Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

A bit off topic, but I love the fact that so many staff are OBs...

Same as Ajarn !

Peter, nice to see you on-board and now you are here...........

Could you possibly write a short note on what you would like OB's to do if they would like to visit outside OB's day/reunions etc? As that was the start of the thread, I am sure it would be helpful to us all to know what you want the procedure to be.

Julian/Mods - if you could make Peter's response a sticky please?

Dear All,

Let me ask a few questions as to what other people think should be happening when old blues return. I need to make sure that what i am going to put on here actually is how they want things to go on.

I think with Child protection being tighter and tighter that off the cuff visits will be somewhat discouraged. However visits that are organised in advance should not be problematic in the slightest.

As an old blue myself i can tell you CH does 100% appreciate what old blues do for the school, however this in no way detracts CH from its legal obligations.

If anyone is planning to visit CH before i get some clear guidelines please feel free to contact me so i can make sure your visit is known about.

Kind regards

Peter Newell

Peter.

Can I refer you to my previous posts on the subject ? If you have read them you will know that I am heavily involved in youth football, being Chairman of an Under 18's Girls team, and therefore I am fully aware of the Child Protection Act. Living some 12 miles from Horsham, I am often passing very close by, either with family or with related football matters.

It all comes down to IDENTITY. Surely, OB's who may well want to be regular visitors, even on an Ad Hoc basis could be issued with photo ID, which we would obviously pay for. In the event of a school visit, this would be sufficient to prove to CH Security Staff or CH Staff that the visit was completely genuine without any alternative or dubious motive ?

Similar to John, I think the issue is one of Identity. In this day and age of child protection I would think it reasonable for an OB to prove who they are (bank cards, Drving Licence, Passport etc) or for regular visitors and ID pass (I assume staff have such a thing). There must also be a database of OB's with dates and hosues, so that as security you could ask someone a question such as what house trhey were in, or who was the headmaster when they were at school.

When I came to visit, I did actually put my passport and driving licence in the car, knowing that you would probably have asked for some sort of ID when I signed in.

Probably literally 'off the cuff' visits with no notice is not possible, but I would like to think that giving maybe 48 hours notice (perhaps not 24 as I gave) should be sufficient?

More importantly I think it should be made clear to those in the school that there is a procedure. If you go back to the first page, you can see I was somewhat fobbed off by the school office, and not given chance to speak to security to arrange a suitable entry/exit. If you were to provide a 'Standard Procedure for OB's visiting' to the school office and the CHA office along the lines of:
- please ask OB to contact security to agree suitable time
- please tell OB to provide ID/Photo ID
- Please give 48 hours notice
- at agreed time go to security to sign in
etc etc. then this is clear to all.

Really this should be posted on the CHA website, School Website, Fourm and added to the Old Blue.

Anyone any other ideas?

All sounds good to me Craig - provided the questions allow for Hertford Old Girls for whom it might be their first ever visit to CH Horsham. We should be accommodated in just the same way as any other OB.

All good suggestions, and I am sure they will be gratefully received. However, let us remember

a) that the SMT currently have this under review and will no doubt issue instructions on procedure in due course and

b) only the school have the full picture (security needs, weakspots, resources, times, nuisance value of unscheduled visits or even of scheduling scheduled visits etc etc). Whatever experience we may have of these matters, we do NOT have the full picture; the school may well make decisions without, possibly for very good reasons, wishing to divulge these reasons publicly.

The school does, however, have a clear understanding of the importance of the OB community and will, I am sure, try to devise a procedure that is neither too draconian nor too unwelcoming but will nevertheless fulfil their absolute responsibility which is first and foremost to the children in their care. I think we must all be a little patient and understanding even if we do not understand why certain measures need to be implemented or indeed why certain of our suggestions may not be adopted.

Dave no problem with that, however as per the start of the thread and your very useful initial comments, not communicating the policy/guidelines is as bad as not having one at all! Of course the SMT have more information, but could they let us have just the pertinent facts?

Momto2 wrote:As an existing parent the lack of security worries me considerably.

in response to this, and the guy who tried to visit and then drove away again:

the best thing you can do to improve security is to drive in through one of the open gates, nick a computer and drive off again. it was precisely this reaon why the gates were first installed (i know, i was there at the time).

no, seriously.

and another thing: the security measures mean nothing as there is a public right of way which runs from peele gate, through big side and out through wapple gate.

they can't stop you entering the site at either wapple or peele gates (it would be unlawful for them to do so), what they can do is stop you going 'off track'. i know from personal experience that this is never done.

in short, go visit when and where you like!

Hendrik wrote:and another thing: the security measures mean nothing as there is a public right of way which runs from peele gate, through big side and out through wapple gate.

they can't stop you entering the site at either wapple or peele gates (it would be unlawful for them to do so), what they can do is stop you going 'off track'. i know from personal experience that this is never done.

in short, go visit when and where you like!

Good to see you back Hendrik!

I look forward to some political debate if you stay around!

Hope Austria was good.

Ah Hendrik, I wondered where you had got too...

I know that some of the staff whilst walking dogs etc around Big Side have actually told peopkle to stick to the path etc.

The school have tried on a number of occasions I beleive to move the footpath but with no joy...

Great Plum wrote:Ah Hendrik, I wondered where you had got too...

I know that some of the staff whilst walking dogs etc around Big Side have actually told peopkle to stick to the path etc.

The school have tried on a number of occasions I beleive to move the footpath but with no joy...

Tell 'em to try a couple of shovels and a dumper-truck !

Hendrik wrote:and another thing: the security measures mean nothing as there is a public right of way which runs from peele gate, through big side and out through wapple gate.

they can't stop you entering the site at either wapple or peele gates (it would be unlawful for them to do so), what they can do is stop you going 'off track'. i know from personal experience that this is never done.

in short, go visit when and where you like!

An interesting viewpoint Hendrik, but not one that is likely to promote better access

The whole point of the thread is to try and engender some cooperation and understanding of a process, rather than the 'hit & miss' process I have exposed so far. As for going 'off track' I think my car can probably do that!