House System
Houses
To help bring a sense of community and togetherness, we have introduced a House system to Orchards this week. The four Houses are based each based on a core value of the academy:
• Respect
• Ambition
• Perseverance
• Responsibility
The names we have chosen are based on geographical places around the world which we believe all share the core value of that house.
Uluru House has the core value of respect and is red in colour. Uluru is of great spiritual significance in the Northern Territories of Australia. Due to the amount of respect that the Australian government has been affording this land in the last few decades in terms of returning it to its former name and giving the land back to the indigenous people, it seemed a perfect representation of how we can show respect and why. Miss Banks, Assistant Headteacher of Teaching and Learning is the Head of Uluru House.
Everest House has the core value of ambition and is blue in colour. Mt Everest is the highest mountain in the world and so to reach the summit, which on average is done by 500 people a year. Climbing any part of Everest is an ambition for many and takes many personal qualities to achieve. Mrs Newell, Assistant Headteacher of Teaching and Learning is Head of Everest House.
Giza House has the core value of perseverance and is yellow in colour. The pyramids of Giza took on average 20 years to build. With the technology available to the Ancient Egyptians and the skills used in their construction, it seemed a fitting example of where perseverance can conquer and provide a lasting legacy. Mr Redmile is Head of Giza House.
Borneo House has the core value of responsibility and is green in colour. The Amazon is often used as an example of where we as humans, need to be responsible in terms of our environment and making it last for generations. However, the smaller rainforests of Borneo are older than the Amazon and no less important. It seemed fitting to educate the children in another of our responsibilities in terms of the environment, providing them with more fuel for their arguments in future fights against climate change. Mrs Harrison, Assistant Headteacher of Early Years is Head of Borneo House.
We hope that with this will lead to a stronger school community that all students and staff feel they actively belong to, create role models and cross year partnerships, recognise and reward performance in and beyond the classroom, as well as create regular opportunities to stretch and explore leadership, social and group working skills with students from different year groups.
We very much look forward to seeing these core values grow and become part of everyday life at Orchards.