During the recent handover assembly, I remember catching myself in awe of the poise, enthusiasm, and thoughtfulness with which both the outgoing and the new teams spoke about their role. It was clear that every single person was there for a reason, and that they all have something to bring to the literal and metaphorical table.
So, I decided to sit down with (or, rather, phone) the individual members to get an insight into their thinking, their visions, and their expectations of the year ahead. It was a truly eye-opening experience, and I’m thrilled to present the discussion with the Heads of Houses below.
Do you think that vertical, inter-year connections are important? If so, why?
-[Freya] I am a strong believer in the importance of vertical connections throughout the school. There are so many benefits of having a relationship with people from different year groups – you can help and be helped by people who are going through (or have been through) similar things themselves.
-[Annabelle] Definitely. Especially for people in the lower years coming in, it can feel quite daunting not knowing anyone. When I was in Year 7, I felt more comfortable in events like House Drama where everyone was together – I could have some role models higher up in the school and could get to know people in other years who could help me through it. I wasn’t just by myself not knowing anything.
-[Melody] I agree with that, I think relationships between the years is something that we want to bring back. It’s useful for literally everyone – Year 7s are thriving being new to the school, they’ll happily speak to people in older years. Even when you’re in Year 11, it’s useful to speak to Sixth Formers and get the true impression of what that part of school is like.
-[Giada] I think even for Sixth Form, it’s useful to share your knowledge and help other years if you can. As a school community, it’s important for us to stay connected.
What kinds of plans, ideas, visions do you guys have for the year ahead?
-I think as we mentioned community, we wanted to potentially bring back House Families, and to think about how we can make them less artificial. That’s definitely something to watch.
-We are really eager to bring the fun back to house events after the difficult years of Covid, but also to introduce some new house events into the calendar.
-I agree, the element of competitiveness can be reintroduced a little. Looking into improving the end of year total house point prize to something more motivating (like bowling), as well as promoting the smaller competitions such as the Big Draw that aren’t necessarily as well-known as, say, Sports Day. I feel like events like that need to be hyped up more, because they’ve got all the same connections and spirit. Plus, I’m just a competitive person.
Last question – what is your favourite house event?
-My personal favourite has to be Sports Day. This is going to be the first sports day in a while so the SLT are hoping to make it one to remember!
-For me, it’s also Sports Day, through and through. Summer, sports – it’s going to be so good. And – it’s indeed very competitive.
-Sports Day is great. I despise sport, but, again, the competition drives me to actually try in it every year.
-I would have either said Sports Day or House University Challenge – also really fun. Both being in it and watching it. I love that the teams are mixed year, too.
