Northampton School operates a dynamic and interactive House system. Its main purposes are to break down the barriers between the years, encourage healthy competition, develop a sense of community, and provide a vehicle for the student voice. The House system also gives students an opportunity to address core values and spiritual, moral, personal, and social development as well as improving skills in Sport, Expressive Arts, Music, English, General Knowledge and a multitude of other areas! 

The House system gives students a chance to have their say and to be part of something - it is about participation, whether competing or making positive changes to the school environment through the School Council meetings. Students are given the opportunity to put themselves forward, give suggestions, discuss, vote, engage, play, perform, lead, liaise, compete, achieve... and make a difference! 

Each year, pupils will compete for the House Cup, awarded to the House with the most points across the various House competitions that take place in a year. For each competition, the winner (be that individual or team) earns 20 points for their House towards the House Cup, with second place earning 15 points, third 10 points and fourth 5 points. No points are awarded to a house that doesn’t have a participant in the competition, showing that participation is key! 

The exact number and nature of House Competitions will vary over the course of an academic year but will fall under the following areas: 

• Sport – football, netball, hockey, basketball etc. 

• Expressive Arts – Art, Dance, Drama, Music. 

• Academic – Accelerated Reader, poetry competitions etc. 

• Termly report data (over 2 terms) – Behaviour for Learning, Home Learning, Attendance. 

• House points (over 2 terms) – awarded to individuals for a good piece of work, excellent effort or participation or for helpful behaviour. 

• Other – Riddles, Sudoku Race, Christmas Quiz, Fantasy Football etc. 

There are four Houses - Bason, Harris, Kay and Walker. The Houses are named after governors that were instrumental in the setting up of Northampton School; Peter Bason, Oliver Harris, Mary Kay and Morcea Walker. Each House consists of one class from North Wing and another from the South Wing in each year group. 

Each Form elects a House Leader, who drives pupil participation in House competitions, and a Form Representative, who sits on the School Council and who represents the student voice. Ideas from the School Council meetings, which take place three times a year, can be taken forward and discussed with the school’s Senior Leadership Team. Houses have an associated colour, and pupils wear a pin badge on their blazer to show which House they belong to. Each House pin badge is designed with a number in the middle which represents which cohort they pertain to, number 1 being the first cohort to have attended the school, number 2 the second and so on.