Houses for 2024-2025

 

Approach to school houses

As the headteacher of our wonderful church school, I’m excited to share with you the inspiration behind our school 'houses,' which are rooted in a powerful Bible verse from 1 Corinthians 12:12: “Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.”

This verse reminds us that, just like the human body is made up of many different parts—each with its own unique role and function—so too is our school community made up of many different people, each contributing their own gifts, talents, and personalities. Even though we are all individuals, we are part of one community, and each of us plays an important role in making our school a special and harmonious place.

In the context of our school ‘houses,’ this verse shows us that every person is valued, whether they are a teacher, a pupil, or a staff member. Each one of us has something important to offer, and we all work together to build a strong and supportive community. Just as the parts of the body work together to keep the body healthy, we must work together to create a positive, caring, and loving environment in our school.

The houses in our school are a way to celebrate our differences and strengths, but also to remind us that, just like in the body, we are all connected. Each house represents a group where we support one another, learn together, and contribute to the overall wellbeing of our school family. By working as one body, united in Christ, we can achieve great things together.

So, whether you’re a fantastic runner, an inspiring friend, a thoughtful listener, or a creative thinker, each of you is an essential part of the whole. Our strength lies in our unity and in the love we share for one another, as we each bring something unique to our school family.

 

Buzzards

(Blue)

Falcons

(yellow)

Hawks

(green)

Kites

(red)

 

We have chosen bird names for the Houses, inspired by the parable of the mustard seed from the Bible. This parable emphasizes the idea that small beginnings can lead to great outcomes. Just as a tiny mustard seed grows into a large tree that provides shelter and support, we believe that each child has the potential to grow, thrive, and contribute positively to our school community. The bird names symbolize freedom, growth, and the nurturing environment we aim to create, reminding us that together, we can achieve wonderful things, no matter how small we start.

 

What is the purpose of these houses?

  • To provide a smaller community of pupils within the school.
  • To develop a culture of teamwork.
  • To encourage children to work positively together.

 

What will the houses do?

  • Children will be able to earn House Points for showing their school values, SMART behaviour or for going above and beyond in their work. There will be house lunches, house collective worship and rewards for the houses with the most points based on our school values and SMART behaviour. We are looking forward to keeping you up-to-date with each House’s progress as the year goes on.
  • Half-termly House ‘competitions’; these are essentially a chance for pupils to get involved in a class-based activity with a specific focus (as can be seen below) such as Writing, Art, Music…
  • These sessions are a chance for pupils to really display our SMART expectations for behaviour for learning – Safe, Manners, Attitude, Respect and Teamwork.

 

Autumn 2

Spring 1

Spring 2

Summer 1

Summer 2

Sports Day

5-minute creative writing challenge

 

Number facts challenge

P.E. challenge

Art challenge

Science challenge

Usual Sports day activities

 

  • There will also be the chance for House lunches once a term, where children can sit with other pupils in their house and get to know older / younger children across the school.
  • House Collective Worship – Children in Year 6 will be invited to create a short Worship session to deliver to the children in their house once a term.

 

Earning House points

Children can earn House points for the following:

 

Points awarded

What for?

3 pts
  • Showing any of our School Values – Peace, Perseverance, Courage, Compassion, Truthfulness and Respect.

 

3 pts
  • Being SMART – Safe, showing Manners, positive Attitude, Respectful, Teamwork.

(this includes positive attitude towards others, staying focused and working hard in the classroom, as well as being kind, helpful and friendly to others)

 

2 pts
  • Making good progress in a lesson or a specific subject / curriculum area.
  • Contributing in lessons.

 

1 pt
  • Producing a high standard piece of work across any subject / curriculum area.

 

 

The children will put their House points into the pots in the classroom (coloured for each House).

At the end of the week, children from each class will post the House points into the House point boxes.

At 2:25pm on a Friday, the House Leaders will count up the total number of House points in their House point box and write the total on the display and give to the Headteacher to announce in Celebration Worship.

The display will be up-dated each week as House points are added, so children can see an on-going total for the term.

At the end of the term, the House with the most House points receives a reward decided by the staff team such as non-uniform day.