Our House System

The development of a strong culture is a vital part of our schools. We believe that pupils need to be provided with opportunities to develop as young people, to gain a sense of community, and to experience and share success with others. One way in which we provide such opportunities is through our House System. 

Here at Hethersett Academy, we are extremely proud of the House System we have created and the attached values. It embodies all that we stand for and is the vehicle in which our culture is lived through each day. It encourages pupil development through access to a wide range of experiences and motivates students to work together to share ideas, allowing them to learn from each other. 

Each of our Houses has a House Leader and every pupil and staff member is expected to be part of a House. 

We operate a year-group-based pastoral structure, with each Year group led by a Head of Year, Assistant Year Lead, and an Assistant Principal acting as SLT link. Every student is also allocated to one of four Houses which students represent through participation in termly competitions and fundraising events.

 

Our Houses 

  • PERKINS (Green)  

Mel Perkins MBE; the founder and champion of a number of sporting clubs in Hethersett.
 

  • EDWARDS (Yellow)  

Dr Anne Edwards DEM; research scientist at UEA, making advances in identification of plant diseases.

 

  • JORDAN (Red) 

Richard Jordan; award-winning theatre producer and former Hethersett High student.

 

  • DANNATT (Blue)  

Lady Phillippa Dannatt; first female Lord Lieutenant of Norfolk, and resident of Keswick. 
 

 

Our Competitions 

All Hethersett students participate in House competitions within the taught curriculum at least fortnightly; every subject delivers at least one competition per year in lesson time, following a rota. Further to these in-lesson examples, we offer a range of competitions beyond the classroom including sport, the arts, reading, chess and science. At the final event of the year, Sports Day, every student competes in either traditional athletics or a wider choice of sports, with the winning House presented with a shield.  

Each school within the Inspiration Trust has a House System and as part of the wider trust, we are delighted to be able to offer our students the opportunity to participate in numerous exciting inter-trust events and competitions, all of which promote and inspire teamwork, while creating a unique sense of belonging to something bigger than one's self. 

At the end of the academic year we add together the competition points and students’ individual House Point totals, with the House Cup being presented to the winning house in a whole-school assembly. 

 

Rewards

House points are awarded in every lesson to four students who have demonstrated our core values. Students have further opportunities to earn a weekly 4-point award, higher value awards from senior staff for special achievements, and may be nominated for the Principal’s Weekly Award which carries 25 points.  

Once students have accumulated enough House points they can log on to an online platform and choose to exchange their points for a range of physical rewards, ranging from a pen or pencil to a theme park trip at the end of term. 

We do not deduct negative behaviour points from students’ House point scores; we believe that success should be rewarded, and misdemeanours challenged, but that the two are not mutually exclusive. 

 

Attendance

Attendance is further underpinned through the House system. Students are rewarded with an additional House point for each week in which they maintain 100% attendance. We actively promote the message that ‘you need to be in lessons, on time, to achieve’.