The House System at Kingston State College continues to expand after a significant rejuvenation from 2018. Student House
Captains are selected as part of the school’s leadership team and given a range of responsibilities, including leading house
parades and full school parades, checking in on the participation and wellbeing of junior classes, selecting and running
house games, and preparing chants, banners, and costumes for major events. House games provide opportunities for the
whole school to engage in team-building activities, sports and games, and competitions that cater to all abilities, all while
being delivered by student House Captains.
House points are awarded across the full scope of the College’s curricular and extracurricular activities. As well as the
major events hosted within the school, house points are more frequently earnt through house games, attendance data,
bottle and can recycling efforts, VIVO points awarded for demonstrating positive behaviour, engaging in online learning
platform Education Perfect, and exemplifying leadership within the school. House captains are responsible for presenting
the point tallies and fortnightly house updates during full school parades in the form of an engaging skit designed by the
students themselves. All of these efforts culminate in the House Cup, which is awarded at the Year 12 Graduation
Ceremony to the house that has accrued the most points.
The role of Head of House was created so House Captains had a staff member within their house to support and guide
them. Heads of House continue to lead as Year 12 roll class teachers in order to regularly plan and check in with House
Captains as well as involving many other senior students in the process. All staff at the College demonstrate their house
spirit with vibrantly coloured house shirts that represent each house, along with regular opportunities to earn house points
in staff-only events and teacher vs. student challenges.
House games and house parades are implemented to improve student attendance by providing opportunities to build
connections with students within their house across several grades and feel a sense of belonging. This has proven to be
highly successful, particularly in reengaging disengaged students who don’t find the sense of belonging in other school
environments. The students respond particularly well to being led by their peers rather than staff, and the house captains
have risen to the occasion with enthusiasm and passion. In 2022, the school installed large house signs in the school hall,
representing the colours and themes of the house which are then used for assemblies and house games, further enhancing
the feeling of belonging to a team.
The House System will further expand in future years as more innovative ideas are implemented. As part of the continuous
growth and visibility of the house system, more house branding and representation throughout the school environment,
such as noticeboards, banners, further signage, and opportunities for younger students to take on leadership roles will be
applied. The House System is the perfect format to retain the interest and engagement of the students, which is essential
to enhance Whole School Culture.