The House System is a traditional feature of British schools, in the style of Harry Potter's Hogwarts houses. Aside from the cinematic experience, the lessons to be learned from the House System go beyond the magic of Potter: togetherness, responsibility, leadership, healthy competition, cohesion, friendship and collaboration. Through this regime, at O Castro British International School we enrich and challenge our students to succeed in their own way and help shape the future of their community.

The House System provides the opportunity to learn and develop leadership skills through House Captains who, through organised activities, hone their leadership skills, managing not only their peers but also learning to "manage up" amongst the staff. It also promotes a sense of belonging to a community among both pupils and staff, breaking down the walls of age. It facilitates understanding between the young and old in the school; and it fosters a healthy competitive spirit. This system, where each house has its own identity, encourages teamwork, respect and collaboration. At O Castro British International School we divide the school into the following houses: Oxford (Blue), Cambridge (Red), York (Green) and Durham (Yellow).

How does the House System work?

The House System is based on the philosophy of recognising positive student behaviour and provides a strong means of rewarding good behaviour as well as reinforcing our school's own values.

The aim is for students, as members of a House or as individuals, to earn as many points as they can to contribute to the success of their own team over a period of time: the week, the month and the whole year. Points are awarded on a daily basis, both in the classroom and in other academic spaces. In the classroom, it is teachers who can award individual points for excelling in a subject or demonstrating values such as effort. But individual pupils can also earn points which go directly into their House's points pool for excellent attitude or behaviour or by standing out through various activities, such as sports day, other competitions, recitals or other activities of life at O Castro British International School. Cumulative totals are announced in the weekly Friday afternoon assembly.

The beginning of a beautiful friendship with challenges

Weekly or monthly winners are rewarded with extra play time or the privilege of not coming to school in uniform on a day like Friday. These long-term ambitions help students to monitor their own behaviour and encourage academic progress, as well as to become aware of the steps needed to achieve their goals. Las Casas has enormous potential to motivate students, especially if the whole community comes together to support their efforts.