Home away from home

It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to St John’s School and to our happy “home away from home” found within our historic boarding house. We strive to build a community here that feels like a large family; built on the principles of mutual respect, fairness and individual growth. For many students, this will be their first time away from home, and we aim to help them become more independent during their time with us, whilst also forging strong connections with parents back home to keep them informed of their child’s progress and help them share in some of their best moments.

Our boarding enrichment programme incorporates trips to major cities, fun group games, arts & crafts, quizzes, cookery and sports, in addition to many other activities. Each aspect encourages the students to communicate in English and make new friends, whilst ensuring their continued development during these transformative teenage years as they spend time away from their family.

Students are accommodated in a series of single and twin bedrooms, in addition to dormitories for younger students. Boarders have access to excellent facilities; which includes an indoor swimming pool, sports hall, tennis courts and sports fields. The local town of Sidmouth is just a 10 minute walk away which gives students easy access to the shops, beach, cinema and church – should they wish to visit any of these places.

Many students join us for one term, though others stay for longer. This flexible model ensures that our boarding provision continuously develops. We do this by listening to feedback from students and parents, and through careful planning as a team to make sure that we are offering an unforgettable experience where lifelong friendships are made and global citizens are formed.

I encourage anybody interested in joining the boarding programme here at St John’s to contact me for more information. I am always happy to meet new families and answer any questions.

Yours Sincerely,

Adam Smallwood
Head of Boarding