At Manland, we have four Houses called Dragon, Phoenix, Unicorn and Griffin House. The children are assigned a house group when they start at school and are able to earn house points for demonstrating the school values or for outstanding effort in a specific area of their learning. House points are collated over each half term and the totals are shared with the children. We have a house trophy which the children work hard to receive at the end of the school year.
Each house group has two House Captains. The children work hard to write a speech which they then present to their house group. Their speech outlines why they would like to lead their house, how they will support other children and the qualities they think they can bring to the role. As our British Value of “democracy” encourages, the other children in each house group then vote for their captains. It is always a close vote and we are consistently impressed with the children’s presentation skills.
| Dragon House | Phoenix House | Unicorn House | Griffin House |
|---|---|---|---|
| Captains: Ollie and Rudy-Belle | Captains: Evie and Henry | Captains: Daniel and Sienna | Captains: Phoebe and Monty |
Through the work we do in our house groups, we further enhance our curriculum by developing the children’s awareness of the world around them and the role in which they play in this. Our regular house learning days, encourage the children to work as a team with their peers of all ages to learn a variety of skills, such as teamwork and persistence. Examples of some house learning days have included, learning about cultures of the world and developing problem solving skills across the curriculum. Click here to see examples of some of the work that our House Captains do.
House Learning Days
House Learning Days are an opportunity for the whole school to assemble and find out about a relevant topic. Our school comprises of four houses: Dragons, Griffins, Unicorns and Phoenix. On a House Learning Day, each house will come together to learn about a strand of the day’s topic.
Our most recent theme was ‘The Environment’ and comprised of: plastic pollution; air pollution; reduce, reuse and recycle; and deforestation (this theme was decided by the children during their House Assemblies). Each house rotates through a series of carefully designed tasks linked to the topics.
Children (and staff!) eagerly look forward to House Learning Days as not only it is a chance for children to work with their siblings, but to work with friends from other year groups too. The day enables staff to work with their house, but also to get to know children throughout the school. New friendships and dynamics lend to a ‘buzz’ in the atmosphere and a lovely positive energy reverberates throughout the school.
Displays are created as a result of children’s work and this provides an opportunity for children to reflect on the day’s learning.
