On entrance to St. Bernard’s, students are assigned to one of the four houses: Fountains, Kirkstall, Rievaulx and Roche. Each house has a staff house champion and each year group has house captains who will act as representatives for all the students in their house throughout the year by helping to co-ordinate house teams, organising activities and events and representing their house at relevant meetings.
House events are designed to incorporate the values and ethos of the school, bringing the community together and enhancing the ‘family’ feeling which is already so strong at St. Bernard’s. The aims of the house system are to:
- help students feel part of a smaller community within the larger community of St. Bernard’s, fostering a sense of identity and belonging;
- develop cross-year group relationships;
- increase student leadership opportunities;
- provide opportunities for students to achieve success through participation in a wide variety of competitions, as well as earning house points for academic success or positive contributions to the school;
- foster the development of personal, academic and social skills, as well as promoting well-being and;
- improve overall engagement with school life.
At the end of the academic year, the winning house is awarded with the St. Bernard’s shield.