Boarding offers so much to our young people. Our principles and practices let you know a little more about our boarding family.
Principles
- To provide accommodation, sustenance and care for weekly, flexi- and occasional boarders at Cundall Manor School.
- To work in partnership with parents and guardians to provide a boarding experience that will be complementary to the home experience, and to nurture a warm, happy and caring family environment.
- To safeguard and promote the welfare of each boarder by trying to meet his/her intellectual, emotional, social and physical needs.
- To provide an environment in which all students feel valued, where there is an atmosphere of tolerance, trust and mutual respect, and where equality of opportunity exists.
Practice
Accommodation: We provide a standard of accommodation that is comfortable and suited to the needs of boarders, according to age and maturity. This is further described in the Boarding Accommodation section.
Sustenance: Meals are provided which can sustain pupils through their busy school lives, catering for individual dietary requirements as necessary. See the Provision and Preparation of Food and Drinks section for more information.
Care and meeting needs: Every aspect of the organisation of the boarding house is devised with the care of boarders in mind. More specifically, each boarder has an individual care plan, where records of triumphs, concerns and incidents are recorded in order to build up as full a picture as possible of the boarder’s needs, and the action taken to meet those needs.
Partnership with parents and guardians: Parents receive a Boarding Handbook for Parents when their children start boarding, and a half-termly newsletter is published. There is a specific boarding email address, boarding@cundallmanor.org.uk, and communication between Houseparents and parents/guardians is frequent. In addition, parents can ring the boarding house during evening hours. The phone number is (01423) 360 914.
A family environment: The Houseparents live in the Boarding House with their own children. Mealtimes and supper are enjoyed together, and activities include as wide an age range as possible. Boarders are encouraged to socialise in the Common Room during free time, and may be invited into the Houseparents’ flat from time to time.
An environment where all feel valued: Cundall is all about celebrating the individual. Through informal conversations with boarders, and information received from other staff, the Houseparents will find out about the interests and talents of individual boarders and make the effort to support them in these, for example by finding time for music practice, or spectating at sports matches.
An atmosphere of tolerance, trust and mutual respect: We actively promote the development of co-operative, mutually respectful and supportive relationships between boarders and between boarders and staff, encouraging them to find their own solutions to problems and to have consideration for others.
Equality of opportunity: The House Parents strive as far as possible to ensure that boarders, regardless of race, colour, nationality, ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation, disability, political views or religious beliefs, have equal access to high-quality accommodation and care, and are treated as individuals with individual needs, in line with Cundall Manor’s Equal Opportunities Policy.
This information is taken from and contained within the Boarding Policy document.