Wellbeing and safety

While our philosophy is to provide students with opportunities to develop self management and independence, each boarder has a scaffolded network of care and personal supervision around them to ensure their wellbeing.

Our carefully selected staff in each boarding house creates a team of caring adults who are assigned to a specific group of boarders so that they can form personal relationships and provide support. This includes:

• Resident Houseparents: staff, generally teachers, who live with their families within the boarding houses. One Houseparent is rostered on duty at all times and holds the 24 hour emergency contact number.

• Assistant Houseparents: teachers and other UWCSEA staff who are rostered on duty to support students after school (for example during homework, dinner and bedtime routines) and also on weekends.

• Day staff: during the school week, our boarding services staff help boarders with personal organisation i.e. finances, air tickets, school trips and visas.

• House families: new boarders are assigned to a group of fellow boarders across age-ranges, who together with a Houseparent, form a ‘house family’. Houseparents meet with their family on a regular basis, and are responsible for the wellbeing of their ‘family’.

• Boarding counsellor: each campus has a qualified counsellor who is available to support the wellbeing of our boarding students and families

Personal safety and security

Each campus has 24 hour security with a dedicated boarding reception and monitored access. Coded security that uses a touchpad sign-out/sign-in system in each boarding house restricts access to the boarding houses, and to specific areas of each boarding house for boarders.

House rules mean that students are given ageappropriate levels of independence and, in younger grades particularly, we have strict guidelines in place for off-campus leave passes. All students must have a valid Singapore handphone number and be contactable via this number whenever they are off campus.

24 hour duty roster and contact: a 24 hour emergency number is held by the Houseparent on duty and we contact parents directly if we have any concerns.

Guardianship: it is possible to register a close friend or family member in Singapore as a guardian or emergency contact. In case of an emergency they will be contacted along with the parents; if this person is also registered as a host, your child will be able to request overnight leave to stay with the guardian.

Insurance: our group policy covers hospitalisation and personal accident insurance for all boarders. Please ask Admissions for details of the levels of cover; some families elect to purchase additional insurance.

Off-campus leave passes: each grade has allocated times when boarders can request permission to leave campus to meet friends, shop, for activities and external lessons, or for other appropriate reasons. Boarders complete an online request form, providing information on purpose, destination, mode of travel, and check in and out times. These leave requests are pre-approved by Houseparents.

Overnight leave: all proposed hosts must pre-register for screening and approval by both boarding house staff and parents in advance of an overnight leave request; all overnight leave requests also require parent pre-approval; this is managed through our boarding portal and app.

Safe deposit box: passports and other valuables are kept in a central safe deposit box in the boarding office.

On-campus medical provision

There is a medical clinic in the boarding house on each campus with the following services:

• Registered nurse to dispense and manage medications

• Weekday clinic to consult a GP and obtain specialist referrals if needed

• Doctor prescribed medications delivered to campus

• Sick bay staffed by registered nurses

• Day staff assist students with follow up medical appointments and accompany them when necessary

Major hospitals are nearby (Dover: National University Hospital and East: Changi General Hospital).

Boarding facilities

While the experience and outcomes of being part of our residential community are the same, and there are more similarities than differences, there are some small differences in logistics and facilities on our two campuses. It’s really only here you will see any difference in the boarding programme, as highlighted below.

Accommodation is protected by hotel-style security access to living and accommodation spaces

Students are housed by gender and grade, with each student having their own bed, desk and study space, wardrobe and storage. Rooms are cleaned (not tidied!) daily, and a regular laundry service is provided. Houseparents live with their families in apartments located in the boarding houses, as part of the residential community on both campuses.

Dover Campus East Campus

• Grades 8–12: four-bedded rooms

• Each room has an ensuite bathroom which is shared by the four boarders

• Two low-rise buildings form three houses, each with smart-card security access

• Medical clinic and sick bay located on ground floor of Kurt Hahn House

• Grades 8 and 9: four-bedded rooms

Grades 10 and 11: two-bedded rooms

Grade 12: single rooms with sink

• Bathrooms are shared, single gender facilities, located at opposite ends of the building on each level

• Single 14-storey building with smart-card security access

• Medical clinic and sick bay on the ground floor

Meals Asian, Indian and Western options, including vegan and vegetarian selections, are offered at every meal

Each school day, boarders have a buffet-style breakfast and dinner, and use a stored-value card to purchase lunch in the school canteen. Afternoon tea is served in the house each day, and kitchen facilities are available to prepare snacks and other meals. Each house also has a BBQ which students can use.

Dover Campus East Campus

• Breakfast and dinner served in the undercover Pavilion Canteen

• Not Halal certified but no pork is served

Boarding house facilities

• Breakfast and dinner served in Santai Cafe

• East Campus kitchen is Halal certified

• Multiple indoor and outdoor common areas with recreation facilities including TV, pool tables, computer and board games and quiet areas

• Regular laundry service provided, with washing machines, dryers, iron and ironing boards available for offschedule laundry

• Allocated study desks, common study areas and music practice rooms

• Fitness facilities includes access to the campus conditioning gym, swimming pool and sports field, as well as bicycles for students to borrow

Dover Campus East Campus

• In-house conditioning gym and dance studio

• Outdoor relaxation areas and BBQ are located in the gardens between the two houses

• Tennis and beach volleyball courts

• Access provided to the campus conditioning gym and dance studio

• Outdoor relaxation area is available on each floor

• Rooftop space with private outdoor garden and BBQ