Braunton Academy House System
Welcome to Our House System
At Braunton Academy, we believe in fostering a sense of community, teamwork, and healthy competition among our students. Our House System is a cornerstone of this philosophy, designed to enhance the educational experience and personal development of every student.
Our Houses
We have four vibrant houses, each named after beautiful local beaches, reflecting our connection to the stunning North Devon coastline:
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Woolacombe (blue)
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Saunton (red)
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Croyde (yellow)
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Putsborough (green)
Why We Have a House System
The House System at Braunton Academy serves several important purposes:
Building Community: By dividing the school into smaller communities, students can form closer bonds with their peers and adults. This sense of belonging helps create a supportive and inclusive environment.
Encouraging Participation: The house system encourages students to participate in a wide range of activities, from sports and arts to academic competitions. This involvement helps students discover and develop their talents and interests.
Promoting Healthy Competition: Friendly competition between houses motivates students to strive for excellence in all areas of school life. It teaches them the value of hard work, perseverance, and teamwork.
Fostering Leadership: Each house is led by Student Leaders who are responsible for organising events and activities. This provides valuable leadership opportunities and helps students develop important skills such as organisation, communication, and responsibility.
Benefits of the House System
The House System offers numerous benefits to our students:
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Enhanced Social Skills: By interacting with students from different year groups, students develop strong social skills and learn to work collaboratively.
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Increased School Spirit: House events and competitions foster a sense of pride and loyalty towards one’s house, contributing to a positive school culture.
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Personal Growth: Participation in house activities helps students build confidence, resilience, and a sense of achievement.
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Academic and Extracurricular Balance: The House System encourages a balanced approach to school life, promoting both academic excellence and extracurricular involvement.
Join the Fun!
Whether you’re competing in a sports day, participating in a quiz, or showcasing your talents in a house performance, there’s always something exciting happening in the House System at Braunton Academy. We invite all students to get involved, support their house, and make the most of their time at our school.
Kind Regards
Jamie Frickleton
Assistant Vice Principal - Inclusion
6th March 2025
World Book Day Treasure Hunt
In the run up to World Book Day (Thursday 6th March), Miss Rockey ran a Treasure Hunt across the school, where students had to find the answers to 15 book-related questions and hand in their completed sheets for a chance to win a Waterstones book voucher.
Emily in Year 8 was picked as the winner, also securing more house points for Woolacombe!
Well done.
March 2025
Pancake Race
A fantastic turn out for the House Pancake Races 2025! There was some tough competition in the Year 7 race with Saunton ploughing through with a win, even trying to beat the others with a fifth person on their four-person team! Some over enthusiastic flipping from the Croyde team in the Year 8 race meant that the Tech Department are putting in a request for a new frying pan to replace the handle-less one we returned! A clear win for Putsborough though!
A lot of dropped pancakes in the Year 9 race allowed Woolacombe to sail through to win, although I'm not sure how Mrs Craig sneaked into a team!
Finally, after a lot of persuasion with chocolate for the prize, we got the Year 10 teams to take part with Woolacombe again coming away with success.
Well done to everyone who took part and thanks for the encouragement from the spectators, lots of fun!
Results:
Year 7
1st Saunton
2nd Croyde
3rd Putsborough
4th Woolacombe
Year 8
1st Putsborough
2nd Croyde
3rd Woolacombe
4th Saunton
Year 9
1st Woolacombe
2nd Croyde
3rd Saunton
4th Putsborough
Y10
1st Woolacombe
2nd Putsborough
3rd Saunton
4th Croyde
13th January 2025
Historical Fiction House Competition
We are thrilled to announce the results of our recent Historical Fiction Competition, where students showcased their exceptional storytelling skills and historical knowledge. The competition aimed to encourage young writers to delve into the past and create compelling narratives that are both engaging and historically accurate.
The entries were judged on their creativity, historical accuracy, and overall storytelling. After much deliberation, we are proud to present the winners:
1st Place: Coco of Saunton House
2nd Place: Clodagh Of Saunton House and Hetty of Putsborough House .
3rd Place: Eva of Woolacombe House
4th Place: Rosie of Putsborough House
We extend our heartfelt congratulations to all the winners and participants. Your dedication to historical fiction and your passion for writing have truly shone through in your work. We look forward to seeing more of your creative endeavours in the future!
Stay tuned for more exciting competitions and opportunities to showcase your talents. Keep writing and keep exploring the fascinating world of history through your stories!
January 2025
House Keepy Uppies Competition Showcases Impressive Skills
This week, we held the much-anticipated 'House Keepy Uppies' competition, and it was a fantastic display of skill and coordination. With 54 enthusiastic entries, the event was a great success, highlighting the talent within our student body and staff.
The competition was fierce, but a few individuals stood out with their remarkable performances. Here are the winners:
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Year 7: Jack from Saunton House, with an impressive 127 keepy uppies.
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Year 8: Harley from Saunton House, achieving 20 keepy uppies.
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Year 9: Chester from Croyde House.
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Year 10: Ruben from Saunton House.
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Year 11: Tom from Woolacombe House, with an astounding 301 keepy uppies.
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Staff: Mr. Twohig from Woolacombe House, with an impressive 245 keepy uppies.
The winning house was Woolacombe. Congratulations to them.
The event was a wonderful opportunity for students and staff to showcase their football skills and enjoy some friendly competition. The atmosphere was electric, with cheers and encouragement from spectators adding to the excitement.
Congratulations to all the participants for their efforts and to the winners for their outstanding performances. We look forward to more such events that bring our school community together and celebrate our diverse talents.
December 2024
Christmas Book Quiz
After the success of our Halloween Book Quiz last term, we held a Christmas Book Quiz! 28 students and 4 staff members took part, representing our Houses and answering questions on Christmas books and films. It was a very close call, but Saunton stole the crown once more scoring 20.5/22 and winning the Christmas goodie bags!
Well done to Austin, Kitty, Emilia, Clodagh, Flo, Bella, Ruby and Mrs Nolan!
December 2024
Christmas Cake Competition
The festive spirit was in full swing this December with our annual Christmas Cake House Competition. The event showcased the incredible creativity and baking skills of our students, making it a delightful highlight of the season.
We are thrilled to announce the joint winners of this year's competition: Neve from Putsborough, Harry from Woolacombe, and Coco from Saunton. Their stunning cake creations impressed the judges and earned them top honours.
As a result of their fantastic efforts, points will be awarded to Putsborough, Woolacombe, and Saunton Houses. Congratulations to Neve, Harry, and Coco for their outstanding work!
Well done. Your hard work and festive spirit truly shone through.
23rd October 2024
Halloween Book Quiz: A Spooky Success!
Today, our school hosted a thrilling Halloween Book Quiz that had students buzzing with excitement! The event was a fantastic blend of fun and learning, with students grouped by their houses to compete in a series of challenging rounds.
The quiz featured questions on horror and gothic literature, testing the students’ knowledge of spooky stories and classic tales. Additionally, there was a TV and movie round that added an extra layer of excitement.
All the groups performed exceptionally well, showcasing their impressive knowledge and teamwork. However, it was Saunton House that emerged victorious, claiming the top spot with their outstanding performance!
The winning team received prize bags filled with goodies, including: Halloween bookmarks, a sticker, a badge, a Halloween pen and sweets.
The smiles on the winners’ faces were priceless as they proudly held their prize bags. Check out the attached pictures to see the happy winners and their spooky prizes!
The Halloween Book Quiz was a huge success, filled with laughter, learning, and a bit of friendly competition. Congratulations to all the participants for their hard work and enthusiasm, and a special shoutout to Saunton House for their well-deserved win!
Stay tuned for more exciting house events.
24th July 2024
Sports Day Winners Presentation
Congratulations to Woolacombe House on winning Sports Day 2024. The Woolacombe House Sports Captains were today presented with the Sports Day Shield at our end of year presentation.
25th June 2024
Sports Day
We had another fantastic Sports Day today with the weather being kind to us. There were some outstanding results and the day was won overall by Woolacombe House with 1,111 points. In second place were Croyde House with 1,091 points, third Putsborough with 1,087 points and fourth Saunton with 898 points.
11 Braunton Academy school records were broken in each of the different year groups.
Isla in the 200m - 27.45s
Carys in the 800m - 2.32m
Maya in the High Jump - 1.36m
Perrin in the 200m - 27.27s, High Jump - 1.50m and Long Jump 4.87m
Danny in the 300m - 42.02s and High Jump 1.54m
Brandon in the Long Jump 4.88m
Maddie Davis-Hull in the 200m - 26.32s
Tyler in the Shot - 11.32m
Tom in the 1,500m - 4.36m
Bella in the Triple Jump - 10.46m
Will in the High Jump - 1.69m
Well done to everybody who took.
