Our Heads of Houses give us a roundup of House life

February 10th 2023

Boarding House Activities and Competitions

Our Heads of Houses give us a roundup of House life...

Arion House

Davina - Head of Arion House

House life in Arion is like one great big happy family. Highlights include House Nights where we vary from Pamper Nights, hosted by our Matron, to a quick trip to McDonald’s, or even a link up with the other Houses for games, including running around the House playing Hide and Seek. The kitchen is the main hub of the House, and everyone gathers in there during morning break for a quick pick me up, piece of toast. Everyone’s favourite room in the House is the kitchen, where we all pile in for a chat and a gossip.

We celebrate the end of the week in style with our amazing matrons’ brownies every Friday, and as you walk into House after a long day, the aroma of the brownies all throughout the House makes you super happy, and they are the best brownies I have ever tasted.

Blackford House

Bertie - Head of Blackford House

Blackford continues to be a happy mix of hard work and fun. Inter-house competitions have enabled the House to pull together and work hard for each other. The rendition of 'Delilah' at the Inter-House Music Festival was powerful, and rather more tuneful than we expected, but the real stars were our Ensemble who did an amazing job. Blackford was delighted to be crowned as the hockey champions once again in an exciting competition. Elsewhere Blackford has plenty of boys playing rugby sevens, we have the Captain of the School Table Tennis team, we have boys representing the School in swimming galas: everyone is able to be who they want to be in Blackford. Judging by the number of Commendations, the boys are working hard too.

Lyon House

Will - Head of Lyon House

This half of term has been very eventful, with two major House events bringing out Lyon's competitive nature, with House hockey coming a close second place for the seniors and a very comfortable win for the juniors. The Inter-House Music Festival really brought the House together due to our daily rehearsals. We sung 'Daydream Believer' by the Monkeys and came a respectable 3^rdplace. On top of this we came 1^st place in both junior and senior solos, congratulations to Sam and Hugo. Life in House has been great, with all years integrating well together, especially on House Nights, with Prefect Mentor Group dodgeball and the occasional game of Bingo. As the weather is getting better, and the days are getting longer, we are starting to really make the most of the playing fields that are right on our doorstep.

New House

Ruben & Tyler - Heads of New House

New House had a successful start to the year, kicking it off with a win in the Inter-House Senior Badminton Competition, soon followed by a whole-House trip to Bristol for an end of term Christmas celebration with a game of bowling followed by a feast at ZaZa Bazaar.

This year, as a House, we have focused on further strengthening our sense of community and continue to work hard to integrate both boarders and day pupils through our programme of House Night events, for which many day pupils stay in for. We have introduced new activities such as karaoke and one-minute plays. This term, we are twinned with Arion House and have enjoyed a joint dodgeball event, and next half term we are planning a joint karaoke evening. More recently, New House came together to sing within the Inter-House Music Festival, placing 2^nd in the Ensemble Round and securing 3^rd place in the overall competition. New House has had a brilliant year so far, and we can’t wait for the rest!

Priory House

Jess - Head of Priory House

Priory is a House of inclusivity; embracing everyone’s individual talents which makes it an extremely enjoyable place to be. As a House, we build friendships supported by the integration of all year groups, creating a homely environment. New pupils are supported by our welcoming environment created by every girl in the House. So far, this academic year, there have been multiple achievements, which we, as a House, are very proud of, from exciting House sport events to the debating team achievements, as well as a variety of individual successes in all departments. The Inter-House Music Festival was a brilliant opportunity for the whole House to come together as a community. We won first place in the ‘whole House Song’ and ‘acapella ensemble’ which meant we were first place overall. Most importantly, we had so much fun. Priory are looking forward to the rest of the academic year and the exciting events ahead of us.

Wellesley House

Jodie & Laila - Heads of Wellesley House

Wellesley has had a busy and exciting year so far, with many memories created. We have shown incredible team spirit throughout the inter-house events that have taken place. It was so wonderful to see all the girls participate in the House singing with such enthusiasm, resulting in an amazing 2^nd place. We are now looking forward to showing off the hard work we have been putting in when we perform 'Alice in Wonderland' as our House Play. Throughout the term, we have had many enjoyable House Nights and Sunday trips. The House particularly enjoyed the Chocolate Fountain House Night and spending quality time within our family groups. The highlights of the term include our performance in the Inter-House Debating as we enter the semi-finals, as well as many of the individual achievements of our girls, like Ten Tors and University offers as we continue to grow as a community and family together, supporting each other. We look forward to the upcoming events that will be taking place this term and the second half of an enjoyable and successful year.