House System

At Bourne Grammar School, there are four Houses: Behn, Meitner, Rorschach and Tinbergen. All students are assigned to a specific House when they join the School and this becomes an important part of their identity throughout their School lives. With the right balance of competition and collaboration, the Houses aim to foster the spirit and attitude that enable all of us to summon the best of ourselves and of others; whether that is striving to earn House points in and outside of lessons, taking part in House competitions, or contributing generously to those in the wider community through involvement in outreach activities.

Throughout the year there is an array of different activities. These include sporting events, House Chess, House Debating, University Challenge, Art and Music competitions, House Spelling Bee and much more. Whilst there is always a good dose of healthy competition in House events, all students are encouraged to take part, and often student involvement is rewarded above all else in some of our competitions.

We want all our students to be proud, proactive members of the School community; to feel – and contribute to – that sense of belonging that lies at the heart of Bourne Grammar School. In day-to-day School life students have the chance to win points for their House through good work and behaviour, something that motivates them to work conscientiously and complete tasks to the best of their ability. The running House point totals are regularly updated and together with the results from House events, contribute to the House Champion competition with the House Cup being awarded each year to the House with the greatest number of points.

House Champions 2022 – 2023: Behn

Sports Day Champions 2022 – 2023: Rorschach

Where do the House names come from?

The Houses were named after the historical figures that embodied, through their lives and works, the values of ambition, resilience, imagination and determination. They set a great example that we strive to equal or better and are a reminder of what can be achieved when spirit and perseverance conquer adversity.

 

Aphra Behn (1640 – 1689) was a playwright and poet and one of the first English women to earn a living by her writing. She broke cultural barriers and served as a true role model for later generations of women by rising above prejudice and stereotypes to see her talents triumph. Interesting fact - she was also employed as a spy by Charles II during the second Anglo-Dutch War!

Lise Meitner (1878 – 1968) was a trailblazing scientist and the first woman to be made a professor of Physics in Germany where she won numerous prizes for her work, including sharing the Enrico Fermi Award for her work on nuclear fission. She was forced to leave Germany in the 1930s because of her Jewish heritage, and went on to work in Sweden and the UK. Her remarkable mind rose above the circumstances and prejudices that might have otherwise crushed her.

Hermann Rorschach (1884 – 1922) was a Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst. Having studied both art and medicine in his life, Rorschach became well known for his famous inkblot test, which combined these two passions. He achieved profound psychological insight by touching the imagination through artistic works of great beauty and mystery.

Nikolaas Tinbergen (1907 – 1988) was a Dutch biologist and expert in studying birds who shared the 1973 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discoveries concerning organization and intelligence of individual and social behaviour patterns in animals. He survived as a prisoner of war in World War II, and devoted his intellectual life to the natural world.

House Leaders

Our House Leaders are Miss Patman (Rorschach), Mr Bowers (Behn), Mr Graves (Tinbergen) and Ms Currier (Meitner). They lead the House system with positivity and enjoy building a great rapport with students in their House. Competition is fierce but fun, and notwithstanding their desire to win, above all else our House Leaders want students to be enriched by all that our House system has to offer.

House Captains

Students are also given the opportunity to develop their leadership skills within the House System. Each House has a team of House Captains including students from Years 7 -13. They help the House Leaders to organise and run events and are the link between the forms in each House and the House Leaders. All students are offered the opportunity to apply to become a House Captain and to work with staff and students to promote participation across the school and champion the ethos of the House System. Below are the House Captains for 2023 – 2024 – good luck to them all!