St. John's Boys' Hostel
A house kept to a rule
The boys' hostel at Barama is a home inside the school — quiet hours, shared meals, and a routine every resident keeps. These are the rules of the house, and what the hostel asks of every parent and guardian.
Sixteen rules, kept by every resident
Read them with your ward before term begins. Where a rule is unclear, the warden would far rather explain it in advance.
Residence
On campus
Residents live within the school campus and remain inside it for the term.
Visiting Day
2nd Saturday
Parents and guardians may visit on the second Saturday of every month.
In Charge
The Warden
All permissions, deposits and requests are made to the warden in writing.
Vacations
Summer & Winter
The hostel closes and every resident goes home, without exception.
The Boarding House
Where the school day never quite ends
Boarders at St. John's live where they study. The hostel exists so that a child from a distant village keeps the same routine, the same study hours and the same care as every other Johnian.
That closeness is only possible because the house is kept strictly. The rules below govern movement, routine, money, health and conduct — and they are applied to every resident alike. Read together, they describe a settled place: a fixed day, a locked gate, and an adult accountable for each child in it.
The warden is the first point of contact for anything to do with hostel life. Written requests, deposits, permissions and concerns should all reach the school office in the warden’s name.
The Rules
Sixteen rules, in six parts
Nothing here is new to a boarding house — but each rule is written down so that no student, and no parent, is taken by surprise.
Campus & Movement
Inside the gate
The campus boundary is the first rule of the hostel. Every exit is authorised in writing, and every visitor is expected.
Students must remain within the campus. Leaving the campus without permission from the authorities, even for a few hours, may result in dismissal.
No student may leave the campus unless their parent or guardian submits an official request to the warden. Parents may authorise another person by providing an official letter of authorisation.
Visitors are not permitted to meet students or hostel residents without prior permission from the hostel authority.
Routine & Duties
The shape of a boarder's day
Meals, games, classes and study are kept together as one routine — and a share of the work of the house belongs to every resident.
Students must not remain absent from meals, games, classes, study sessions or other extracurricular activities without prior permission from the appropriate authority.
To instil dignity of labour among students, they may be assigned suitable work during their free time.
As this is a Christian institution, participation in Christian religious services is compulsory.
Money & Belongings
What stays with the warden
Cash and valuables are kept out of the dormitory. What a student needs is deposited with the warden and drawn against as required.
Students are not permitted to keep pocket money. Parents or guardians should deposit the required amount with the warden for stationery and other urgent needs. The hostel authorities will not be responsible for the loss of money or personal belongings.
Students are forbidden from keeping valuable items such as ornaments, cameras, audio recorders or radios. Any prohibited item discovered may be confiscated, and serious violations may result in dismissal.
Health & Care
When a student falls ill
A sick child is attended to first and the family informed at once. Conditions needing specialised care are treated outside the hostel.
In case of illness, the student will receive the best possible care, and the parent or guardian will be informed. However, despite all reasonable precautions, the institution shall not be held responsible for accidents, accidental death caused by illness, or sudden outbreaks of epidemics.
Students who contract a contagious disease or develop a condition requiring specialised care may be asked to leave the institution temporarily for appropriate treatment and the safety of other residents.
Conduct & Correspondence
The standard of behaviour
A boarding house depends on trust. Where it is broken, the school acts immediately and tells the family at the earliest opportunity.
The hostel authority reserves the right to monitor the correspondence of hostel residents.
Smoking, chewing tobacco, using drugs, or possessing or reading obscene literature will result in immediate dismissal.
In the event of misconduct, a student may be asked to leave the institution immediately. The parent or guardian will be informed at the earliest possible opportunity.
Holidays & Visits
Going home, and coming back
The hostel keeps a fixed calendar. Departures and returns are the parent's responsibility, and late returns are taken seriously.
Parents or guardians must take their children home during the summer and winter vacations without exception.
The second Saturday of every month is designated as the parents' and guardians' visiting day. They may take their ward outside the campus only after meeting and obtaining permission from the hostel authority.
Students returning late after holidays may lose their hostel seat or be fined if the reason for their late arrival is not considered satisfactory by the authority.
Four breaches that end a hostel seat
Most matters in the hostel are settled by a word with the warden. These four are not. They put other children at risk, and the school acts on them at once.
Leaving the campus unpermitted
Even for a few hours, and even if the student returns of their own accord.
Tobacco, drugs or obscene material
Smoking, chewing tobacco, any drug use, or possessing or reading obscene literature.
Prohibited valuables
Ornaments, cameras, audio recorders or radios — confiscated, and in serious cases grounds for dismissal.
Misconduct in the house
A student may be asked to leave immediately; the family is informed at the earliest opportunity.
In every case the parent or guardian is informed at the earliest possible opportunity, and is asked to collect their ward.
Visiting Day
The second Saturday
One fixed day each month for parents and guardians. Outside it, visits need the prior permission of the hostel authority.
- 1Come on the second Saturday of the month, the designated visiting day.
- 2Meet the hostel authority before anything else.
- 3Obtain permission before taking your ward outside the campus.
- 4Return your ward to the hostel within the time the authority allows.
Confirm the month’s visiting hours with the school office before you travel — they can shift around examinations and holidays.
For Parents & Guardians
What the hostel asks of you
A boarding house works when home and hostel keep the same terms. Five of them fall to the family.
- Deposit money for stationery and urgent needs with the warden.
- Send an official written request to the warden before any exit from campus.
- Authorise anyone collecting your ward by an official letter.
- Take your ward home for the summer and winter vacations.
- Send your ward back on time after every holiday.
Deposits, not pocket money
Leave the term’s stationery and incidental money with the warden. Cash kept in the dormitory is at the student’s own risk.
Leave valuables at home
Ornaments, cameras, audio recorders and radios are not permitted, and may be confiscated if found.
Please Note
Three things worth reading twice
Health, correspondence and liability — the parts of the rulebook that most often need explaining.
Illness & medical care
A student who falls ill receives the best care the school can give, and the family is informed. A contagious disease or a condition needing specialised care is treated outside the hostel, for the student’s sake and for the safety of the other residents.
Correspondence
The hostel authority reserves the right to monitor the correspondence of residents. It is a safeguarding measure, exercised in the interest of the children in the school’s care.
Limits of liability
Despite all reasonable precautions, the institution shall not be held responsible for accidents, accidental death caused by illness, sudden outbreaks of epidemics, or the loss of money and personal belongings kept against the rules.
These rules are read alongside the school’s general rules and are subject to revision by the hostel authority. The current text is always available from the school office.
A Word on Boarding
Discipline is what makes a house a home
Boys who share a roof for a year learn more from the routine than from any single rule in it: to keep time, to take a turn at the work, and to look after one another. That is what the hostel is for.
Boarding for girls is provided at Fatima Convent Girls’ Hostel. Please contact the school office for details.