We are really excited that you will be joining the boarding community at St Peter's and hope that you will make the most of what is on offer at the Boarding House. As a boarder, you are entering a new and exciting world. At first, things may feel a bit strange and different but you will find that the boarding community is a very friendly one, where we do all that we can to help you settle quickly and make you feel at home.
This handbook aims to provide you with all the information you need to fully understand what it means to be a boarder. It is recommended that you read through it carefully and refer to it from time to time, as queries arise. After reading, you may well have a number of questions. It is important you ask any of the friendly, welcoming House Staff as they will do everything they can to put you at ease and support you through your boarding experience. Those who board in the house, really enjoy it and we’re quietly confident that you will too! We look forward to seeing you soon.
Mr Kyle Friendship (Head of Boarding and Houseparent)
Mrs Rebecca Friendship (Houseparent)
Miss Josie Howick (Boarding Assistant)
Mrs Cara Monaghan (Duty Houseparent)
Miss Vicky Ingram (Matron: Mon, Tue & Wed)
Mrs Amber Saltmarsh (Matron: Thur & Fri)
Mrs Diana Richards (Catering Manager)
You will be able to find out which members of the House Staff team are on duty at any time in the week by looking at the House Staff Weekly Duty Rota, which can be found on the main blackboard in the boarding house.
You will certainly meet the majority of the House Staff team during your first night’s stay in the boarding house. Although, Mrs Monaghan is usually on duty on Tuesday evenings, so this is when you are most likely to see her.
Before your first night in the boarding house, you should be given a tour of the house, this is a time to ask any questions. House staff are always pleased to help. A map of the boarding house is on the main noticeboard in the boarding corridor.
As a flexi-boarder, you will either sleep in the Ocean dorm (usually for boys), which is next door to the Health & wellbeing hub and nearest to the boys' bathroom, or Estuary dormitory (usually for girls,) which is further down the corridor and nearest to the girls' bathroom. Both dormitories sleep up to eight. Boarders can choose their bed by putting their overnight bag on one. This is on a ‘first come, first select’ basis on arrival to the house, in the morning prior to your night's stay.
Boarding alternates between Lower and Upper School nights on a weekly basis. so it is likely you will have some knowledge of others staying in the house, as they will be relatively close to you in terms of age group. On arrival, you can ask Matron or a member of house staff, who else is boarding if you are unsure.
If you do not know the other boarders particularly well, then you will have plenty of opportunity to get to know them during your stay. All those in the boarding community are extremely friendly, and it serves as a perfect opportunity to make new friends across the year groups in your school section.
What you will need to bring will depend on the length of your stay and the activities that you will be doing. Common sense will be needed when packing but if you are unsure, ask a member of the house staff before your stay. On arrival at school, (ahead of your night’s stay), boarders’ overnight bags should be placed on an available bed in the correct dorm. Matron is usually in the Sickbay area from 08:00.
It is suggested that you bring casual clothes suitable for the evening activity and think carefully about any extras you might need. For example, any sort of sporty activity will definitely require trainers or specific outdoor footwear, depending on where the activity is taking place. Check the activity schedule in the ‘Boarding Bulletin’ section of the weekly School Newsletter (published the Friday before), to check any information specific to that week's activities.
In each dorm, there are rails and wardrobes in which to hang clothes and also chests of drawers in which to put other belongings. These will also contain a number of spare items such as towels. Valuables should be given to a member of the House Staff team, who will store these safely in a locked cupboard in Matron's room.
Boarders often have Chromebooks, laptops or tablet devices and these can be brought into the Boarding House for safekeeping. They should be handed to House Staff at the beginning of the evening before dinner (along with any mobile phones).
No one is allowed to use devices unsupervised to access the internet.
iPads and mobile phones must never be used to take photographs in the Boarding House. Mobile phones are not necessary to make or receive calls as you always have access to the phone in the Boarding House. Please make House Staff aware if you have brought an electronic item into the boarding house.
An overview of the routines can be found on the main blackboard in the boarding house corridor.
Boarders may be asked to complete a duty while they are staying in the Boarding House. Breakfast and Dinner duties require clearing dishes, cups and cutlery, wiping tables and sweeping the floor, and leaving the area generally tidy before saying Grace.
The schedule for each half-term is usually included in the Newsletter sent during the penultimate week of each half-term. This document can also be found in form rooms and around the school.
After Boarders' Activities have finished at around 19:45, you will usually be asked to have a shower and get ready for bed. You may then have some free settling down time in which you can read or talk quietly with the others in your dorm before lights out. It is essential that you have a warm jumper/dressing gown and slip on footwear easily accessible in the event of a fire alarm or needing to exit the house quickly.
You must always ask the permission of a member of the House Staff team if you wish to leave the Boarding House for any reason (e.g. to collect your games kit from the Sports Hall, or practise your instrument in a music room) and must not do so on any occasion when you have not received permission.
The whole school 'Out of Bounds' rules apply while you are staying in the Boarding House. Also, it is important that boys and girls do not enter each other’s rooms or toilets at any time.
It is important for boarders to understand and follow the rules of the boarding house. This way everyone can feel part of a safe and happy community. A copy of the rules is on the noticeboard in the boarding house corridor.
The boarding house 'Statement of Aims' is an important guide to boarding life at St Peter's and is written out to demonstrate that we want to make the boarding experience a really positive one. The 'Statement of Aims' can be found above the arch in the boarding corridor as well as here.
Most people settle into the House very quickly, but if there’s a time while you are boarding you feel homesick, lonely or are worried about something in particular, there are a number of people who you can turn to for support.
On the noticeboard of each dorm (and the main blackboard in the Boarding House corridor), you will find an information sheet called 'Who can I talk to if something is worrying me?' This directs you to members of House Staff. You can also speak to other more experienced boarders or the Head Boy or Head Girl. All of these people can provide support and guidance.
If you do not feel comfortable speaking about a particular worry to somebody at school, there are people outside of the school whom you can speak to at certain times.
On the noticeboard of each dorm you will find an information sheet called 'Who can I talk to if something is worrying me?', which tells you that you can contact an ‘Independent Listener’ and organisations such as Childline, if you have any concerns.
Problems and issues will crop up from time to time. Sometimes things can build up inside us and quickly seem like a ‘big deal’. It is important to reflect carefully on your feelings and to talk to a member of house staff, in order for the matter to be dealt with swiftly. This will help you feel happier more quickly. The Head of Boarding has a responsibility to take all complaints seriously and will do whatever they can to resolve them in a clear and positive way.
If you wish to raise a complaint whilst in the boarding house, you should ask to speak to Mr Friendship in the first instance. If you are not comfortable talking to the Head of Boarding, you can write your complaint and send it to boardingcomplaints@stpetersprepschool.co.uk.
If you feel the problem or complaint has not been fully dealt with, you can make an appointment to discuss the matter further with Mrs Johnston.
A member of the Boarding House team is always on duty, no matter what time of the day, and they are able to help you if you are feeling unwell. Before you go to bed, you should be told which member(s) of the House Staff team are on 'Night Duty', and if you feel unwell during the night then you must always knock on that person's door. House Staff will never be angry with you for waking them up as they will want to make sure that you feel better as soon as possible.
The first point of contact should be the Boarding Assistant, but if they are not able to help or the circumstances require further attention, the Boarding Assistant will contact one of the Houseparents.
You will be prompted by Boarding Staff to leave the main building as quickly as possible. You must leave at the nearest exit and meet at the flagpole outside of the main building, lining up quietly with those in your dorm. There is a green notice in each dorm reminding you of these instructions. There is also a torch that is hung up next to the door in each dorm so that boarders can leave the building safely if the fire alarm goes off during the night. Before going to sleep, you should make sure that you have a dressing gown or jumper and a pair of slippers or shoes next to your bed so that you can leave the building quickly.
If the fire alarm goes off whilst you are participating in Boarders' Activities elsewhere on site, then you must stop what you are doing and move quickly but safely to the flagpole, lining up quietly with those in your dorm.
If the intruder alarm goes off, a member of the Boarding Staff will gather all of the boarders together outside of Matron's room and issue instructions until the issue has been resolved and the alarm is reset.
The fire alarm will generally be heard a lot more loudly in the boarding house and alarm tests are done every Friday morning at 08:00. The intruder alarm is a shrill, continuous high-pitched siren very different from the fire alarm.
After bedtime, the House Staff will complete a final lock up of the main building and set the intruder alarm. The downstairs area of the main building and all of the staircases are alarmed and boarders must therefore remain upstairs at all times unless they hear the fire alarm going off. House staff will then escort boarders to the safety meeting point.
The safety and happiness of everyone who stays in the boarding house relies on the positive actions of the boarders and as a result Boarding Staff feel that it is really important to reward good behaviour.
The Boarding house runs a merit system and boarders can earn individual merits within the community. The number of merits awarded to each boarder are recorded on a Merit Chart in the Boarding House and Boarding Staff keep detailed records of why these merits have been awarded. You can read more here.
The boarding house has a set of rules to make sure all boarders are safe and happy. Members of house staff are disappointed when these rules are broken and will think carefully about what sanction is handed out to a particular boarder, to ensure the fair treatment of all boarders. The different sanctions are outlined in the Boarding Behaviour Policy. This is on the main school website and on the noticeboard in the boarding house corridor
House Staff will always be pleased to listen to any comments that you have on how to improve the Boarding House. You could also choose to make your point to the Head of Boarding, a boarding representative on the student council or one of the Boarding House Ambassadors. There is also a suggestion box in the main hallway of the boarding house.
You can always find some plastic drinking cups next to the sink in Matron's room. The taps provide potable water and you can use this at any time during your stay.
Each day there is a selection of cereals and bread for toast with a small variety of jams and spreads. Often croissants, brioche or waffles are also provided along with fresh fruit and juice.
In the evening, there is one main meal option and one main dessert option. These are written on the small blackboard by the Food Pass in the dining room. If you are boarding and really dislike the evening food option, please politely inform a member of the kitchen team during lunchtime, so an alternative can be prepared. Please do give new or untried food options a try if you can. It is really important that any dietary requirements are made clear when bookings are made. If you have any allergies this should be made expressly clear too.
There should always be some fresh fruit available or some biscuits in Matron's room, if you are hungry during your stay. If you want to eat something different then please ask a member of the Boarding Staff team, who may be able to help. We do ask that you don't eat in the dorms.
Sometimes the Boarding House can be very busy and you might just want time to yourself to read or think. Before bedtime, your dorm is likely to be the most quiet area in the Boarding House, or you can use the Snug.
The best place to do your homework is in H3. You should let Boarding Staff know where you are going to work as they can provide support with your work. If you need to practise with your instrument then please inform House Staff. You are welcome to use a music room.
The Boarding Staff are happy for you to use the phone in Matron’s room if you need to phone home. However, if you are feeling homesick this can often make people feel worse. To use the phone, you need to dial 9 and then type in the number that you want to call. If you don't know the number, then please ask the Boarding Staff, who can look it up for you.
Boarding at St Peter’s provides a unique opportunity to be enriched in a number of ways. You will learn key skills that are essential in everyday life, have fun doing activities with a range of other people, and grow your circle of friends. You are sure to laugh lots and share a host of wonderful experiences. We think you’ll love what our Boarding House has to offer. Come and give it a try! We can't wait to welcome you.
