Vertical House System

Purpose:

At Utahloy International School ZengCheng, the provision of a strong Vertical House System is seen as integral to helping each student to reach their potential intellectually, academically and emotionally. Indeed, we believe that every student matters every day. The Vertical House System delivers a programme that is designed to assist the individual enrich his/her personal life, to prepare him/her for educational choices, and to offer guidance and counselling in an effort to come to terms with his/her own responsibilities in meeting the basic intellectual and social demands of adult life. Each student is different and entitled to individual care and attention. The Vertical House System offers continuity of that care throughout the student's time at the School and will help achieve the best possible outcomes for each individual.

Staffing Structure:

The Vertical House System operates under the guidance of a Senior Head of House (SHOH) who is responsible for the day-to-day management of the system. Each House has a dedicated Head of House (HOH) who bears the primary responsibility for the care of each student in the House for the duration of their life at school. The HOH is assisted by a House Tutor (HT) who has the day-to-day oversight of the students' activities and development. The HT's regularly monitor each student's academic progress and participation in extra-curricular activities; guide and advise them in matters of discipline; help define goals and career aspirations; and act as mentors. Further support is readily available from the HOH. Each House comprises both female and male students but, within each House, there are two Tutor Groups; one comprised of the male and one comprised of the female members of that House. This enables student needs to be met in a safe and open environment.

Student Leadership:

Within each House there is a small number of students from each year level, which provides significant opportunities for leadership and pastoral roles for senior students, who act as mentors to their juniors in the House. Houses are run by the student leadership, in the form of a male House Captain and a female House Captain. These Captains organise their House for sport competitions, community and service projects and oversee the welfare of their peers on a daily basis. Together with the School Captains, the House Captains form the Student Counci, which serves to advise the school's Senior Management Team and advocates on behalf of student concerns. The weekly whole-school assemblies are run and managed by the Student Council leadership. This approach empowers students to have a stake in their school, not as passive subjects of adult administration but as active leaders involved in the processes that directly affect them on a daily basis. School rules are not dictated from above but are the result of a collaborative process involving the students and then implemented and enforced by them. The result is a school wherein 'community' is not a buzzword for a mission statement but an actual way of life that envelops the entire campus and its constituents.

Competitions:

Houses compete against each other across the year in three categories; Sport, Community and the Arts. The primary purpose of these competitions is to bond the students to their House mates and encourage selflessness. Sporting competitions are held during the afternoon after school every two weeks. Points are awarded to each House according to their ranking at the end of the event. The members of a House earn points through a referral system wherein members of staff report acts of kindness that they witness. The system is anonymous in order to encourage students to act in a charitable manner as a way of life and not just when they are visible. In the Arts, the Houses compete against each other in performing and graphic arts competitions organised by staff and community organisations. The major emphasis here is on participation and not placement. Each category is tabulated individually at the end of the year, with rewards and recognition given to Houses in each category and in an overall scoring.

Weekly Schedule

Students in each of the Houses meet four times each week, both in Tutor groups and as a House. On Mondays, the Houses meet as a whole with their Heads of House and House Tutors to check student diaries and set the tone for the week. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, the Houses meet in their tutor groups with the House Tutors. On these days the HT deliver Student Welfare Lessons. These lessons are purpose-built to help instil the behaviour and values that our school and its curriculum are built upon. On Thursdays, the Houses again gather in their Tutor groups; student diaries are checked and signed for the weekend and then it's time for some fun. The House Tutors engage with the students in group and team activities designed to tighten the bond between students and between students and the HT. On Fridays, each House sits together during the weekly whole school assembly.

Community Ties

School and home play complementary roles in the education of Utahloy students. Parents are encouraged to communicate, in the first instance, with the student's HT but also with the HOH as the need arises. Each House holds an annual community event wherein staff, students and parents associated with a House will meet in a relaxed social setting. This is an important time for all stakeholders in the community as the House is about people and taking care of each other.