House system
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The house system is a traditional feature of British schools, and schools in ex-British colonies. Historically it was associated with established public schools (the British definition of "public schools", rather than the American), where a 'house' refers to a boarding house or dormitory of a boarding school. The famous Bishop Cotton School in Shimla, India which was founded on 28 July 1859 was one of the first public schools in the world to start the House System, the Prefectorial System and organize games and sports in public schools as part of their daily co-curricular activities along with other famous public schools in England. In the case of a day school, however, the word 'house' refers only to a grouping of pupils, rather than to a particular building. The house system has been common in the state sector for many years. It is attracting increasing attention in public and parochial secondary schools in the United States.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Description
Pupils are likely to be divided into a number of houses, which are often named after saints, famous historical alumni or notable regional landmarks (at international schools, for example, houses may be named after famous local people). Other more arbitrary names – animal names or colours, for example – may be used where the house system is adopted by a primary school.
Today, outside of boarding schools, the house system exists largely for the purpose of competition. The traditional school sports day is usually an inter-house competition. Debating competitions and charity drives are also often organised along inter-house lines. Merit points for behaviour and academic achievement may also be totalled up for comparison between houses.
Pupils may be assigned to houses randomly, on their first or last names or based on ability, with the aim of balancing the houses in order to increase competition. Traditionally, however, once a pupil has been assigned to a house, any younger siblings he or she has will automatically become members of that house when they arrive at the school. (This tradition sometimes extends to the children of former pupils.)
One notable feature of the house system is the nomination and election, or appointment, of house captains for the junior and senior school, whose job it is to rally fellow house-members and to pick individuals for team events. Large schools may have a house captain for each year group (with vice-captains in the largest schools).
In boarding schools the term housemaster is held by the member of staff responsible for pupils living in a particular dormitory. In state schools, members of staff are appointed as (or volunteer to become) head of house. However, both terms can be used at either style of school for the sake of formality.
[edit] Other uses
The term "house system" is also used to refer to the residential college systems found in some colleges and universities, such as Yale College, Harvard College, and University of Chicago. These systems are based on the college systems of Oxford and Cambridge Universities in the United Kingdom, which in turn share many similarities with the house systems of British secondary schools.
[edit] Awareness in other countries
The house system has featured prominently at school stories series of books like Chalet School, Mallory Towers, Jennings and Billy Bunter, which have been published around the world and translated to several languages.[2] The Harry Potter books and films (re)popularized the house system, even in countries where this boarding system doesn't exist.[citation needed] The translators of the foreign editions of the books had difficulties translating the "house" concept in these countries, because there was no adequate word that could convey the importance of belonging to a certain house, the loyalty owed to your house, and the pride in the prizes won by your own house.[3]
[edit] See also
- Harvard House system
- House System at the California Institute of Technology
- Hogwarts houses, fictional houses in Harry Potter books
[edit] References
- ^ House Systems in Schools and Universities
- ^ Gill James publisher = Proceedings of the first Harry Potter conference on the UK (Accio UK 2005). "Harry Potter - All Things to All People?". http://accio.org.uk/05/proc/gilljames.pdf.
- ^ Judith Inggshttp (May 2003). "From Harry to Garri: Strategies for the Transfer of Culture and Ideology in Russian Translations of Two English Fantasy Stories". Meta Translators' Journal 48 (1-2 Traduction pour les enfants / Translation for children): 285-297. http://www.erudit.org/revue/meta/2003/v48/n1-2/006975ar.html.
