The House system and vertical tutoring
At Chesham Grammar School, our vision is for everyone to enjoy, achieve and belong and we believe our House System and vertical tutoring play a key role in realising this.
When a student is admitted to the school they join a House and a tutor group, and will belong to both for the duration of their time here. Tutor groups are made up of students from every year group in the school, from Year 7 to Year 13. This helps new Year 7s to settle quickly and gives older students opportunities to develop leadership skills. The House and tutor group are primary sources of identity for students and staff and vertical tutoring gives the school a unique family feel. We believe it brings many benefits.
The House system is a strength of the school and we were delighted to see its resurgence following the pandemic, when vertical tutoring and most House competitions were suspended.
House competitions take place across the year in sport, music, drama and more besides. There is a House quiz and a debating competition which are hotly contested. The House ethos is clearly characterised by a wonderful blend of fierce rivalry and friendly competition which is in evidence during events such as Sports Day.
The House competition culminates in the summer term, with the announcement of the winning House in the final assembly of the school year a keenly anticipated event!
We are very proud of our House system and vertical tutoring, they are enjoyed and valued by students throughout the school and help create a real sense of community.
Our four Houses are Austen (named after Jane Austen), Darwin (named after Charles Darwin), Franklin (named after Rosalind Franklin) and Shakespeare (named after William Shakespeare). Each House is led by a staff House Leader and student House Captains. Student leadership is a central feature of House life and helps ensure that our senior students act as positive role models to younger ones.