances onto the School site for any reason, nor may consume classified drugs nor banned substances on the School site. This definition should be understood to include so-called “legal highs” and/ or other substances deemed by the School to fall within the definition of banned substances. Students and parents should be explicitly aware that supply, or intent to supply, classified drugs or banned substances, whether on or off of the School site, are actions that are likely to be treated with particular seriousness.

10.4 OTHER BANNED ARTICLES Fireworks or other explosives, dangerous weapons (e.g., pellet guns, knives etc.), dangerous substances (e.g. solvents, glue products, etc.), pornographic material and/or any items that common sense would suggest are not acceptable in a school environment must all never be brought into School.

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11 ARRIVING AT & LEAVING CAMPUS There is a strict signing in and out procedure for students. When entering or leaving the Boarding Home, students must signin and out using the home system, such as magnet board, so the students occupying the Boarding Home at any one time can be quickly and easily ascertained. Boarding students are only allowed off-site at particular times and permission must always be sought from the BM or ABM on duty. Junior boarders are not allowed off-site without an accompanying authorised adult.

11.1 ARRIVING TO BEGIN A TERM It is important to be aware that the times to return to the Boarding Houses are published in advance so that it can be ensured the houses are appropriately staffed and rooms are ready to be occupied. Boarders are usually expected to return to NLCS Jeju between 15:00 and 18:00; however, these timings are confirmed by letter to all boarding parents by the Assistant Vice-Principal (Boarding) in advance of the holiday. NLCS Jeju will provide school coaches for boarding students when they arrive at Jeju Airport between the hours of 14:00 - 17:00. Coaches will not be available outside of these times so if your child’s flight arrives earlier than 13:30 and later than 16:30, they will need to make their own way to school. All students need to go to area B1 in the car park where coaches will leave approximately every 30 minutes.

They will be registered when they board the coach and once the student has been registered, the school’s duty of care will begin.

If parents wish to request additional assistance for their child, (available to students in Years 7 - 8 and 12 years old or below only) then there is the possibility of arranging an unaccompanied minor (UM) service with the airline. This must be arranged in advance with the Senior School Office and a letter from the Assistant Vice-Principal (Boarding) is sent well in advance with further clarification.

11.2 DEPARTING AT THE END OF A TERM Students should submit travel details to their BM in advance and supervised school coaches are provided for transport to the airport. These buses leave NLCS Jeju at 16:00 (at the latest) so parents are requested not to book flights prior to 17:30.

It is important to note that the school’s duty of care finishes upon arrival at Jeju airport unless a pre-confirmed UM student.

Those boarders not taking a school bus to the airport should ensure that parents confirm their travel plans in writing with the relevant BM. Student names will be added to a list and passed to the member of staff escorting the bus. In this case, students do not need to sign out at the gate. Parents collecting their children should usually do so from the Boarding Home to ensure that an effective handover of care and control has occurred.

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11.3 EXEATS AND SCHEDULED EXEATS The weekend schedule is important for boarding students as it helps to ensure integration and avoid social isolation. In short, it is very difficult to be friends with someone who is not here and so we value our boarders taking part in the weekend activities. That being said, having time to visit family throughout a long term is an important part of healthy life so we have introduced “Scheduled Exeats” to be held at certain points across the academic year. At NLCS Jeju, an exeat is a short amount of time that a boarder can spend with their parents, family, or a guardian which is normally over a weekend. There is a transfer of care and control during that time, and the boarders become the responsibility of the person taking them out on exeat, rather than being under school control. In an ideal situation, parents would only take their children out during the weekends designated as scheduled exeats; however, we understand that certain important family events may fall outside of these times (weddings, birthdays, graduations, etc). Under these circumstances, students may leave the school site after their Bryant activities at 12:30 and they are required to return before supper on Sunday at 16:30. Requests must be submitted by parents at least three days in advance, using the electronic form on the Parent Portal, and BMs will grant permission assuming the student has honoured all commitments and that parents will take full responsibility for their child whilst off-site.

For the academic year 21/22, there are three scheduled exeat weekends and details of these can be found in the School Calendar published to parents.

11.4 PARENTAL VISITS All such requests are referred to the relevant BM and granted or denied based on the perceived benefit to the student’s pastoral, educational or personal experience. If there is any doubt then BMs will discuss this with the relevant Assistant Vice Principal. Students leaving the school site under such circumstances will need a Leaving Site Permission Slip issued by their BM and this will need to be checked by security at the gate.

11.5 CANONSVILLAGE, GEC, ANDWEEKEND PASSES Outside the front of NLCS Jeju, there are a group of shops and restaurants which the boarders are allowed to access at certain times throughout the week. The majority of these trips out of the school occur during the weekend although we are constantly reviewing the policies surrounding student freedoms.

Older students are allowed to leave the school site on a weekend to spend a few hours in the GEC; however, there is a procedure each time this happens and it is important to note that parental permission is required initially. Students must request permission from their BM and sign out of their Boarding Home with precise details of where they intend to go and a clear indication of the time they will return. For non-sixth form Students that are allowed to go out, they will need to be in groups of at least three to a maximum of six. Within each group, there needs to be at least one mobile phone per three students and no students are to be left alone without a mobile phone.

This map shows the boundaries of what is considered to be the GEC and where the students who have a full GEC pass are allowed to go. This is also something which we are constantly reviewing as the new developments, shops, and buildings within the GEC are also developing.

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Students in the Sixth Form may also apply for a Weekend Pass for Saturday evening or Sunday afternoon if they have prior parental permission. Sixth Form students may request a maximum of two Saturday evening offsite passes a term and a non-negotiable curfew of 22:00 is set. Sixth Form students may also request a maximum of three Sunday afternoon offsite passes a term with a curfew of 19:00 set. If parental permission has been secured, students will discuss their proposed evening plans with their BM and present an itinerary to include timings, destination(s), mode of transport, costs, a proposed sequence of the evening, and a risk assessment.

The BMs will have the final decision on whether an individual can go out or not. All School rules apply offsite as well as on it.

If any student is found to be in breach of the school rules whilst off-site or their behaviour is inappropriate, in addition to the associated sanction, they may also lose this privilege for a full term. Students should report to the BM/ABM on their return to school.

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12 HOMESICKNESS AND OTHER ISSUES Homesickness is perfectly natural and is not something that students, parents or any other parties should be embarrassed about. On the contrary, early recognition and subsequent discussion of any issues greatly increase the chance of a positive outcome. It is important that parents and boarding staff work well together to ensure the best chance of success. Boarding Homes will do the following: •

Allocate buddies and/or mentors

•

Keep the boarders busy and offer lots of different activities

•

Restrict early exeats (ie in the first three weeks of term).

•

Make them feel at home as much as possible

•

Focus on positives - upcoming holidays, recent achievements (however small), birthdays and such like,

•

Email parents to reassure them and to pass on the good news that the child may overlook.

•

Monitor the timings, frequency and duration of calls home.

•

Allow some leniency with EAL students so that they can converse in their mother tongue.

•

Make the Tutor and Head of Year aware to widen the student’s support network.

•

Share personal experiences and encourage more established boarders to do the same. Sometimes the knowledge that everyone experiences some kind of homesickness can help boarders realise that their situation is not unusual.

It is also important that parents recognise the fact that whilst homesickness is likely to affect their child, they are also going to be affected by their child living outside of their home. We request that parents do the following: •

Prepare yourself and your child - explain the reasons for choosing boarding school and encourage realistic expectations. It won’t all be fun but, overall, should be an incredible opportunity and think about the long-term (improved confidence, assertiveness, problem-solving) instead of the short-term (not liking their roommate, for example).

•

Understand that homesickness is normal and natural, it often improves with time.

•

Communicate with the boarding team and keep them informed. Boarding is very much a team effort. Encourage your child to speak to their BM or ABM about how they are feeling.

•

Give your child space in order to help them build resilience. Allowing your child to experience and deal with difficulties is part of boarding and encouraging them to solve their small problems increases self-esteem and confidence.

•

Bring familiar items from home (pictures, books, teddies etc) to help create a familiar space.

•

Encourage your child to get involved in weekend activities to keep them busy.

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•

Encourage your child to speak (on the phone) about the good things that have happened that day.

•

Consider the timing of communication with your child: plan phone calls for 2-3 times per week rather than every day and try not to time this just before bedtime. Phone calls should take place earlier in the day and need to be bright and cheerful.

•

Have a list of questions (at least ten) that you can use to fill any awkward gaps in your phone calls.

•

Reassure your child that all is well at home. Pets, family and friends can often be a source of worry so reassurance that they are ok is important.

•

Continue to remind your child that boarding school is an enormous privilege and should not be seen as a punishment.

We hope that students do the following: •

Focus on daily highlights and positives. Maybe even keep a diary of all the fun and different things they have tried.

•

Don’t ring home all the time. Letter-writing instead of phoning helps you think more about what to tell your family. The prospect of receiving a letter can also give you something to look forward to.

•

Keep active - get involved in as many different activities as you can; be a ‘yes’ person.

•

Do ask for help and don’t be afraid to be upset. Everyone experiences homesickness so it is nothing unusual but nor is it a trivial matter.

•

Make use of the buddy or mentor allocated to you and talk to your new friends.

•

Plan to stay in school for the first three weeks as this will help new boarders to integrate, make friends, and to settle quickly. Going home too soon may seem attractive but it can make students feel like they are starting again when they return.

•

Boarders that give themselves a treat at the end of each day or week do better and having something to look forward to is important.

There is always support available from all staff that work in boarding, particularly the BM and ABM, but there is also a team of fully qualified and professional counsellors available in the school. The counselling offices are located on the second floor of the Sixth Form area and footsteps on the floor guide students and staff to the offices. There are drop-in times available to students, usually at lunchtimes or directly after school but if they would like to make a fixed appointment then their BM can guide them through that. In addition, a group of senior students have been fully trained to act as Peer Mentors. They can support students with issues such as homesickness, friendship issues, loneliness, and academic organisation and are a fantastic addition to our pastoral support in boarding.

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13 PARENT CODE OF CONDUCT Our Parent Code of Conduct states that “The school aims to foster a spirit of collaboration, trust and partnership with parents”. The school is fortunate to have an incredibly supportive body of parents. All efforts will be made by the school to adhere to guidelines and expectations in place to ensure school-home relationships are productive and serve the best interests of all children.

Unreasonable behaviour includes, but is not limited to, the following behaviours •

Verbal or physical abuse of a member of staff, student or partner company / member (eg. school uniform provider, laundry, bus and catering companies).

•

Intimidating, chastising or threatening a member of staff or a student.

•

Non-compliance with requests made by staff in the line of their duties or application of policy.

•

Disregard for site access rules and requests.

•

Refusal, or excessive delay, in engagement and communication with the School regarding issues of concern.

•

Applying pressure on staff members to alter reports, grades or any other records related to his or her child.

•

Recording meetings or telephone calls without prior consent of those involved.

•

Failure to disclose or share information required to allow the School to secure the welfare of his or her child, or that of others (eg. medical information).

•

Failure to secure a school-approved medical and/or psychological/emotional assessments and appropriate support for a child in line with the School’s requirements.

•

Misusing social media and or chat groups to spread false or misleading information or to cause harm to a group or individual in any part of the NLCS Jeju community.

•

Actions that bring the School into disrepute.

It is hoped that parents can appropriately direct their concerns and contribute to a harmonious School community that reflects the School’s Guiding Principles. The consequences for breaches of this Parent Code of Conduct will be determined by the Principal and may include the following •

The School may write to the parent detailing concerns and/or ask the parent to attend a meeting to address the behaviour in question.

•

The School may prohibit a parent from entry to the School site or from attending school-related activities.

•

The School may direct that a parent may only communicate with members of staff through a nominated school representative.

•

In cases of extreme or persistent breach of this Parent Code of Conduct, the School may take steps to remove the child from the school roll.

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•

The School, where appropriate, may involve other authorities.

•

The School may take such other steps as it deems appropriate according to the nature of the breach.

For boarding parents, it is really important that parents understand the negative impact of certain behaviour which falls below our expectations: •

There must be a clear handover in the duty of care for your child if they are going to be spending time outside the Boarding Homes so trying to remove your child from the care and control of the boarding house before this handover occurs should not happen.

•

If there is an incident in the Boarding Homes then it is the responsibility of the staff and school to investigate and deal with it within the policies and procedures at that time. We ask parents not to try to take matters into their own hands and do not contact the family of another student, this is inappropriate and seldom useful.

•

It is really difficult for BMs to manage the issue of “second electronics” without the support of the parents.

Generally, the only way a boarding student gets a second phone or laptop is if parents have provided one. We ask parents to keep tight control on electronic devices if a new phone is purchased then where is the old one, for example.

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14 FAQS Q How much is one night in boarding and what does this include?

A A single night in boarding is usually 70,000 KRW per night and this includes an overnight stay, snacks and meals in the canteen, and use of the Medical Centre in emergencies. Students are required to bring their own bedding and, of course, what they need for an overnight stay. At some points throughout the year, “Taster Sessions” will be available and potential boarders can use these sessions to gain an experience of boarding and to judge their suitability for boarding without charge.

A Taster Session could be a single night (the Y6 Boarding Sleepover) or for a few days (Thu - Sun for Y7/8). These are all dependent on the Boarding Homes having space available and at the discretion of the AVP (Boarding). Please note that this is not expected to be a long-term arrangement and any stay in boarding longer than two weeks is not considered temporary and a formal change of status would be required.

Q Does my child have to come home over the weekend?

A No, your son or daughter does not have to come home during the weekend and, in fact, it is advantageous to have them take part in the weekend schedule.There are many benefits to them taking part together with the rest of the boarders and the Boarding Homes offer vibrant weekend plans to ensure your children have a healthy and productive time at NLCS Jeju. There are scheduled exeats throughout the academic year where we strongly encourage parents to take their children out and ensure they get some time away from boarding and back with families.

Q I heard Boarding Homes have different bedtimes, is this true?

A Whilst Junior School Boarding, Senior School Boarding, and Sixth Form Boarding all have slightly different routines, there should be consistency within the boarding homes of the same age range. That being said, we do promote positivity in the boarding homes and all homes operate a positive reward system, so, at the weekends, sometimes a reward may be given by a BM to their home (or a specific year group) with an extended bedtime because they have earnt it.

Q I heard Boarding Homes have different rules about access to electronics, is this true?

A This might have been true in the past but it is fundamentally important that the boarding homes have absolute consistency regarding electronics and steps have been taken to implement this for 2021/22.

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Q Can I choose my child’s Boarding Home?

A The short answer is no, as it is the responsibility of the school to do this but we will listen to any concerns that parents might raise. It is important to note that many factors go into choosing a child’s Boarding Home, it is not done randomly and could simply be due to their sibling already being a member of that Boarding Home. Friendship groups, interests and hobbies, and the rooms/beds available all play an important role. We are aware that sometimes children feel anxious and young new boarders especially want to be surrounded by their existing friends but a Boarding Home is an exciting new opportunity for friendship groups with people they have never met before. Please remember that the purpose of boarding is not to perpetuate those friendships, they will always be there, but to make new connections and integrate with whole peer groups.

Q Can a child change his or her Boarding Home?

A It is possible under some circumstances but there is an important process to follow. Changing a student’s Boarding Home is not a small matter and, whilst it is possible, it must be considered carefully before being agreed upon. Only one Boarding Home change is possible per student during their time at NLCS Jeju and the final decision is made by the AVP (Boarding) and VP (Pastoral) together. It must be in the best interests of the child and a meeting with the BM, and AVPs will be held beforehand.

Q Is there enough time to study?

A Yes, the overwhelming majority of boarding students feel that there is enough time to study and that there is more prep/ homework time available when compared to the amount of work set by teachers. We conducted a review at the end of the 2019/20 academic year and decided to keep the formal prep/homework scheduled; however, we are due to review this again within the 2021/22 academic year. It is fundamentally important that we maintain a healthy balance throughout a boarders time at school and the boarding routine is carefully considered and adapted each year. Often a student who feels that there is not enough time is not working efficiently and they simply need some support from the boarding staff to develop these organisational and academic skills.

Q Can my child leave boarding for academy lessons in the evening?

A In some circumstances, yes but this is discouraged as an initial reaction to low academic attainment. The school does not believe that private or additional tuition is inherently wrong, but that the routine and automatic attendance on evenings, weekends and holidays is unnecessary and can even work to the detriment of your child’s education and development. In particular: concerns about excessive tiredness of the students and the fact that we must create a healthy balanced routine for our students; the ‘way of learning’ in is usually not in line with the school’s ethos or IB philosophy and sometimes NLCS Jeju students are ‘hindered’ in their ability to think creatively and critically because of the way they have been ‘taught’; the possibility of breaching IGCSE or IB rules about how much support they are allowed to receive with course work, IAs, or their extended essay; the child might be missing out on the other opportunities that an adolescent should have; or that a child might not have sufficient time to develop the extracurricular interests and skills that are essential to university applications in the UK and, especially, the US. The school suggests instead that parents approach private tuition on a needs basis and work with the school in the interests of each child, case-by-case. Our staff are happy to work with parents and discuss the likely impacts, positive or negative, of a child accessing private tuition. We want to ensure any educational support beyond regular school provision meets an 34

identified and specific need, is limited in scope, and is not something that can be met by the school. Our boarding programme has always been based on a ‘balanced’ provision of academic study, physical activity, adequate sleep and organised and free time for socialising and positive relationship building.

Q Do children have to take all their belongings when they return home?

A No, we understand that most of our boarding students need to fly back to the mainland or internationally so they can leave certain things behind. There are storage rooms in Boarding Homes which are available to keep things that they do not need to bring home; sometimes books, small furniture, or lamps etc. It is important that a room is emptied as much as possible though, sometimes entirely if a room change or refurbishment is taking place so that a thorough clean can occur unhindered during the holiday times. It is possible to box up some items and send them via the postal system too and this is arranged in collaboration with our Matrons and the Operations Team.

Q What is the food like?

A The catering contract was changed for the beginning of 20/21 and the catering company is just about to begin their second year now. Last year was an impressive improvement on the freshness of produce and high-quality ingredients when compared with the previous company. It is vitally important that boarders have a voice and that they are listened to so regular and effective Food Committee meetings are held which results in positive and constructive feedback driving more positive development.

Q How does the school manage risks from smoking, vaping, and alcohol in boarding?

A Smoking, vaping, and alcohol are things that affect all adolescents and we all want the boarders under our care to be safe, secure, and not feeling the need to experiment. NLCS Jeju has strict policies in place to secure the welfare of all members of the boarding community. It is clear that smoking, vaping, and alcohol are harmful and we have a robust discipline system in place, a temporary external exclusion (suspension) can normally be expected, if students fall below our high expectations. As well as sanctions, we will support students to become more confident in resisting peer pressure and give counselling (or other strategies) to deal with stress and pressure.

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