House System
The House System has grown to become an integral part of the student experience at Birchwood High School. The system is built upon our key principles of "encouraging all, supporting all and welcoming all" and strives to provide all students with a diverse range of opportunities and experiences that foster a sense of community and competitive spirit.
The Houses
The four houses pay tribute to both the history of the school and the local area. Find out how they got their names below:
Hadham
Hadham (Red): A nod to the school’s past, Hadham House is named after the previous Hadham Hall School which merged with Margaret Dane School in 1991 to create the current Birchwood High School.
Waytemore
Waytemore (Yellow): Dating back to the Anglo-Saxon period, Waytemore Castle and its ruins have been ever-present in Bishop’s Stortford landscape for over one thousand years.
Dane
Dane (Green): Dane House takes its name from local historical figure Margaret Dane and her husband William. Upon her death in 1579, Margaret left £5 per year to fund a school in Bishop’s Stortford. Before it merged with Hadham Hall in 1991, Birchwood High School’s site was the location of the eponymous Margaret Dane School.
Stort
Stort (Blue): Another nod to the history and landscape of Bishops’ Stortford, Stort House is named after the River Stort that runs through the town.
How The House System Works:
Each tutor group is placed in one of the four houses. There are two forms per house in every year. Each house is led by a team of Sixth Formers; the House Captains. The House Captains work collaboratively with Mrs Collyer, our Head of the House and Rewards, to arrange a wide variety of inclusive house events, competitions, charity events and assemblies.
Our Current Head House Captains
Head House Captains: Alex Curtis & Layla Ellis
Deputy Head House Captains: Abigail Sear & Tabitha Hermit
House Points:
The House Points System aims to recognise all contributions towards school life made by the students. This is in the spirit of creating a culture in which individual achievements are celebrated as a collective and students can experience a sense of belonging. Academic, extracurricular and pastoral achievements are all recognised via the system. The winner of the Annual House Cup is announced during the last week of term in a whole school House assembly. The Sports House Cup is awarded on Sports Day.
Our current House Champions are Dane.
The Sports House Cup was won by Stort.