St Bart's celebrates house centenary

A special programme of activities was prepared for the day

PUPILS at Newbury’s St Bartholomew’s School came together to celebrate a centenary of its house system recently with a special day of activities and learning.

The four Houses of St Bart’s – Curnock, Davis, Evers and Patterson – were created in 1918 by the then headteacher, Edward Sharwood Smith.

The houses were named after former pupils who served and died during the First World War.

The celebration, on Wednesday, July 18, saw the whole school participate in a day of themed lessons and activities, with students and staff arriving at school dressed in their respective house colours of green, red, blue and yellow.

A special programme for the day included lessons focusing on 1918, during which students gained a fascinating insight into so many aspects of life and times 100 years ago.

The highlight of the day was when the whole school community formed the giant letter shapes of C, D, E and P, representing each house name, for a time-lapse video and aerial photographs.

A whole school assembly took place, during which Patterson house was declared winner of the sports shield and Evershouse clinching the citizenship shield.

Guests from the house system of previous years were also invited back and had the difficult task of selecting the group showing the most significant colour impact.

They reached a unanimous decision and the winning house, Evers, will be rewarded with a non-uniform day in September.

The afternoon was filled with an ‘escape room’ challenge for all students and once completed, activities designed by eachhouse, where teamwork and fun were the order of the day.

The school’s deputy headteacher, Maureen Sims, said: “Marking this centenary occasion enabled the whole school to share the history, values and achievements of the houses during a day of special events.

“We have a long-established structure in our houses, which many generations of staff, students and families all over the world have good reason to hold dear.

“This was a wonderful occasion with which to end a busy school year.”