Our School House System

Every student who attends Samuel Whitbread Academy is a member of a ‘house’. The houses are made up of all students from Year 9 to Year 13. As of September 2017, the new uniform shows the house that each student will represent for their time at the school. Throughout the year competitions, fundraising events and sports will be run to raise money for house charities and earn points in order for one house to ultimately win the House Cup in July.

There are 5 houses at SWA:

Moore
Obama
Rashford
Whishaw
Sims

House Captains

At the beginning of each academic year, meetings are held to elect House Captains from the sixth form. Two students are elected from each house. The job of the house captains is to support the House leaders and to take responsibility for the leadership and organisation of their house throughout the forthcoming academic year. Unlike other schools, we also have Captains for Charities and Sports in each house to support the House leaders and help create a positive community ethos at SWA.

House Competitions

House competitions take place throughout the year; with each department running one, all competitions give the students the opportunity to win house points via the e-praise system already in place. House points are added together and the house with the most points at the end of the year will win the overall house competition.

House Assemblies

House assemblies take place on the following days in a week B:
Moore - Monday
Obama - Tuesday
Rashford - Wednesday
Whishaw - Thursday
Sims - Friday

Houses at Samuel Whitbread Academy

MOORE

House Colour: Purple
House Leader: Miss R Spendelow | rspendelow@bestacademies.org.uk

Inspired by Captain Sir Thomas Moore, he is a former British Army officer who served in WWII and centenarian.

On 6^th April 2020, at the age of 99, he began to walk laps of his garden in aid of NHS Charities, with the goal of raising £1,000 by his hundredth birthday.

On the morning of his hundredth birthday, the total raised at the end of that day had increased to almost £39 million with expected tax rebates.

SWA Values: Determination and Respect

OBAMA

House Colour: Turquoise
House Leader: Mr S Bratt | sbratt@bestacademies.org.uk

Inspired by Michelle Obama, who promotes courage and self-esteem for women. Crediting her family for helping her find her voice from an early age.

• Continues her ongoing efforts to fight poverty, inequality and obesity to abolish racial divides.

• Supports several charities and even set up her own ‘Let’s get moving’ to promote a healthy upbringing of the young kind.

SWA Values: Empathy, Respect and Equality

RASHFORD

House Colour: Royal Blue
House Leader: Miss A Skinner| askinner@bestacademies.org.uk

Inspired by Marcus Rashford who set up the ‘In the Box’ campaign to give homeless people essential items over Christmas. He helped to hand out the boxes to homeless people.

• Wrote an open letter to the UK government calling on them to end UK child poverty, helping to support 1.3 million children.

• For the 2020 World Book Day, he supported a campaign to help share a million stories and released a children's motivational book titled "You Are A Champion".

SWA Values: Equality, Determination and Respect

WHISHAW

House Colour: Red
House Leaders: Miss S Hussain | shussain@bestacademies.org.uk

Whishaw House is inspired by acclaimed actor Ben Whishaw, born in 1980 and raised in Clifton, Bedfordshire. A former student of Samuel Whitbread Academy, Ben went on to train at RADA, graduating in 2003.

His award-winning career spans television, film, and stage. He received an International Emmy for Criminal Justice (2008), a BAFTA for The Hollow Crown (2012), and early recognition as “Most Promising Newcomer” at the 2001 British Independent Film Awards. Notable film roles include lead parts in Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, Bright Star, Brideshead Revisited, and I’m Not There. He is also widely known as Q in the James Bond films Skyfall and Spectre, and as the beloved voice of Paddington Bear.

On stage, Ben earned critical acclaim for Hamlet and starred alongside Dame Judi Dench in Peter and Alice. His career reflects creativity, versatility, and excellence, qualities we celebrate in Whishaw House.

SWA values: Integrity, Determination and Equality

SIMS

House Colour: Green
House Leader: Mr A Leverett | aleverett@bestacademies.org.uk

Inspired by David Sims, who suffered a stroke when he was five, resulting in some mobility issues, but was always extremely upbeat about life.

• During a DT lesson, David fainted, hitting his head as he fell, resulting in a brain haemorrhage.
There were life-long implications for his haemorrhage, which affected his mobility further and his speech.

• David worked hard in rehabilitation to return to school just before his Year 11 exams. He passed them and went on to study A-levels at college. Upon returning he said, “What is the point in giving up?! If I didn’t have a positive and optimistic outlook, I wouldn’t be here.

• He now supports other young adults with limited mobility to learn to drive and gain independence. David also plays wheelchair Rugby with Saracens.

SWA Values: Determination and Integrity