Taken from Miss Kidd’s Headteacher Report 1915, Miss Kidd stated that there was nothing special to report about the games or sports that the girls had participated in that year.  She noted that due to the First World War they had given up playing other schools. However, the house matches had been introduced and, she noted, were a good way of rousing and keeping up a keen spirit and interest in the games. Miss Kidd informed her audience that house badges had very recently been introduced and went on to say that in 1915-16 Danes had won the House Cup for the best all round conduct, work and games. Prior to reading this, we had understood that the house system went back to 1927 when the houses were first mentioned in a school magazine, but clearly the houses as we still know them today were in existence before 1915.

Taken from our 125th Anniversary Magazine:

“There are of course many traditions.  One of the longest-standing is our system of Houses.  We know for certain that these date back to the 1920s and they are mentioned in the first school magazine in 1927, when there were House reports from Danes, Saxons, Britons and Normans. 

The House Arts Competition is an exceptionally long-standing event and results in ferocious competition early each academic year.”

Extract from the 1988 Centenary Magazine:

“In the early editions, the House Captains whip up the fervour of their house-members; Saxons’ motto is: “Forward to Perfection”; Danes have: “Press On”, while Normans and Britons go classical – Normans: “Vincit Amor Patriae” (Love of Country wins), and Britons: “Non Mihi sed Genti”! (Not to Me but to the Nation)”

From our Summer Term, 1950 edition our Romans House was formed in September 1949:

Romans

“We are now approaching the end of our first year as Romans and I think we all consider it a privilege to be members of a new House.  But in years to come, people will look back and say, “The Romans had a bad start,” – and so we have.  Let us hope this is only a case of “beginners bad luck.”  But it is not luck we need; it is enthusiasm.”

From our Summer Term, 1951 edition our Vikings House was formed in September 1950:

Vikings

“I am afraid we cannot look back on our achievements this year with pride.  Vikings, I am sure that as a House we are quite capable of reaching a more inspiring position than fifth and sixth, for there seems to be quite a considerable amount of individual enthusiasm for the House.  However, there is a definite lack of co-operation in the House as a whole, especially among the seniors.”

Today the same six Houses remain.  Does anyone know the mottos of the Romans or Vikings?