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Houses & Rewards

East Barnet School > School Life > Houses & Rewards

Rewards

Rewards and celebrating success are an important part of life at EBS and we want your success both within and outside the classroom to be acknowledged and rewarded.

At EBS we do this through House Points. Being a key member of a House System means that successes contribute to a whole team effort, helping a students’ House attempt to win the annual House Cup competition, but also encourage individuals to feel valued, build confidence and motivate students to keep trying. Some behaviours that may result in House Points are*:

  • Being fully engaged and producing high quality work
  • Demonstrating resilience and growth mindset
  • Thoughtful questioning
  • Demonstrating leadership
  • Helping members of the EBS community
  • Positive role model in class
  • Excellent attendance
  • Participation in House Activities/competitions

* These are examples, and not an exhaustive list, further examples can be found on displays in classrooms.

Points Make Prizes!

The more House Points you receive, the more milestones you will achieve. You will be awarded bronze, silver and gold enamel pin badges as you reach each level. If you receive the same amount of House Points in both “I want to learn” and “Do the right thing” categories, you will win some amazing prizes – check out the image below for details.

a poster that splits the I want to learn qualities and Do the right thing qualities
jack petchey logo

Jack Petchey Award

This monthly award recognises outstanding individuals. Students are nominated by peers or staff for achievement in any aspect of school life. Winners receive a certificate and £300 to spend on a subject area of their choice, in addition to 100 House Points for their House.

Find out more about Jack Petchey

Culture in the Community

We want to celebrate! If our students have been demonstrating our values in any way, shape or form in the community, we want to hear from you! Has your child achieved a significant milestone in an area or interest/sport/music/drama? Have they taken part in voluntary or charity work? Please click on the link below to tell us your stories. We would love to share these stories of success and positivity in future EBS News editions.

Submit Form

Which House Do You Belong To?

By becoming part of a House, students are joining thousands of others, that have represented their House over many years. Being part of the team should instill a sense of pride, belonging and a sense of responsibility to other members of the House.

The House system has always supported and raised money for various local, national and international charities.
 
In February 2023, to reflect our changing world, community and areas of challenge, through their forms and Student Voice meetings (attended by House representatives; Ambassadors and House Captains) students discussed and agreed on their chosen charity. Each House now has its own charity, which they will support in forthcoming events.
The east barnet school chama house logo is the shield with an eagle in the middle. The motto at the top says make your voice heard and it says chama at the bottom. All created with purple hues.

Chama House

  • Namesake: Thandiwe Chama
  • Form Groups: B and E
  • Colour: Purple
  • Head of House: TBC
Meet Chama House
The east barnet school keller house logo is the shield with a wolf in the middle. The motto at the top says together we can do so much and it says keller at the bottom. All created with red hues.

Keller House

  • Namesake: Helen Keller
  • Form Groups: D and F
  • Colour: Red
  • Head of House: M. Davies
Meet Keller House
The east barnet school murray house logo is the shield with a bison in the middle. The motto at the top says family is more than blood and it says murray at the bottom. All created with green hues.

Murray House

  • Namesake: Liz Murray
  • Form Groups: C and G
  • Colour: Green
  • Head of House: L. Brady
Meet Murray House
The east barnet school tutu house logo is the shield with a springbok in the middle. The motto at the top says i am because we are and it says tutu at the bottom. All created with blue hues.

Tutu House

  • Namesake: Desmond Tutu
  • Form Groups: A and H
  • Colour: Blue
  • Head of House: K. Messios
Meet Tutu House

Winner of the House Cup 2022/23: KELLER!

House Logo

The east barnet school chama house logo is the shield with an eagle in the middle. The motto at the top says make your voice heard and it says chama at the bottom. All created with purple hues.

House Animal

An African Fish Eagle

House Inspiration Video

House Motto

“Make your voice heard”

House Inspiration

Chama House was named after Thandiwe Chama.

In 1999, when she was only eight-years-old, her school was closed because there were no teachers who could educate students. Thandiwe refused to accept this fate of no education. Thandiwe then led 60 other children as they walked to find another school where they could learn. The group of children came upon the Jack Cecup School, to which they were later all accepted.

Thandiwe has said  “It’s so important to know that also a child has rights. At school, I learned about rights. And I knew then that this was something I wanted to fight for. Because if children are given an opportunity, they for sure can contribute in making this world a better place.”

We thought that Thandiwe’s statement sums up East Barnet School where we give our students opportunities and educate them so that they can make the world a better place.

House Charity

Chama House has chosen Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) for their House Charity.
 
There were so many amazing nominations, but we chose GOSH because they make such a big difference to the lives of so many children, some of whom have been, are now, and in the future will be members of this school. Every day, around 600 seriously ill children arrive at GOSH from all over the UK. Doctors and nurses battle the most complex illnesses and do incredible research. GOSH also offers lots of activities and educational resources which we will be making use of. We want to make a difference to people less fortunate than ourselves and support those who do so much to give seriously ill children the best chances in life.

Keller House

House Motto

“Together we can do so much”

House Inspiration

Keller House is named after a truly remarkable woman, Helen Keller.

Helen Keller died at the age of 68 having spent her entire adult life campaigning and raising funds and awareness for a number of causes:

  • She was a suffragette and was a founder member of the civil liberties union.
  • She was a pacifist and campaigned against the 1st world war.
  • She wrote 12 books mainly text books on a variety of subjects
  • She was an active member of the socialist party and seen as a radical for her views.

Helen Keller had an illness at the age of 19 months that left her deaf, blind and with a severe speech impediment. By six, she was still unable to communicate and her family considered putting her in an asylum. However, Alexander Graham Bell suggested a teacher from the blind school in New York. This young teacher, Anne Sullivan who was also visually impaired, taught Helen to sign. Helen had an IQ of 180 and picked up sign language quickly. She could type both Braille and normally by the time she was eight. She completed high school and went on to university where she gained a degree. The first deaf, blind and dumb woman to do so.

Helen Keller had the qualities we see in our students every day; determination, a strong sense of right and wrong, a willingness to help others and a belief that they can make a difference.

Alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much.” – Helen Keller

House Charity

Keller House’s chosen charity is Noah’s Ark Hospice, as it is an organisation that has supported a family connected to the school.
 
Noah’s Ark Hospice help babies, children and young people with life-threatening or life-limiting conditions, and their families, make the most of every day. And they support those who die young to do so in as much comfort as possible, surrounded by family. The hospice enables those they support to enjoy life as children, rather than as patients; as families, not just as carers.

House Logo

The east barnet school keller house logo is the shield with a wolf in the middle. The motto at the top says together we can do so much and it says keller at the bottom. All created with red hues.

House Animal

an image of an american wolf
An American Wolf

House Inspiration Video

Murray House

House Logo

The east barnet school murray house logo is the shield with a bison in the middle. The motto at the top says family is more than blood and it says murray at the bottom. All created with green hues.

House Animal

an image of an american bison
An American Bison

House Inspiration Video

House Motto

“Family is more than blood”

House Inspiration

Murray House was formed in 2010 and is named after the extraordinary Liz Murray. She is a hugely inspirational individual who has proved what humans are capable of when all the odds are against them, she demonstrated that from nothing, you can still achieve the unthinkable.

Liz Murray was born in the Bronx, New York, to poor, drug-addicted, HIV-infected parents. She became homeless just after she turned 15, when her mother died of AIDS, and her father moved to a homeless shelter as he spent all the rent money on drugs.

She turned her life around when she decided to spend most of her time in the library rather than the streets and began attending the Humanities Preparatory Academy in Chelsea, Manhattan. Though she started high school later than most students, and remained without a home while supporting herself and her sister. Liz Murray graduated in only two years. She won an essay competition for the New York Times who awarded her with a scholarship for needy students and was accepted into Harvard University, one of the best and well known Universities in the world.

Liz Murray has now earned a doctorate in clinical psychology, counselling people from all walks of life. She is the founder and director of Manifest Trainings, a company that provides a series of workshops that empower adults to create the extraordinary in their lives. She has also published her own book called ‘Breaking night’ which is already a best seller in the US and her life story has been made into a movie titled ‘Homeless to Harvard’.

Our strong belief in teamwork and resilience is the foundation of our success and we have subsequently adopted our motto: Family Isn’t Just Blood.

House Charity

Murray House has chosen to support Children with Cancer UK.
 
House ambassadors and House Captains proposed different charities at our Student Voice, but when the vote was held, Children with Cancer UK was clearly the most popular. The charity was established in 1988 and is specifically for children with cancer and helping families care for their children, supporting them in their time of need. They have helped many different families navigate life through treatment and beyond. They also invest money raised into valuable research which is integral to driving forward the charities vision of a world where every child survives cancer. They work closely with scientists and medical experts to improve diagnosis and find better, kinder treatments. Over the last 35 years, they have funded over 300 cancer research projects for children and young people.

Tutu House

House Motto

“I am because we are”

House Inspiration

Tutu House is named after Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who died at the age of 90 years old on 26th December 2021. 

Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Mpilo Tutu, a Nobel Peace Laureate, was one of the greatest moral icons of our time who was a key role player in the fight against apartheid in South Africa. He was also the first black South African Archbishop of Cape Town, South Africa and primate of the Anglican Church of South Africa.

Tutu was also a key figure in the South African struggle for equality during the apartheid regime, where he worked alongside Nelson Mandela. This campaign was a successful one, and was achieved through non-violence. This sent a clear message to the world that much can be achieved without violence. He became a prominent leader in the crusade for justice and racial conciliation in South Africa. In 1984 he received a Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his extraordinary contributions to that cause.

In 1995 President Nelson Mandela appointed him the Archbishop Chairman of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, a body set up to probe gross human rights violations that occurred under apartheid. In the last decades of his life Tutu turned his attention to a different cause: the campaign against HIV/AIDS. The Archbishop made appearances around the globe to help raise awareness of the disease and its tragic consequences in human lives and suffering.

Though his strong support for social justice once made him a controversial figure, today Archbishop Tutu is regarded as an elder world statesman who played a major role in reconciliation, and as a leading moral voice. He became an icon of hope far beyond the Church and Southern Africa.

For years, Desmond Tutu was a symbol for equality, justice, peace and freedom, and his determination for these, we believe reflects many of the values we have here at East Barnet School, and we hope that his achievements will continue to inspire our students here for years to come.

Ubuntu

Tutu House’s logo and ethos are based on the Southern African concept of ubuntu. Described by Archbishop Desmond Tutu as “one of the gifts Africa can give to the world”, ubuntu shows how we can only be fully human when we value and appreciate one another, recognising that what we have in common is far greater than the differences between us.

One of the sayings in our country is Ubuntu – the essence of being human. Ubuntu speaks particularly about the fact that you can’t exist as a human being in isolation. It speaks about our interconnectedness. You can’t be human all by yourself, and when you have this quality – Ubuntu – you are known for your generosity. We think of ourselves far too frequently as just individuals, separated from one another, whereas you are connected and what you do affects the whole World. When you do well, it spreads out; it is for the whole of humanity.
– Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Said to be the ‘glue’ which held together the volatile and fragile nation of South Africa after the end of apartheid, ubuntu teaches us to look beyond ourselves – and in so doing, to become more fully human.

“I am, because you are” says Archbishop Tutu; “how I behave impacts not only on me but also others around me because we all belong together”  So a person with ubuntu is generous, thoughtful and respectful towards others, appreciating the differences that together make us greater than the sum of our parts! 

Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.
― Archbishop Desmond Tutu

House Charity

Tutu House have chosen ASTI (Acid Survivors Trust International) as the charity that it will support.
 
It is a UK registered not-for-profit charity and the only international organisation whose sole purpose is to end acid violence at a global level. ​ Whilst acid attacks rarely kill, they can cause permanent damage and have lifelong physical and psychological effects on the victims of them. ​ Survivors face permanent disfigurement and often social isolation – disturbing their self-esteem and psychological wellbeing. Child victims require extra long-term specialist care from paediatric surgeons, physiotherapists and counsellors – specialist skills that are often lacking in many countries in which acid violence is predominant. By raising funds for ASTI, we can help to eliminate acid and burn violence, mobilise resources to assist survivors and end acid attacks. Many house events take place throughout the year to raise money for house charities, and we hope we can make difference by helping survivors of acid attacks have better life chances and stop violence!

House Logo

The east barnet school tutu house logo is the shield with a springbok in the middle. The motto at the top says i am because we are and it says tutu at the bottom. All created with blue hues.

House Animal

an image of a south african springbok
A South African Springbok

House Inspiration Video