At Westlake Boys High School, our students may live with one of the following:
Parent
Some parents accompany their children to New Zealand. If students are living with a parent, then the parent has full responsibility for the pastoral care of the student outside school hours.
Designated Caregiver (DCG)
A Designated Caregiver is a person / family that the student’s parents have chosen to take care of their child while they are in New Zealand. The parents take full responsibility and accept the decisions made by their DCG about the day-to-day requirements of their child. Even though the parents have chosen this family, the school has a responsibility to check that the home is suitable for the student and approve the accommodation arrangement.
Homestay
Most of our international students live with a host family while they are in New Zealand. All homestays are carefully selected by our Homestay Manager. We understand how important it is for the relationship between each student and the family to work well. Students’ needs and requests are always considered when making placements, to ensure they are placed in a family environment which works best for them. We have wonderful host families, who give each student the chance to experience the Kiwi way of life, as part of a caring family, and help them to develop their language skills.
Full board (breakfast, lunch, after-school snack and dinner) is provided by our homestay families. All our homestays are within walking distance or a short bus ride from the school. Each student will have their own room and there is Wi-Fi in all our homestay accommodation.
Every member of the home, over the age of eighteen years, is required to have a police check and we visit each home regularly to ensure that our standards are met.
Students may NOT live alone, or in accommodation shared with friends, even if they are over 18.