Before a new pupil even walks through the Warminster gates on their first day, they will have been allocated to one of our four houses, Arnold, Denys, Finch or Ken. These uniquely individual Houses provide the bedrock for the day-to-day running of the School.

A pupil’s House membership is constant throughout their entire career at Warminster, underpinning a myriad of activities whether it be internally through regular tutor and house meetings or via inter-house opportunities during our popular life skills programme, sports competitions and community action events. Led by both a Head of House and Deputy member of staff, the Houses provide all important support, leadership and mentoring opportunities for pupils as they progress through the School.

Headmaster, Mr Matt Williams, comments, “The Warminster House system has the most tremendous positive impact on the daily lives of our pupils creating an even stronger sense of belonging and opportunity. This is yet another aspect of Warminster genuinely providing a holistic education; cultural, spiritual, intellectual, physical and social.”

HOUSE SYSTEM

Through a determined focus on the ‘whole child’, Warminster School genuinely provides a holistic education, but our individual Houses also ensure that opportunities are given for our pupils to be reflective and appreciate the awe and wonder of what is around them. The Houses strive to nurture the inquisitive and champion the interesting; engender an environment where pupils are captivated by knowledge and the world around them, not just for the sake of an examination result. Our House system helps us weave the ingredients needed for a high-quality education together; ensuring our pupils have the levels of support and encouragement required for them to thrive in all areas: culturally, spiritually, intellectually, physically and socially.

 VALUES, CULTURE AND ETHOS

 Moral values form the foundation of the Houses, creating the essence of a House’s identity and engendering a sense of belonging or team, community and a framework for discussion and debate. This emotional side of the Houses is dynamic and reactive to those within it - when a team is collectively working together under the same set of values, that sense of purpose exudes a positive vibe, creating a House that everyone wants to be a part of. 

RELATIONSHIPS

 Without doubt, the most important ingredient for a successful House and creating/engendering a community where young people can flourish is relationships. The House system provides every pupil with a safe and secure environment where their achievements and contributions are valued and celebrated. Through the consistent, secure, responsive, and respectful relationships forged in the houses, pupils learn more about their world and their place in it and as a result be more likely to participate in their learning and engage in the co-curricular aspects of a Warminster education. Each House team comprises of a diverse group of people, all of whom bring their own experiences and expertise to the House. 

MENTORING 

The relationships forged between pupils in the Houses shapes their entire educational experience. Plenty of opportunities for these relationships to develop naturally between peers of the same age and between age groups will be given. The system facilitates both horizontal and vertical tutoring and inter-House competitions give ample opportunity for older and younger pupils to work collaboratively. Younger pupils are also afforded an opportunity to learn by experience and observation from a variety of role models as they evolve through a hierarchical system. An integrated House system provides a unique opportunity for friends to become more akin to siblings as shared experiences and challenges make relationships stronger and more cohesive.

 PUPIL LEADERSHIP

 The pupils in the Houses set the direction by helping others see what might lie ahead and rising to any challenges that might be faced. The House system provides pupils with a plethora of opportunities to lead; encourage pupils of all ages to identify the potential of others and inspire those around them. Through extending compassion and care to those in their Houses, the pupils themselves can enhance performance; young people function best when they are loving, affiliated, caring and feel loved and valued. 

CONTINUITY

 Children’s growth is continuous; it therefore follows that their educational experiences must also be continuous so that a thread of meaning runs through their experience at school forming a coherent and whole experience. Repeated changes of school can sometimes hinder academic and social progress in a young person, with a lack of opportunity to develop the deeper relationships we are eager to forge. Our House system facilitates continuity within pastoral care, teaching and the co-curricular. Knowledge that can be built up around a pupil can be invaluable to that individual's success.

 RELATIONSHIPS WITH PARENTS 

We realise the need for parents to trust and have faith in the individuals they have charged with the care of their child. The House system helps us to ensure that communications are appropriate and timely and facilitate a more connected approach when managing sensitive or challenging issues; House teams will work to the mantra of ‘nothing should ever come as a surprise to a parent’. Parents are encouraged to be involved from the moment that they have enrolled into a House – for our staff, working with parents (and guardians) is as rewarding as the relationships that are built with the young people in the House.