Houses
Students in the school are split up into six different houses. Generally, each student will remain with the same house throughout their stay at the school, however, given a viable reason, the school can (and has) reconsider a student's house. This may also happen if a student is distracted or misbehaves in their house. Each house has their own coloured tie:
- Braithwaite - Blue
- Fenton - Green
- Inglis - Purple (since 1996)
- Mellors - Yellow
- Rippon - White
- Thorpe - Red
In 1993 the school expanded from a five house system to a six house system; this extra class of students was named "BC" (attached to Braithwaite), and as of the 1994 intake "MN" (attached to Mellors). The new "Inglis" house was established in 1996 combining the temporarily assigned houses with the new intake.
Each student also has a form group. The 'form group' of a student is simply a group of students who are in the same house and same year as each other. The form group also has a 'form tutor', who overlooks this form group. Sometimes, the form group will take part in 'Believe time', a time dedicated to activities and at the end, a short prayer.
Each year, every form group will decide on a charity, and on one Wednesday each term, will attempt to raise money for these charities with fund raisers.
In September 2010 and 2012, only one campus took in new students. In 2010, this was Wollaton Park, and in 2012, this was Aspley Lane. The school created two form groups for each house in this situation, to prevent the form groups from being too large. They were named after the house they were part of, followed by either 1 or 2. (for example, Braithwaite would consist of two form groups, Braithwaite 1 and Braithwaite 2.)
In year 7, the majority of lessons are taken with the mixed-ability form group, except English, Mathematics and Science, Languages and Design Technology which are set by ability or other factors, such as place in the register, or what language they take (randomised). The next year, all lessons either set or grouped. Grouped classes are still of mixed ability, however are not taken with the entire form group.
Read more about this topic: The Nottingham Bluecoat Academy
Famous quotes containing the word houses:
“Hast ever ben in Omaha
Where rolls the dark Missouri down,
Where four strong horses scarce can draw
An empty wagon through the town?
Where sand is blown from every mound
To fill your eyes and ears and throat;
Where all the steamboats are aground,
And all the houses are afloat?...
If not, take heed to what I say,
You’ll find it just as I have found it;
And if it lies upon your way
For God’s sake, reader, go around it!”
—For the State of Nebraska, U.S. public relief program (1935-1943)
“The mob is man voluntarily descending to the nature of the beast. Its fit hour of activity is night. Its actions are insane like its whole constitution. It persecutes a principle; it would whip a right; it would tar and feather justice, by inflicting fire and outrage upon the houses and persons of those who have these. It resembles the prank of boys, who run with fire-engines to put out the ruddy aurora streaming to the stars.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“The spectacle of misery grew in its crushing volume. There seemed to be no end to the houses full of hunted starved children. Children with dysentery, children with scurvy, children at every stage of starvation.... We learned to know that the barometer of starvation was the number of children deserted in any community.”
—Mary Heaton Vorse (1874–1966)