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Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

Primary education

School House Points - I'm going to sound like a nutter.

44 replies

bonzoed · 27/03/2013 13:10

My children attend a school which has a house system and every half/end of term the winning house get to wear their team colours on the last day of that half of term. DC1 has noted that over the years, House 1 has won 50% of the time, House 2 25% and House 3 25%. House 4 has never won and my children are in House 4.

Surely the law of averages would mean that occasionally House 4 would get a sniff at winning but they always come 4th, often hundreds of points adrift whilst the other 3 are about 10 points apart from each other.

How can this be addressed without me coming across as a total nutter for caring about something so silly?

As an aside, their house colour is a colour they wouldn't usually wear so I bought them a top each in that colour for the occasion of a house win and they have both outgrown the tops. I am loathe to buy more...

OP posts:

Report

bonzoed · 28/03/2013 12:09

Ha, ha Hassled, don't you hate it when the beautiful, talented people are nice too?

OP posts:

Chandon · 28/03/2013 12:19

Oh dear, I do not even know what house the Dc are in, let alone if they ever won... ( guess not as they probably would have told me...?)

Does this stuff really matter?

Although I am quite willing to accept that I am a bit crap and do not care enough aboutsuch things.

bonzoed · 28/03/2013 23:14

Well I haven't had a response so guess it will have to wait to until next term. I am sure there is a reason for the house system but I think being a member of House 4 is probably a pretty unmotivating situation.

OP posts:

clam · 29/03/2013 17:34

You have sent an email to your children's Head Teacher effectively complaining that their house never seems to win?

Now I've heard it all.

bonzoed · 30/03/2013 21:37

No I did not complain. I said that DC is under the impression that House 4 never win but I am sure that can't be true so could he let me know when they did win so that I can reassure DC.

You're tone is what I expected though

He said that the school does not keep a record but he thinks Year 6 might know. Given that the staff do not seem to administer the House System, my DC don't seem to be aware who is in their House, and that they have a reward chart system for good behavior and gold stars for 'good learning' I think the point of the House System is getting somewhat lost.

OP posts:

Coconutty · 30/03/2013 21:43

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

neverputasockinatoaster · 30/03/2013 23:13

When I was at school we had the 'rubbish' house that never won anything. I was in it. The name of the house started with clap......... You can guess what it was known as!

At the school I work in we have a house system. House points are awarded for good work, good behaviour and random stuff like holding doors open without being asked etc ie being thoughtful.

I have absolutely NO IDEA what house each child is in. I am as suprised as the kids by the winner each week and I award points based on merit not house name. If I was to be asked to award more points to house x I'd probably stop awarding points altogether in case i got ti wrong!

Chubfuddler · 30/03/2013 23:16

Never mind. Hufflepuff had Cedric Diggory and he was HOT. dead too in the end but by the end of HP so were lots of other kids.

Bonzoed · 23/05/2013 12:03

OP here - Just thought I'd resurrect my old thread. Spoke to HT today who told me that a) DC's house has won this half term b) it's been at least 11 half terms since they last won c) there is significantly less that 25% of the school in 'House 4'.

Out of this comes that they are going to weight the points to reflect the relative size of House 4 and look at how they can make the House System more about team work because other than sports day, they don't do anything in their houses.

I did feel like a nutter having the conversation with HT though.

OP posts:

freetrait · 23/05/2013 21:55

Hooray! (I think). Well done for being the Nutter with balls .

quip · 23/05/2013 22:14

well done hufflepuff.

BlackeyedSusan · 23/05/2013 23:12

11 terms is a long while for a child.

SanityClause · 23/05/2013 23:26

Actually, that's a really good outcome. All my DC have loads of house competitions at their various schools. (Sports, singing, drama, loads of things.) it's really good for getting them to work together as a team.

Picturepuncture · 23/05/2013 23:39

That's a great outcome.

To add to the siblings theory don't forget that 'success' breeds success. So if house 1 has 3 sporty siblings in who win things then the children they work with closely will become motivated and try hard to progress, upping their chance of success. Whereas house 4 will become demotivated, believe they cannot win and also have no role models.

DisAstrophe · 23/05/2013 23:44

Well done op. You are a nutter but you did it nicely. You have scored a minor victory for justice and I hope your kids appreciate it!

DisAstrophe · 23/05/2013 23:45

Well done op. You are a nutter but you did it nicely. You have scored a minor victory for justice and I hope your kids appreciate it!

JoyMachine · 23/05/2013 23:45

My house never won anything whilst I was at school... but when I went back a few years later for some classroom experience, they were top in everything!
Must just have been us that were rubbish

LadyBigtoes · 24/05/2013 00:00

Aaaaaah, happy memories - I was in the crap house at school. It was called Wellington. We never, ever won. I never, ever gave a shit (and I was a swot).

Use this opportunity to help your DC learn that it's all alias of meaningless wibble.

LadyBigtoes · 24/05/2013 00:00

Alias!? That was meant tobe a load of

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