There are lots of ways that students are rewarded through the House System. Some rewards are awarded daily, weekly and termly. We then finish the year with an End of Year House Celebration Evening, where students are rewarded for their contribution to the House System.

House rewards:

• Tutor Stamp: ‘The Perfect Week’ = 100% attendance with no lates and no behaviour points
• Aspire Card Points: 25 points for a full Aspire Card
• Best in Lesson: In SMSC and Love of Reading/Accelerated Reader during form time
• Aspire Card Draw: Vouchers available for students who have completed Aspire Cards
• End of Term Certificates
• Form Rep Badges
• House Points for taking part and/or winning House Competitions

We have an annual House Celebration Evening in July to highlight students achievements from the academic year. Students and parents/carers of all the winners will be invited to this event.

Throughout the year, students will have the opportunity to be nominated for the following awards:

• Outstanding Contribution to Form Time: Each form tutor nominates one student from their form. This could be for continued excellent contribution in SMSC/LOR, supporting in form time, being the form rep, taking part in House competitions/events etc.
• Accelerated Reader Rewards: One for top reader and one for most words read
• Aspire Card Rewards: Awarded to one student per house for each Key Stage that completes lots of Aspire Cards each term
• Contribution to School Community: Someone that has taken part in House competitions/events, been a school ambassador for any event/activity, anything a student may have supported throughout the school
• Contribution to School Sport: Picked after sports day for the top performing student from each house
• Contribution to School Arts: This is any student that has excelled in art, performing arts and/or music – this could be decided based on being part of the end of year show etc.
• Outstanding Contribution to the House System: The student that has given everything for their house – it could be that they took part in a range of house activities, helped out in assemblies, supported on Charity days or even agreed to just take part in some of the less popular events at sports day to just get the house some much needed points

There is an award for a student in each House in each category and then one person will win the overall trophy for each category.

Students have the opportunity to apply to be a Form Rep. At the start of the year, students write a letter explaining why they would like to be a Form Rep. This role includes supporting the Head of House with House competitions, fundraising and sporting events.

Form Reps also play a vital part in student voice as this allows students to have an impact on everyday school life, some topics include:

• Teaching and Learning
• Rewards
• SMSC & LOR programme
• School improvement

Some of the Form Reps will also have the opportunity to be a part of the Academy Council. The Academy Council meet with Miss Pearson who collates all of the information from individual House student voice meetings and decide on the points that could be improved at Giles Academy. The Academy Council members then meet with the Head of School, Miss Belcher, to discuss which of their ideas can be implemented across the school.

Some examples of the impact the Academy Council have had are:

• Recycling bins
• Introduce the Bully Box
• What’s on the SMSC/LOR programme
• Pods/School lunch etc.
• More benches
• Multi purpose sports area for lunch times
• More prefects/teachers in corridors

TERM 1

• European Languages Day
• Black History Month

TERM 2

• Children in Need
• Christmas Hampers
• Inter-House Literacy Competition
• Inter-Form Literacy Competition
• Accelerated Reading Quiz Prize Draw

TERM 3

• Inter-House Futsal
• Maths Quiz
• Bake Off
• Games Competition
• Inter-House Literacy Competition
• Inter-Form Literacy Competition
• Accelerated Reading Quiz Prize Draw

TERM 4

• Comic Relief
• Maths Quiz
• World Book Day
• Recycling Competition
• Inter-House Dodgeball
• Rocket Competition
• Inter-House Literacy Competition
• Inter-Form Literacy Competition
• Accelerated Reading Quiz Prize Draw
• Most Improved STAR Test

TERM 5

• Heads of House Cooking Technical Challenge
• Maths Quiz
• Ready Steady Cook Competition
• Inter-House Literacy Competition
• Inter-Form Literacy Competition
• Accelerated Reading Quiz Prize Draw

TERM 6

• End of Year House Celebration Evening
• Maths Quiz
• Bastille Day Competition
• Sports Day
• Inter-House Literacy Competition
• Inter-Form Literacy Competition
• Accelerated Reading Quiz Prize Draw

An important part of the House System is our assembly programme. Each House has an assembly every two weeks, bringing all members of the House together to cover important topics which support the SMSC programme and to celebrate student achievements.

• Welcome/Tutor Time expectations
• Trust Rewards Programme/House Competition Launch/House Charity
• Black History Month
• Road Safety
• World Mental Health Day
• Children in Need
• Remembrance Day
• Christmas Hampers
• End of Term Rewards
• Holocaust Memorial Day
• Valentine’s Day
• Comic/Sport Relief
• World Book Day
• Fair Trade
• Skin Cancer Awareness
• National Doughnut Week
• Sports Day Selection
• Sports Day Results/Celebration
• Pride Month
• End of Year Rewards

The SLAT ‘Love of Reading’ programme is studied by students once a fortnight in tutor time sessions. The programme covers a wide range of reading materials and the focus is on the use of reading activities to engage and spark intelligent discussion among students. The core aim is the further development of reading skills, processing information and, most importantly, oracy.

It aims to:

• Promote reading engagement and fluency through tutor time reading activities
• Promote reading as a cross-curricular activity, led by Heads of House and delivered by tutors
• Raise attainment by leading and delivering the Accelerated Reader programme
• Provide time in the busy school day for quiet, independent personal reading
• Allow students to experience and discuss different texts and novel extracts

Key skills students will work on:

• Oracy – Speak like a specialist, In full sentences please, Extend your response, Use formal language, Clarity and projection
• Debating Skills – expressing viewpoint and opinion in a respectful and justified manner.
• Impact on the world – writer’s intentions and our reactions to it.
• Reading fluency, prosody, intonation to convey appropriate tone, pace.

Reading styles that students will be exposed to:

• Paired Reading
• Echo Reading
• Teacher Modelled Reading
• Reading Theatre

Students will study a wide range of topics such as animal cruelty, the environment and the impact of social media.

Year 9 to 11 have an extensive SMSC (Social, Moral, Spiritual and Cultural education) programme during PM registration, where students develop the knowledge, cultural capital, skills and attributes they need to keep themselves healthy and safe.

The aim is also to prepare students for life and work in modern Britain. Our students grow up in a complex and ever changing world and are exposed to an increasing range of influences.

SMSC education helps students to develop the knowledge, life skills and attributes they need to manage many of the critical opportunities, challenges and responsibilities they will face as they grow up and in adulthood.

We encourage students to think about personal and social values, to become aware of and involved in the life and concerns of their community and society and so develop their capacity to be active, effective and responsible future citizens that interact through mutual respect.

We want to develop the qualities and attributes students need to thrive as individuals, family members and well respected members of society.

Some of the topics covered include:

• Careers
• Issues in Modern Britain
• Parliament and Democracy
• Global Awareness
• Money Matters
• Mental Wellbeing
• Relationships
• Family Life
• RSE (Relationships and Sex Education)
• Consent
• Financial Management
• Substance Abuse
• Diversity, Radicalisation and Equality
• Spirituality and World Culture
• Current Affairs
• Revision Techniques