Houses

On becoming a pupil at Harris Academy you will be placed in one of four House Groups. The Houses were chosen by prefects in the school at the time that the House System was put together. The four Houses are Birnam, Cawdor, Forres and Kinloch. Unusually, our House names do not come from the surrounding areas of the school. Where the prefects chose the names from is no longer known, but it thought that great significance lies in the fact that Birnam, Cawdor and Forres are all places in Shakespeare's "Macbeth". The fourth House Kinloch is thought to have originated from local pride in George Kinloch who was Dundee’s first Member of Parliament.

Each house is represented by a different colour:

Birnam RED
Cawdor YELLOW
Forres GREEN
Kinloch BLUE

Each House is led by a boy and a girl House Captain.

 

History

It was the former rector, Mr Hope, who decided to introduce the House System to the school in 1950. He believed that “The House System should promote keenness and community sense, give activities point and purpose and pride in the school”.

For over half a century, the four houses of Harris have competed for two House Trophies, the P.T.A. Shield (House Championship) and the McEwan Watson Trophy (Inter-House Sports Championship). Since it began over 50 years ago, the House System and House Championship have been embedded in the ethos of Harris Academy and are viewed by many as a valuable, longstanding tradition. The many and varied talents of the pupils could now be recognised in the form of house points, regardless of whether pupils abilities were displayed in the classroom, on the sports field or in some form of community service.

 

Aims of the House Championship

The House Championship is still very much alive and retains its relevance in today’s educational climate.

The Aims are:

  • To promote and encourage active participation and involvement in a wide range of activities.

  • To build team spirit and personal achievement.

  • To promote citizenship.

  • To raise achievement and attainment through a sense of competition. This links to the Scottish Executive’s Curriculum for Excellence.

  • To reward both individual pupils and group achievements.

  • To foster a sense of belonging to a House (which includes all staff and pupils).

  • To raise self-esteem.

Prize Giving

All House Championship Awards relating to individual or group achievement are made during each end of year Prizegiving Ceremony.