House Championship

What is the house system?

The house system at Amery Hill was introduced for the 2021-2022 academic year, with the first House Championship competition running alongside this. All students and staff belong to one of four houses, which serves as their pastoral ‘home’ during their time at Amery Hill School. Every house is made up of two tutor groups per year, with a total of ten tutor groups across all year groups.

The house system theme was inspired by the works of Jane Austen, and allows us to pay homage to one of the country’s all-time greatest literary figures, of immense local significance, as well as most fittingly housing our staff and students in literary houses of Hartfield, Mansfield, Northanger and Pemberley.

Each house upholds their own set of core values, works together to compete in the House Championship and champion charities and causes that matter to them.  Other than a designated SLT staff member as the Head of House who take an active role in cheerleading the house in their endeavours and promoting the ethos of each house, the houses are predominantly student-led, with two Year 11 students from each house taking on the significant responsibility of House Captains, who are supported by two Year 10 Vice House Captains.

One House Representative per tutor group is elected in Years 7-9 to complete the committee for each house which meets regularly to discuss house business, organise events and monitor progress in the House Championship.

By coming together as a house, all five year groups have an opportunity to work together as a team, embrace good-natured competition with a focus on trying to win the House Championship for the year.

This vertical component to the house system also allows students to share wisdom and act as mentors and role models to other students, as well as foster a sense of belonging. In addition, our students are able to reach out with greater extent and focus into the community, showcasing the very best of how Amery Hill educates all students for life.

Houses are brought together once per half term in house assemblies, where the core values of their house can be explored in more detail, celebrate the successes of house members and teamwork and an opportunity to earn points for their house in bonus challenges.

The roles of House Captain, Vice House Captain and House Representatives provides students with opportunities to develop all aspects of leadership skills, including communication, empathy, organisation and understanding how to get the best out of a team.

The House Championship

The House Championship is an annual challenge between all four houses, where each house seeks to earn the most house points in the year in order to win. House points can be earned through:

• The existing whole-school ICARE reward system:  ICARE points contribute to a house’s total house points tally. ICARE points are awarded to individuals for their effort, achievement and participation in their lessons and clubs

• House Championship events: these run throughout the year, across all subjects and extend to extra-curricular activities, including those that students wish to put forward. House points awarded for events are scaled accordingly depending upon the number of participants involved and the size of the event.

The closing event of the House Championship for the year is Sports Day, after which all final house points are tallied, and the achievements of all houses as well as the winners are celebrated in our final house assemblies of the year.

Looking ahead

The final standings for the first House Championship were incredibly close, with Northanger House the eventual winner, and Hartfield a close second. Students have embraced the House System with enthusiasm and House Captains, Vice House Captains and House Representatives have been instrumental in making the Championship a success. With the start of the new academic year, we reset the points, welcome our new Year 7 students into the fold and the adventure begins again. Good luck everyone!

End of Year House Championship Points Table