Our House System

Harper Green School prides itself on its very active House System, which aims to encourage students to take part in competitions and activities, develop leadership opportunities, increase community spirit and boost our rewards system.

All students are assigned to one of four houses when they join Harper Green School and remain in it until they leave.

Our Houses are named after current and historical public figures who have inspired countless people worldwide through their actions and beliefs and comprise of:

• Attenborough House
• Malala House
• Austen House
• Mandela House

Throughout the school year positive work/behaviour is rewarded with house points. ​

House activities can also run in lessons.​

There is also a designated house competition each week in different departments. These competitions will run alongside enrichment opportunities and will be live on the school website.​

At Harper Green we also have a drop-down day in July where all pupils are off timetable and take part in various activities during lessons and at break times.​

House champions, those with the most points, are celebrated at the end of each term (Christmas, Easter, Summer).​

In our end of year rewards assemblies, the winning house is announced.​

What are the benefits?

Positive school culture – Encourage participation and inclusivity. Promote rewards and build positive relationships between staff and pupils.​ 

Sense of belonging - Give the pupils a sense of identity and pride in their house and develop positive relationships with different pupils in the school. ​ 

Healthy competition - Provide competition for pupils, AND STAFF, to take part in. ​ 

Peer support/mentorship - Older pupils can support our younger pupils in activities and foster positive relationships. This in turn can lead to an increase in emotional and academic support. ​ 

Personal development - Develop attributes such as leadership, communication, teamwork, organization and decision making which all contribute to developing our pupils in a more holistic manner. ​ 

Rewards/recognition – The system will focus on the positives and reward pupils for their efforts. ​

Character development - Our pupils can learn to develop their integrity, respect, responsibility and compassion through our house system if used correctly. 

House Competition Winners:

Take part • Work hard • Do the right thing

Each week there is a new House competition for all students to take part in, compete and earn points for their Houses. We encourage all students to take part in at least one event over the course of a term, however, you can take part in as many events as you like!

We have a range of activities available including performances, sports, photography, writing and even baking. So, please get involved and enjoy the experience.

Download our House Competition Timetable Here

 Download our half term 2 House Competition timetable here

Find out more about our Houses

David Attenborough

During his lifetime of achievement, Attenborough has received myriad honours. He was knighted in 1985, received the Order of Merit from Queen Elizabeth II in 2002 and holds at least 31 honorary degrees from British universities, including Oxford and Cambridge.

He published his biography, Life on Air, in 2002, and in 2012, he was the subject of the BBC documentary Attenborough: 60 Years in the Wild. In 2014, a poll revealed that he was considered Britain's most trustworthy public figure. Attenborough is also the most travelled person in recorded human history and is the oldest person to visit the North Pole. But in perhaps the most fitting tribute of all, several species of plants, insects and birds have been graced with Attenborough's name, ensuring that they will live alongside the many creatures he has spent his life celebrating and protecting.

Malala Yousafzai
Malala Yousafzai is a Pakistani education advocate who, at the age of 17 in 2014, became the youngest person to win the Nobel Peace Prize after surviving an assassination attempt by the Taliban.

Yousafzai became an advocate for girls' education when she was still a child, which resulted in the Taliban issuing a death threat against her. On October 9, 2012, a gunman shot Yousafzai when she was travelling home from school. She survived and has continued to speak out on the importance of education. In 2013, she gave a speech to the United Nations and published her first book, I Am Malala.

Jane Austen
Jane Austen (1775–1817) is one of the most recognised names in English literature. Her six major novels – Pride and Prejudice; Sense and Sensibility; Persuasion; Mansfield Park; Northanger Abbey, and Emma – are considered classics today, renowned for portraying English middle-class life in the early 19th century.

Jane began to write as a teenager. Inbound notebooks, she penned novels including Love and Friendship and Lady Susan and a series of comic stories known as her Juvenilia. In her early twenties, Jane wrote the first drafts of what would eventually become Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice.

In 1816, aged 41, Jane started to become ill with what is today thought to have been Addison's disease – a rare disorder of the adrenal glands that causes fatigue, muscle weakness and dizziness. Despite her poor health, Jane started work on a new novel, The Brothers, which would be published after her death as Sanditon. Jane died in Winchester on July 18 1817, having moved there with her sister to receive treatment.

Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela was a social rights activist, politician and philanthropist who became South Africa's first Black president from 1994 to 1999. After becoming involved in the anti-apartheid movement in his 20s, Mandela joined the African National Congress in 1942.

For 20 years, he directed a campaign of peaceful, nonviolent defiance against the South African government and its racist policies. Beginning in 1962, Mandela spent 27 years in prison for political offences.

In 1993, Mandela and South African President F.W. de Klerk were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to dismantle the country's apartheid system. Mandela will be a source of inspiration for civil rights activists worldwide for generations to come.

Further information

For more information about our House System, please speak to Mr Burke, Head of Key Stage 3. Contact details are burked@harpergreen.net.