As a British school, at O Castro British International School we have a traditional house system. In essence, it is a very useful tool for education in values, but, above all, it builds and fosters "community", a feeling of belonging to a community which is also projected beyond the classroom. In the following lines, we will try to explain what it is and, above all, what the benefits are.

The house system is a very common feature of the British education system, both in our school and in the other schools in the Globeducate British International Schools cluster in Spain, France, Italy and Portugal, and helps to build community spirit, to develop a sense of identity and belonging, and to celebrate achievements, both our own and those of others.

At O Castro British International School, all pupils and staff belong from day one to one of the houses, which in our case are prestigious UK universities: Durham, Oxford, Cambridge and York. As with the other schools in the group, they reinforce and project through the whole school community our fundamental pillars: to enrich, challenge, shape and achieve.

While the House System always exist at the British School in Vigo, it is taking on a more prominent role this year. In addition to the usual practice of awarding points for good behaviour, we have launched events and initiatives in which the whole school community actively participates, feeling part of a team, of a community, involved and committed. In addition to the Sport Days or the Locker Contest, O Castro Idol, the Maths Challenge, the Speeling Bee competition or the World Book Day Competition, among many others, stand out.  

Social responsibility

A few weeks ago, we also launched the solidarity campaign "4 Houses, 4 Causes", linking each of our houses with external organisations to promote the importance of social responsibility among the students, creating four work teams: 

• Environment Team: CEMMA
• Proximity Aid Team: Food Bank of Vigo
• Emergency Aid Team: Aldeas Infantiles
• Team for the Fight against Cancer or Rare Diseases: Aladina Foundation

Our Secondary students received an interesting talk about the work that each of these organisations carry out, and in the coming weeks we will be launching initiatives to actively collaborate with these organisations.

In this way, and with other initiatives in the pipeline, we hope not only to create a great sense of community within the school, but also to show our students that they can make a difference.