Senior: The School Day
Key day-to-day information
Please read on for some useful information about the school day at Westbourne, including key dates and information.
2025-6 Term Dates
Our Term Dates can be accessed by clicking here.
School day timings
The Senior School is open from 8am – 5pm Monday to Friday. On arrival, students should make their way through to the yard via the main entrance.
Registration is 8.50am, and lessons begin at 9am.
The school day ends at 4.30pm. School clubs run after school.
Lunch
Boarding pupils enjoy lunch in the boarding house daily where our in-house chef prepares a wide range of locally sourced, fresh options, catering to any dietary requirements.
Day pupils have the option of bringing either their own packed lunch or ordering a school lunch. Students book their lunch choices in advance, with a varied menu and dietary requirements catered for.
Payment for school lunch will be collected via ParentPay, our cashless payment system, from parents weekly.
We ask that all pupils bring a water bottle to school with them, which can be refilled throughout the day.
Kindly note that Westbourne is a nut-free school. It is imperative that NO NUTS or nut related products enter the school.
The School House System
To enliven and give additional purpose to both academic study and extra-curricular achievement, in line with the IB Learner Profile that runs throughout the school, Westbourne operates the tradition of a School House system. On arrival, your child will be placed in one of our two global houses – Turing or Darwin – where good behaviour, special accomplishments and strong displays of the characteristics in line with the International Baccalaureate Learner Profile earn individuals Plus Points.
Each house includes students from across the school, fostering a sense of community and healthy competition throughout the school and culminating in the award of a House Cup to the winners each year, alongside prizes for individual merit and achievement.
Absence from School
No child should be absent from school without the prior permission of the Principal, except through illness. All appointments to see the doctor, dentist, optician etc. should be arranged for outside school hours, wherever possible.
If your child shows any signs of illness prior to the school day, please keep them at home. Parents are required to ring or email the school office on 02920 705 705, or enquiries@westbourneschool.com before 8am on every day that their child is ill and will not be attending school. This is a legal requirement.
There is a 24-hour answering service. If you leave a voice message please state your child’s name, class and reason for absence. If you suspect that your child has Covid-19 symptoms then it is important that the school is informed as soon as possible and the child is tested.
If parents do not inform the school of a child’s absence then the admin team will call the parents to establish a reason for absence and amend the register as necessary.
If a child has been diagnosed with an infectious disease, please follow your doctor’s instructions with regard to their return to school. Please also inform the school immediately in order that other children can be monitored for similar symptoms.
In School
If your child becomes ill during the school day, the parent(s) will be telephoned if this is deemed necessary. If your child has had medication in the morning before coming to school, please inform the school office and your child’s form teacher so that they can be monitored throughout the day.
Illness
- Diarrhoea and/or vomiting – 48 hours from last episode of diarrhoea or vomiting
- Temperature (anything over 37.5 c) – 24 hours after temperature subsides
- Chickenpox – 7 days from appearance of rash (spots must be dry)
- German measles (rubella) – 6 days from onset of rash
- Hand, foot and mouth – Until blisters clear and healed
- Impetigo – Until lesions have crusted and healed or 48 hours after commencing antibiotics
- Measles – 7 days from the appearance of the rash
- Viral conjunctivitis – 14 days from the start of symptoms
- Bacterial conjunctivitis – If prescribed with antibiotics follow the exclusion for antibiotics
Administration of Medication
If a pupil needs a dose of prescribed medication during the school day, the child must come to the school reception. Prescribed medication can only be administered by the School Secretary. All medication must be clearly named and must state which class your child is in on the packaging. Please make sure that you inform your child’s teacher of any medicine that they are taking so that they can ensure he/she receives it. All EpiPens/ventilators etc will be kept in a safe place. If your child needs an EpiPen/ventilator please write a letter informing the school exactly when and how they are to be administered and if it is necessary for the school to have a duplicate EpiPen/ventilator.
Allergies
Should your child have an allergy, it is essential that the school knows about this. This will then be recorded and all staff will be informed about this. Anaphylaxis due to a nut allergy is a condition that appears to be on the increase. It is difficult to diagnose in advance and is often discovered only when a child eats a nut for the first time.
For this reason, we ask all parents to strictly observe the following rule:
NO NUTS OR NUT PRODUCTS OF ANY SORT ARE TO BE BROUGHT INTO THE SCHOOL.
Peanut butter is particularly hazardous, as even contact with a person who has eaten peanut butter can provoke a reaction. Please be vigilant about any food coming into school: snacks, birthday cake, cake sales etc.
First Aid
We have members of staff at Westbourne School who are qualified to administer first aid.
There are first aid boxes and biohazard kits on each floor. First aid kits will also be taken on all off-site visits. Once first aid has been administered then the child will be monitored. Should we feel that your child is not well then we may call you to ask you to come and collect them.
Parents will always be informed by phone of any injury their child receives to their head. The school office will contact the parent or guardian concerned. If the head injury is severe parents will be asked to collect their son or daughter in order to seek medical advice. All accidents are recorded and reported to the parents/guardians.