Willow House

 

Willow is one of four houses at The Duston School that provide a community for every student, from Reception through to the Sixth Form. Throughout the academic year, these four houses compete for the coveted house trophy by earning house points for a wide variety of achievements.

 

Willow Motto

 

Our motto is, “Winners never quit; quitters never win”. For us, winning is about succeeding in something that seemed out of reach at first and that is exactly what the students in Willow managed to do last year.

How do we create a sense of community?

Every term, Willow students from years 7 to 13 get together in a house assembly to celebrate each other’s successes and reflect on the term that has passed. These provide a fantastic opportunity to hear about other students across tutor groups and year groups as well as to enjoy musical performances arranged by our music department.

 

How do we Celebrate Success?

House points can be awarded for respect, resilience and aspiration, alongside being ‘star of the lesson’ and ‘tutee of the week’. In addition to this, many students last year earned a significant number of house points for their contribution to the wider school community by taking part in extra-curricular activities such as the school production. House points build up to Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum Awards, for which students receive a personalised certificate and an Amazon voucher to spend as they please. In addition to this, at the end of the year, subjects also award prizes for those who stand out for their hard work and determination: winners have the privilege of being invited to the celebration evening.

 

We look forward to welcoming new students to Willow House!

How else do we create a sense of community?

Our house charity is Service Six, which was voted for by Willow pupils last year. Throughout the year, fundraising events will take place for our chosen charity; last year, we raised over £70 for Service Six during a charity bake sale.

To add to the community spirit, inter-house competitions run every second Friday during the lunch break. The four houses compete through quizzes, debates, sporting challenges and creative activities, so there is something for everyone throughout the term.

At the end of the academic year, we celebrate individual successes through a ‘Student Showcase’. This event allows all pupils to display their best work for all staff and students to enjoy during the day; overall winners are chosen by votes and prizes are awarded during house assemblies.

Willow Student Council

Our student council is elected through a democratic process and run by our House Captain and Vice House Captain. Meetings take place every fortnight to discuss issues or ideas important to Willow students. There are at least two representatives for each school year and these students are responsible for raising topics to be discussed.