Houses
The House System at Swavesey Village College
On 3rd July 2006, the College launched a new team structure. We have been delighted with the way in which students have responded to these changes and, in particular, how many students are developing leadership roles within their form or House teams.
It is important for our students to feel that they are known within the College and the restructuring allows this to happen without limiting the choices or resources and curriculum that are available within a larger school. We have been able to use the structure of the College to maintain an enviable range of curriculum options for our students whilst also allowing individualised support and academic monitoring. Our challenge is to ensure that every child feels a sense of belonging and has the opportunity to achieve their best, whatever their background or ability.
The College is divided into five Houses of 240 students. The Houses provide support and guidance within an environment where the needs of each child are known by his or her Tutor and Senior Tutor and their individual progress is monitored closely. Importantly, the House is the focus of the relationship between the College and parents.
Here are some of the key aspects of the House System and how it helps our students.
House Teams
There are five Houses and all members of staff are a member of one of these Houses. Each House has a Senior Tutor and Curriculum Leader who manage the same team of staff in their dual roles as tutor and subject teacher respectively.
Tutorial Teams
Pupils entering the College all enter one of the House’s eleven tutor groups in each House, with approx 21 students in each; these tutor groups are vertical, with a cross-section of students from years 7 – 11. The tutor’s role is to support and guide students, along with their parents, to achieve their best academically and develop as individuals. Each House tutorial team is led by a Senior Tutor who is:
• Responsible for the quality of guidance and support provided by tutors within the House
• Accountable for promoting the personal, academic and wider achievement of students within the House.
| House | Brunel | Cavendish | Newton | Orwell | Wilberforce |
| Senior Tutor | Mrs Bedford | Mrs Haddow | Mr Russell | Mr Gent | Mrs Tatum |
Curriculum Teams
Education of pupils is not restricted to their House - all the students are taught in all the faculty areas, in their year group and have access to all the College's facilities. There are six Curriculum Teams, each one linked to the House Teams. The arts subjects and PE are separate because of the distinctive role that they play within the College (see below). The Curriculum Leader is responsible for
• The learning and teaching that takes place within the subjects in the curriculum area.
• establishing and maintaining consistent standards and expectations of both students and staff within their team.
| Brunel | Cavendish | Newton | Orwell | Wilberforce | ||
| Miss Jordan | Miss Lapham (KS4) | Mrs Morgan (KS3) | Mrs Pritchard | Ms Daniel | Mr Elbourn | Mr Woolley |
| Design and Enterprise | Science | Maths | English | MFL | Humanities | |
The Arts and Sport
We have created ‘Director’ posts that recognise the distinctive contribution of the Arts within and beyond the College community. Initially, these posts are within Drama and Music but they will be extended to include Sport in due course.
| Director of Music | Director of Drama | PE | Sport Coordinator | Community Development |
| Mrs Caldwell | Mrs Pawson | Mr Hopper | Miss Mould | Mr Rudkin |