Exeats and Leaves

We have a system of FIXED LEAVES at Wycombe. This means that Half Terms and Weekends Out (known as Long and Short Leaves) are fixed and taken by the whole School, including staff. These dates are announced well in advance. Girls returning from Long or Short Leaves should not return to their House before 7.00 pm. One House only will be open to receive girls who need to return between 5.00 and 7.00 pm. If you need to bring your daughter back early, you should notify your daughter's Housemistress before the Leave starts and find out which is the 'Early House'. All girls should be back by 8.45 pm at the latest at the end of Leaves. [8.00 pm for Junior House]

When may my daughter go out?

Girls may have day exeats any Sunday, subject to School commitments apart from “closed weekends”. These are the first and last weekends and the weekend after Long Leave of each term and girls should not go out unless there are special circumstances which have been agreed with the Housemistress.

Upper Third to Upper Fifth girls may go out on any remaining Sunday with their or their friends' parents or other grown-ups, with written permission from parents.

Girls may leave from 11.00 am (after Chapel), returning by 8.45 pm. NB. Junior House girls must return by 8.00 pm.

When there is Evensong, girls may take an Exeat from 9.15 am until 6.30 pm.

If a girl has a School commitment on a Sunday or there are special considerations, she may be allowed to go out on a Saturday instead, from 11.45 am until 8.45 pm.

School commitments take priority over Exeats and it is the girl's responsibility to ensure that she does not miss any match, rehearsal, etc. which she should be attending.

In addition each term, Upper Fifth girls may put two of their exeats together to have a night away, subject to School commitments, leaving at 11.45 am on Saturday. They should be back in time for Chapel. If a girl is in a match or other School commitment and so cannot leave School until after 4 pm, and then needs to be back in School for 10 am the next day for Chapel, she will only use up one exeat, but she may not have any more nights out! To clarify: in order to put two exeats together to have a night out, she will need to be in School for all of another weekend in order to ‘earn' her night away.

Lower Sixth girls may go out any Saturday after School commitments or Sunday apart from the closed weekends. Twice a term they may put two exeats together and have a night away, returning by 8.45 pm on Sunday; in the Autumn term they may do this three times. Like the Upper Fifths, the Lower Sixth need to be in School for all of another weekend in order to ‘earn' their Saturday night out.

Upper Sixth girls have much more flexibility at the weekends, School and work commitments permitting.

In the event of permission being requested for a girl to attend a special family occasion (e.g. a wedding) an approach, well in advance, should be made in the first instance to her Housemistress.

What other times may I take her out?

Don't forget the ‘Bonuses'! If you are able to come and support the School at a play or concert then you are most welcome to take your daughter out for a meal. After a match some parents take their daughter out for tea.

And then there are picnics! Some parents come and have a picnic lunch or tea in the grounds with their daughters. This is rarely more than once a month and can be a lovely opportunity to meet your daughter's friends.

What happens if my daughter cannot go out?

All the girls take the Long and Short Leaves. However, there are very many girls who never take all their exeat entitlement. We tend to find parents of new girls the most willing supporters of our events and thus taking the most frequent ‘bonuses', but this tails off as the girls settle in. Many girls never have bonuses or picnics.

There are always plenty of girls in School together with an excellent optional activities programme at the weekend.