D
Dances
School dances are held regularly and provide informal social interaction in a supervised setting. The Code of Conduct for the dances is designed to make sure they continue to be an enjoyable activity for all concerned (including the staff who give up their free time to enable them to take place).
Dances are provided for pupils who support the aims and ethos of the school as demonstrated by their good behaviour and attendance, diligent application to their work and the wearing of the school uniform.
There are no admission tickets for school dances. Pupils need to buy their admission in advance using their Young Scot card. The card must have a clear and identifiable photograph. Pupils also need to produce their card at the entrance to the dance, where it is checked against the list of those who have paid. Anyone who arrives at a dance without their Young Scot card will not be admitted. No card - no admittance – no exceptions.
Please note that pupils may be asked to undergo breath testing for alcohol use on arrival at the dance. Testing may be applied on a random or a targeted basis. If pupils are found to have been drinking alcohol, or smoking, or taking any illegal substance, their parents will be contacted and asked to come to the school to take them home. Disciplinary action will follow. The police may be informed. The same applies to any pupil who behaves in an unruly manner at a dance.
Pupils are not allowed to leave the dance before the end unless collected by a parent. This is to prevent the pupil being elsewhere when the parent thinks he or she is at the dance.
There is no admission after 8.00 pm without prior arrangement. Dances end at 10.30 pm.
Dinner Money
Please remember that the cafeteria does not accept cash. Pupils only need to bring money if they want to use the ‘top-up’ machines to put credits into their Young Scot card. If a pupil forgets or loses his/her money and has no credit left in his/her Young Scot card, he/she should go to the school office at the start of lunchtime for assistance. You can avoid the need for your child to bring money daily by paying a lump sum to the cashless catering system weekly or monthly. Cheques should be made payable to ‘Argyll and Bute Council’. As a rough guide, £2.50 will normally be enough to buy a meal and drink at lunchtime. Pupils who also wish to buy a snack at the morning interval will need to put a bit more than that on to their card each day.
Please see also the entries under Cashless Catering and Young Scot Cards.
Disabled access
The school is fully accessible to persons with mobility difficulties by means of ramps to the ground floor of the main building and to the Technical and Music blocks. In the main building there is a platform lift between the lower and upper levels of the foyer and a lift to all upper floors. Pupils needing to use the lift will be given a permit and lift key on written request to their Head of House. Emergency evacuation of disabled pupils can be carried out using special ‘Evac-chairs’ which are available at all stairways on each floor.
Drinking Water
There are two drinking water fountains in the ground floor corridor adjacent to the girls’ cloakroom. These provide chilled mains water and pupils can drink from them directly. The fountains also have attachments to allow bottles to be filled from them. Pupils are encouraged to drink from these rather than from other taps around the school, which are fed from storage tanks, not the rising main. Bottles of water, either bought or filled from the fountains, may be taken into classes, but no other drinks are allowed.
Please see also the entry under Water.
Drugs
Pupils are not permitted to bring illegal drugs to school. The penalties for doing so are extremely severe and will always involve a lengthy exclusion from school. The Police will always be involved in dealing with drug offences.
Please see also the entry under Medicines.