Petchell House: Boys' Boarding
Welcome to Petchell House, the Boarding House for boys.
Petchell House is a boys-only Boarding House and provides a seven day a week boarding experience along with Yarborough House, which caters for the girls. Petchell House is named after Denys Petchell CBE, who was an old boy and Governor of St. James’ School, as well as being a former Mayor of Great Grimsby.
The House contains ten dormitories and caters for boys from Year 3 all the way up to Year 13. The building contains a Common Room with comfortable chairs and Sky TV, a kitchen where boarders can make snacks and simple meals and a large recreation room where badminton and table-tennis can be played. The dorms are spacious, airy and light and the boys are free to put up posters to their own taste.
Outside are two large areas of grass where the pupils can play ball games, along with a hard court for the winter months where most boys play basketball. The boys eat the majority of their meals in the School Dining Hall and individual pack-ups are provided for trips.
Following Social Services guidelines, the younger boys live in the upstairs dormitories, with the youngest in the dormitory by the Housemaster’s residence. The older boys live in the downstairs dormitories and the Sixth Form pupils are provided with dormitories that offer a little more space and privacy, where possible.
The Common Room contains the House Office and also has a six-way internet hub and House computer for the boys to use for both School work and to communicate with friends and family.
Boarding opens up the individual in a very intense way, a vast array of personalities, styles, coping strategies and attitudes. This ought to complement the family experience, broaden the social understanding and enhance the important social ability to deal with all types of temperaments. There is no better way for your son to establish his own identity than living in a boarding community where he can learn to become an individual in a wider world.
We strongly believe that boarders have much to gain from their life at our School. Their immediate access to the many facilities and activities which St. James’ has to offer, and the many experiences associated with community living. Tolerance, respect for others, independence, the camaraderie and lifelong friendships are all core benefits of boarding here at St. James’ School.
The aims of the boarding community are all underpinned by our desire to see every pupil achieve his full potential in all areas of school life.
Aims of Petchell House:
- To provide a safe, secure and family community
- To promote individual self-respect and respect for others
- To support each individual’s personal growth and development
- To encourage individual’s involvement in the spiritual, academic and cultural life of the School.
- To assist individuals in the development of independence and organisation
- To develop mentoring and leadership skills
- To provide the best possible living environment for all boarding pupils
- To provide a positive and supportive environment for academic study
- To help pupils accept responsibility for individual actions
Boarding is a lifestyle, and even those boys who feel homesick in their first term, would testify to the positive attributes of boarding once they have settled into our busy and rewarding routine in Petchell House.
In Petchell House, we provide a secure family environment with a vast array of opportunities and experiences which will enrich the development of your son.
