Our House System

Wolgarston High School’s House system provides a wide range of opportunities for students to participate in social activities, charity work and an
ever-increasing number of inter-house competitions. Most of these carry points which, along with achievement points lead to an annual presentation for the winning House.

Wolgarston High School operates a vertical tutoring system with new students being placed in mixed-age tutor groups. These groups consist of students from each of the lower school year groups.

Students remain with their tutor group, usually with the same tutor, throughout their time in the school. Each tutor group is designated to one of our four Houses – Alps, Himalayas, Pyrenees and Rockies.

When assigned to a House in Year 9, students represent that House for the rest of their time at the school and in the community. Each House is supported by a Head of House who lead the team of Tutors and are responsible for the welfare and progress of the students in Years 9 – 11.

The Tutor and the Head of House are responsible for overseeing students’ pastoral wellbeing, behaviour and attendance. They stress the importance of excellent standards and the development of well- rounded individuals and maintain close contact with parents. Please use your child’s tutor as the first point of contact for any issues or questions that you may have.

The House Leaders

Alps – Mr Paulauskas

As Head of Alps, I am very proud of our House system and the fantastic group of tutors that we have, particularly in the way that we work together to make every student feel welcome and help them succeed. My best piece of advice for any student at Wolgarston is to get involved. There is no better way to make new friends and feel part of our community than to join clubs, take part in competitions and get stuck into Wolgarston life!

Himalayas – Mrs Dodd

A big warm welcome to the Wolgarston community. As Head of House for Himalayas I can confidently say that all our tutors and indeed myself, will go above and beyond to ensure you all grow into organised, confident, and ambitious students. Everyone needs a dream or a goal to strive for. My little piece of advice to you all would be to ‘do something today that will make you feel proud tomorrow

Pyrenees – Mr Skinner

Welcome to Wolgarston, I’m head of Pyrenees House and I am very confident in saying you are joining a fantastic school community. I would strongly encourage all students joining Wolgarston to throw themselves into it 100%, embrace the challenges that come your way and really try to make new friends- this may mean you stepping out of your comfort zone at times. Just approach every opportunity you meet with a high level of effort, energy and enthusiasm and you will do well!

Rockies – Mrs Garland Ridding

I am extremely proud of Rockies House and our wonderful group of tutors and students. I would advise you as a new student at Wolgarston to think of this as a fresh start that will set you on the path for the rest of your life. Make sure you are the best you can be from this point onwards. Listen to advice from staff, work to the very best of your ability and more importantly, be the best version of yourself.

Pastoral Support & Attendance Officer – Miss Halsted

As Pastoral Officer I am here to support every student at Wolgarston. The best advice I can give you is to be yourself and be proud of who you are. Never forget that there is ALWAYS someone willing to listen to what you have to say.

The Wolgarston Way

When joining Wolgarston you are not only entering a school, you are also joining a community. As a school we feel very strongly that we have a responsibility to not only assist your child to achieve a superb set of exam results but also ensure they leave Wolgarston as the best version of themselves. We expect all our students to contribute to our community values, which we call ‘The Wolgarston Way’:

1- Do the right thing.

We encourage all our students to make the right choices both in an academic and social setting. We expect our students to always be honest and respectful, and if a poor decision is ever made, the student works towards correcting it with everyone involved.

2- Take pride in our community.

We want our students to take pride in being at a school like Wolgarston and to care about the community they are joining. Students are expected to be polite to each other and to staff and to keep their environment tidy and clean. This helps makes our community a place where students want to learn, and staff want to work.

3- Leave a positive legacy.

From their very first day at Wolgarston, our students are creating a legacy that will last long after they have left the school. By working hard, participating in school life and having positive social relationships, our students will leave Wolgarston with fond memories – and the school with fond memories of them!

Pastoral Care

We strongly believe in developing the whole person at Wolgarston. Whilst we are rightly very proud of our academic record, our most important achievement is the well-rounded young citizens who have made and will continue to make a positive contribution to our community and beyond. All staff are committed to helping students achieve this and those that go above and beyond will be recognised.

Your form tutor is the first contact point for most issues and House Leaders will also become involved where needed. In addition, we have the Inclusion Hub which has specialist staff to support with a number of issues and provides mentoring sessions for students in need.

Personal Development

Personal development is enriched at Wolgarston in the form of House Focus. There are weekly tutor sessions that cover more life-skills based topics such as first aid, politics, current affairs, environmental issues, careers, personal finance, charity work to name but a few. Tutors will discuss with students, show short videos and news clips in a bid to develop awareness about the world around us. Students in year 9 also attend twice weekly Personal, Social and Health Education lessons as part of their curriculum.

Weekly House assemblies also frequently develop ideas taught in House Focus or encourage discussion of social issues.

The Wolgarston Eco-Committee

The Eco-committee is a student-led group whose mission is to improve the environmental impact of the school. The committee is an opportunity for students to make a real difference in the school and their local community and to take a leading role in achieving the internationally recognised Eco-Schools Award. The Eco-Committee is responsible for:

  • Ensuring that the whole school is aware of the Eco-Schools programme.
  • Carrying out the school’s Environmental Review.
  • Ensuring that everyone in the school community is represented in the decision-making process.
  • Providing a link between pupils, teachers, senior management team, governors and the whole school community.
  • Taking the lead in delivering the Eco-Schools Action Plan, designed to make changes that could benefit students for years to come!