Houses

Houses at The Ridgeway School...

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Aims 

The Ridgeway School is committed to creating an inclusive community where all students have a sense of belonging and pride.  In this environment, we aim to build strong relationships through healthy competition. ‘Our shared vision is that our students, colleagues and families will be part of a FAIR community. We will support our school Family to Achieve their potential and Inspire students to Reach the very best destinations.’ 

The House System at The Ridgeway School contributes a significant amount to this aim and vision.
It is a way that students can feel more connected to and involved with the community around them. 
It facilitates friendly competitive spirit along the way and provides opportunities to develop students that strive to make positive contributions towards their school and wider community. The sense of belonging provided by house membership, and the opportunity to enter into competitions with peers can have numerous academic benefits as well as the social-emotional. 

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Houses at The Ridgeway School

At Ridgeway, there are four houses: Avebury, Barbury, Kennet and Silbury. Every student is placed in one of these when they join the school, mentor groups are organised by House, and each student has a tie that represents the House that they are in.

There are a variety of House events throughout the year. This blend ensures that everyone has the opportunity to represent their House in something that they enjoy or are good at:

TERM 1 = Bake Off (October)
TERM 2 = Spelling Bee (December)
TERM 3 = Lego Masters (February)
TERM 4 = Trivia Challenge (March)
TERM 5 = Ridgeway’s Got Talent (May)
TERM 6 = Chess Competition & Sports Day (July)

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House Captains

The house system provides additional leadership opportunities for students, allowing them to develop their leadership capacity across the school community. Year 12 House Captains are appointed each year. Their tasks are to motivate and enthuse the pupils within their respective House and play a full and active part in the different events and competitions. They are responsible for developing a house ethos and culture amongst staff and students. They lead by example.

All pupils have the opportunity to earn House points for their House; they are at the heart of our reward system. Merits are awarded for things such as good work, contribution to lessons, community spirit and participation in House competitions. Our yearly sports day also contributes to the running total for House points and involves all pupils. At the end of the academic year all House points are added up and one House wins the overall cup. 

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Benefits of a House System

The House system is an integral part of our school. Students:
Develop a sense of identity and community cohesion 
Participate in healthy competition, by engaging in a diverse range of activities
Show compassion for, and learn how to work with, other people.

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Identity/Community

Building a community is essential in schools. Every school wants to foster a community environment where students participate in many activities and projects. This allows students to make lots of new friends and develop a lot of good relationships between each other. School life improves, promoting a strong sense of teamwork and dedication between students and a good sign of positivity.

Within a large school, the house system gives students a community to belong to and a sense of identity. It ensures new students feel comfortable in their new surroundings and supported by their peers, making them feel part of their new environment as quickly as possible. With regular events, plans and ways to earn house points, a massive feeling of pride and ambition is found in students as a result.

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Competition

Healthy competition is an important outcome of a house system, especially with events throughout the school year. The range of inter-house competitions provide our students with inclusive opportunities for all learning types and interests, the aim being that students will feel comfortable and supported enough to participate in House events, driving them to improve, whilst developing a positive ethos and culture. From the weekly House Quiz, and the termly House competitions to sports day events, house systems help instil in students that they can get involved in a lot of fun events and activities among friends. Competition-based events can teach students how to manage different problems, overcome adversity and become more confident.

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Collaboration

The main strengths of the House system are giving students of all ages the opportunity to work together, creating a cohesive environment, encouraging friendship and collaboration. Houses means they can communicate with people of all ages in their school. They can likely branch out from their usual friendship circles and learn many skills from students of different ages and backgrounds. This reflects the life that we are preparing our students for future beyond Ridgeway School, interacting with students, staff and the wider community to uphold our values.