Our House System

Our House System reflects the structure and systems that have been instrumental in the success of Meridian Secondary schools and creates a strong team and community identity. It reflects and delivers the commitment to ‘know, value and support every student to achieve.’

The Houses provide support and guidance within an environment where the needs of each child are known by their Tutor and Senior Tutor and their individual progress is monitored closely. Importantly, the House is the focus of the relationship between the school and families, with siblings in the same House.

The form tutor plays a vital role in providing continuity and cohesion to the student’s experience of school life, guiding and supporting the personal, academic and wider achievement of each individual student within the form.  The tutor is also the first point of contact by parents and is the primary link between home and school.  A tutor is involved in the process of monitoring, guiding and supporting students’ learning as they progress through the school, as well as helping them to prepare for further education and careers.

The tutors will follow the students from their first few days to their last at the academy. This allows them to easily build great relationships with students and their families and ensure they receive the support they need. Each tutor will contact a child’s family three times in the year to discuss progress and address any concerns.

House Teams

Every single person in the school will belong to a House.   Each house will have a Senior Tutor (who also is a teacher) and a Student Support Assistant who will oversee the running of each House. The Student Support Assistant will be available at all times during the school day to support the needs of students, tutors and parents within that House family.

Stamford Welland Academy has three House groups:

• Austen House
• Da Vinci House
• Newton House

The mixed aged tutor group system is known as Vertical Tutoring. Each tutor group will have a mixture of pupils from all year groups. There are five tutor groups per House with each comprising of approximately 25 students ranging from Year 7 to Year 11. The Vertical Tutoring system has many benefits, fostering a family spirit where older students offer guidance and provide support to younger students. It also ensures students have a sense of the whole school picture as the younger pupils see the older ones preparing for work experience, subject choices and important examinations.

An encouraging House ethos for students to strive in is developed and strengthened by healthy competition. Students will have the opportunity to compete alongside their House peers in a variety activities in order to claim victory and win the prestigious House Cup.