Our School House System

During the Autumn Term 2022, we reviewed the house names within our school. The chidlren felt that our original house names (all famous poets - originating because of our school location on the Poet's Estate) were not inclusive and didn't represent our school community. The school council was tasked with working with each of the classes to agree the type of house names our children would like and the children decided that they would like the Houses to take the names of sports personalities. From here, the children researched sports personalities who were not only strong in their sporting field, but who they felt also displayed the school's values of being creative, caring and inspirational. The house names were voted on and from the eight choices, the four following names were chosen. We are really proud of the process the children took to decide upon these houses as well as ensuring that the group is diverse and inclusive. These four sports personalities not only inspire us all to be better people but also represent the community within Mary Exton Primary School.

Daley House (was Ruskin) is named after Tom Daley (OBE). He is known for speaking out about mental health as well as being an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. He is the youngest Olympian to get to an Olympic final (at just fourteen years old) and has won many medals spanning his four Olympic Games.

Simmonds House (was Kipling) is named after Ellie Simmonds (OBE), a Paralympic swimmer who is also an ambassador for the Scout Association and a Guide Leader in Manchester (where she is known as Aqua Owl). She has recently highlighted the value of media inclusion for people with disabilities via her appearance on Strictly Come Dancing.

Kenny House (was Tennyson) is named after Laura Kenny (DBE) a cyclist who holds six Olympic medals, including four golds. She was the first British woman to win gold medals at three consecutive Olympics. She is both the most successful female cyclist, and the most successful British female athlete in Olympic history.

Rashford House (was Masefield) is named after Marcus Rashford (MBE), a talented footballer who has used his fame to campaign against racism, homelessness and child hunger. His work campaigning for the provision of free school meals alongside other support to low-income families prompted major changes in government policy.

Children can earn house points for demonstrating the school's values of: being creative, being caring or being inspirational. They can also earn house points for working hard and trying hard in lessons in school and home learning. Each week we review the house totals in our Gold Assembly and at the end of each term the winning house gets to vote on their reward. If you would like to see which house is currently in the lead, do take a look at our Weekly Newsletters which can be found in the 'Parents' area of the website.