At The Grange, we want to help every child feel part of our community, to develop as people, and to be able to make the most of the many fabulous opportunities on offer.
One enormous parcel of opportunities, all wrapped up with a bow on top, comes in the form of the House system.
This provides opportunities for students to enter into friendly rivalry in creative, academic and sporting arenas. It gets students meeting and working with other students that they wouldn’t normally interact with, including from other year groups. And it makes those who participate feel more ingrained in our community.
So, with that in mind, here’s your ultimate guide to the House system at The Grange, that you can use to encourage your children to roll up their sleeves and get stuck in!
Every House (each named after Cheshire rivers) stands for fun and friendly rivalry, but did you know that there are subtle differences between the personalities of each mascot?
Bollin House, led by Mr Boardman, is a traditional powerhouse of the House Shield competition. They have an excellent track-record in the House music competitions winning in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2021, and have a reputation for taking an early lead and holding on to it.
The spirit animal of Bollin House is Bollin Bear. A master of imagination and creativity, they are also ready to get stuck in to bring their visions to life… character traits that probably explains their success in House Music!
Head of House Mr Kenyon is always keen for the pupils to be jacks-of-all-trades and have a go at everything. This House has often been runner-up in the race for the House shield but in 2021 they made the break-through and won the competition.
As the only mythical creature amongst the House mascots, the Dane Dragon is sometimes capable of producing real magic, turning the every-day into the extraordinary.
Gowy, with their new Head of House, Mr Smith, have made a complete turnaround, they have been battling away moving between first and second in the race for the House Shield this year.
The Gowy Goat particularly values knowledge, self-enlightenment and truth, all virtues that have stood the House in good stead in the race for the House Shield this year.
Weaver also have a new Head of House in Mrs Farrall, they are now a very competitive House, wanting to win at everything. So far this year they have been leading the race for the House Shield at Christmas and Easter.
“We enjoy being part of Weaver House. We think we are a fun, yet competitive house. We have a go at lots of different activities even if we aren’t successful the first time of trying something new! We just like to have fun taking part,” commented the Weaver House Captains.
The Weaver Wolf champions values such as adventurousness and self-discovery, and also has a strong streak of non-conformity and independence.
Students attend weekly House meetings where they find out about all the opportunities to take part in the various competitions. So, whether your child enjoys being creative, sporty, is good at logical thinking, or a combination of everything, there will be plenty of opportunities for them to represent their House.
However, just as important as the participants in the competitions are the students who come to enthusiastically support their friends. So, whether participating as a competitor, or cheering-on from the side-lines, the message is “come along and get involved!”
At The Grange we work hard to avoid the situation where a child floats through their school days, only interacting with the same narrow group of friends, and not really feeling part of the wider life of the school.
One of the best tools at our disposal to combat this is the House system. When students get involved in House events, they find themselves working with students that they wouldn’t otherwise come across. It makes them feel involved in the life of the school, and part of something larger than their immediate peer group.
Many of the House events provide opportunities for Sixth Formers to develop their leadership skills. Whether as House Captains or by taking responsibility for leading their House’s participation in a particular event.
The older students get to develop these skills, the younger students benefit from their guidance, and bonds across year groups are strengthened. It’s a win-win all around.
Many House competitions require students to exhibit these qualities in abundance. For example, House Art requires teams of students (younger and older working together) to come up with their unique response to the theme, work out how they will go about bringing their vision to life, and deal with any setbacks along the way. All with little-to-no input from staff.
House Music and Drama require the students to display and practice these characteristics to an even greater level as they are responsible for creating entire productions, with Sixth Form directors having to manage the whole cast and crew.
There’s a very wide range of competitions and activities to get involved in.
If your child enjoys sport they can get involved in friendly competitions in Football, Netball, Hockey, Rugby, Ergo, Tennis and many more. All for the glory of their House!
If, however, sporty endeavours are not your child’s cup of tea, they can also get involved in more “cerebral” competitions such as chess, scrabble or Sudoku. Or form part of the team in the ever-popular House Quiz event.
We also give pupils opportunity to display their creative side through House Art, House Cookery and the House Literary competition.
Whilst there are House competitions nearly every Thursday, there are some bigger “set-piece” events that happen every year.
These events happen alternately each year. Each House puts on a range of acts in different styles directed by 6th form students and anyone can, and does, join in whether they want a leading role or to be part of their House’s back stage crew.
The final student-created spectaculars are then performed in the plush surrounds of the school Theatre in front of live audiences of fellow students and parents.
One of the final events of the school year is Sports Day. The atmosphere is always one of fun and friendly rivalry as students compete in the various athletic endeavours. With plenty of points on offer for the different events, this can often be where the House shield is won or lost!
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