From the hollowed halls of JK Rowling’s Hogwarts, to the four pillars of Enid Blyton’s ‘Mallory Towers’, school houses often serve as a significant structural part of the school experience when it comes to works of literary fiction. But it is not simply works of fiction that benefit from an embedded house system in a school.
For those who are perhaps less familiar with a house system, they are a structure that divides the entire student body (and often staff) into smaller, mixed-age groups called “houses.” The term “houses” is derived from British boarding schools and refers to the literal houses that pupils would have lived in whilst at school during term time. For modern day boarding school, this house system remains very much unchanged and forms a vital part of the pastoral care system as well as providing the living needs of each student. The use of this system in day schools is designed to create a smaller, more supportive community within the larger school environment.
Here at the High School, the house system is comparatively new, having been introduced in the late ‘naughties’ by previous head mistress, Sarah Dixon. This is very much reflected in our annual prize giving where heads of house receive the ‘Sarah Dixon Prize for Head of House’. At the time they were introduced, the then students leadership team was tasked with canvassing the rest of the pupils to establish identities for each house. This resulted in our current houses, which are named after four goddesses from ancient Greek mythology. Mr Rickman suspects that the head girl at the time was a classicist, but the result is highly appropriate for a school which promotes female strength and independence.
- Artemis (Green), the Goddess of the Hunt, embodies total independence and focus. She famously requested perpetual virginity from Zeus, choosing her own path dedicated to the wilderness and her pursuits. This encourages girls to value their own terms for success, prioritise their personal goals, and feel confident in their ability to thrive without needing external validation. Artemis is known for her swiftness and her protective nature over her companions. Her myth highlights the value of physical capability and fierce, loyal protection of one’s community (the house), making her a symbol of athletic spirit and active leadership.
- Demeter (Yellow), the Goddess of the Harvest, models immense power driven by deep emotion and feeling. When her daughter Persephone was lost after being tricked by Hades into eating fruit from the underworld, her profound grief literally stopped the world’s growth, creating the seasons. This demonstrates the strength found in deep emotional commitment and the importance of resilience and perseverance to overcome significant hardship. As the patron of agriculture, Demeter embodies patience and sustenance. She teaches girls the value of nurturing growth, whether in their academic subject lessons, in their younger housemates through mentorship, or in the collective school community, reinforcing a sense of collective responsibility.
- Hestia (Red), the Goddess of the Hearth and Home, models essential, behind-the-scenes strength. She voluntarily gave up her place on Mount Olympus to tend the sacred hearth, ensuring the stability and harmony of ‘family’. This encourages girls to be the calm, stabilising force in their group. Hestia teaches that stability and inner peace are powerful assets, encouraging house members to prioritise creating a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere that serves as a solid anchor for all its members.
- Selene (Blue) is the personification of the Moon, who nightly drives her silver chariot to bring light to the darkness. This inspires girls to develop their intuition and rely on their inner strength to navigate challenges. Her consistent, cyclical journey across the sky highlights the value of being a reliable presence and a dependable housemate and friend. Selene encourages girls to be a guiding light for others and to remember that even during challenging “dark” periods, there is always hope and reliable illumination to follow.
Sadly, unlike at Hogwarts, we do not have a sorting hat to match pupils with the character traits of their given house. Instead, we hope that the collective house community will inspire elements of all 4 goddesses within each of our pupils, and I am thrilled to be able to say that we see this taking place every day around school.
The house system is highly valued for fostering social, emotional, and leadership development, alongside boosting school spirit. The vertical integration across the year groups gives younger pupils something to aspire to and older pupils an opportunity to develop their mentoring skills with younger peers. Staff members are also assigned to houses, developing those important relationships between staff and students outside of the classroom environment. Some of our staff members (and I won’t mention names here……..Miss Wall and Mrs Littlewood!!) are more competitive than the pupils, and take great pride in their house. I, myself, have been a proud member of Demeter for the last 13 years. I don’t actually remember the last time we won the house trophy, but our determination is unmatched and we will keep trying for that coveted prize as house winners. It is hard not to become attached after that length of time!
A well integrated house system can also help to foster positive behaviours and values through positive reinforcement. House points are frequently awarded through our epraise system and can be given for a whole range of different positive behaviours. The pie chart below demonstrates the significant academic effort that our girls are committing to, as well as rounding this off with engagement in the cocurricular programme and developing their reach to push themselves out of their comfort zone.
In working together for a common goal, members of each house are able to celebrate each other as well as their own personal success stories. Building this shared sense of team work and support, ultimately fuels their personal development and social skill building and results in a family feel unlike any other.
At Northampton High School, the house system drives a yearly calendar of diverse, inclusive events where students can earn valuable points for their house across several categories. It provides a platform for students to develop creativity and confidence through a wide range of disciplines, ensuring that there is something for everyone to feel involved in and fostering a real sense of inclusion. Activities include producing a full House Play at Christmas, (covering writing, directing, and performing), competitive House Music Competitions (for singing and instrumental talents), and promoting physical health and sportsmanship. The school holds regular Inter-House Sports tournaments, throughout the year, in sports like Hockey, Cricket, and Netball. And, of course, my personal favourite day of the year, the annual Sports Day (featuring both track and field events). Together these key competitive events underpin our house system and encourage broad teamwork and participation through various challenges.
There are obvious positives of a house system, such as the opportunities for leadership. Annually, our house leaders are voted in by their house members, to lead them all to victory. Leaders are selected in both senior and junior school, giving opportunities at different levels. There are also less obvious benefits, such as using the house system as a vehicle to deliver cross phase information on personal development. Bringing messy and chaotic, but thoroughly enjoyable, mini house events into assembly allows us to deliver vital and hard hitting messages on anti-bullying and the like, in a way that our pupils enjoy and will remember.
We believe that our house system builds pride and a strong collective identity of our community. The girls are experts at supporting those within their house, but also cheering whole heartedly for those in other houses. You only have to attend our annual sports day to see this in action. Competition is balanced beautifully with inclusion and the experiences they take from this sets our pupils up for a great start to life outside of school. Whether it is leadership or team work, mentoring or self motivation, the skills they develop are significant, impactful and long lasting. The High School Spirit quite literally shines through.
Miss Kneen
Deputy Head Pastoral