House System

Every pupil when joining Hollyfield is placed into one of our three houses; Eagle, Falcon and Osprey. The original houses were Faraday, Elgar and Tennyson when the school was known as Surbiton Central School. When the school relocated in 1966 to its current location, at some point, the houses were changed into their present names.  It is also usual that siblings are placed into the same house. House assemblies take place once per half-term and are taken by the Heads of House who are Mr Winpenny (Eagle), Miss O’Shea (Falcon) and Mrs McGeoch (Osprey).

The House system plays an important role in the life of the school. It particularly helps pupils with the transition from Year 6 to secondary school by developing a sense of belonging as well as ensuring they feel part of their new environment as quickly as possible. It also fosters a sense of identity within the school and nowhere is this shown  more than during house competitions. House competitions are run throughout the year by the majority of departments, both during and after school and encompass a wide range of activities, to be as inclusive as possible. At Hollyfield we want all of our pupils to be able to represent their House and feel proud to do so. The House system allows for the promotion of pupil’s responsibilities, giving them the chance to learn and develop leadership and communication skills.

Throughout the year, students are able to gain achievement points from members of staff for a variety of reasons, both inside and outside the classroom, such as; classwork, participation, star of the lesson, acts of charity etc. All of the points earned make up the grand total for each House. This is then added to the points awarded during the annual Sports Day, to produce the overall House winner for that academic year.