House assemblies have been a major part of the school itinerary since I was in year 7. After having multiple Head of House changes, from Mrs. Ash to Mr. Tenga, we have experienced an array of experiences and life lessons through these assemblies.

A key memory that I have from one of the Ash house assemblies, was doing physical activity at the beginning of the year. Instead of having a rather passive assembly, we were encouraged to introduce ourselves to all the new students which joined in year 7. Due to the fact, this was at the beginning of the year, this allowed me and other peers in my form to meet new students who might have found it hard to make friends otherwise. Therefore the house assembly enabled me to follow the school mantra of ‘Mind to be Kind’ and be placed outside my comfort zone when it comes to meeting new people from such a young age. This shaped my character further to be a much more confident student.

After speaking to my peers, I discovered that they have also experienced a positive outcome from attending house assemblies.

Our Head Girl, Isabel Hart said “Maple house assemblies encouraged me to gain an insight into other people’s perceptions of things such as the ‘Word of the Week.’ This influenced me to into studying psychology and taking it further, into university.”

By experiencing house assemblies, different from Ash house assemblies, Izzy has encountered an array of different opinions, mindsets, and approaches to life. The community which house assemblies create enables Character Development Groups to come together and share these factors, allowing students to flourish into individuals.

Considering this, and my peers Pola Fiszer and Zak Khan, believe that there should be more interactive activities, such as the Ash assemblies there have been in the past. This would enhance the attitudes toward the topics discussed in assemblies and put students out of their comfort zone so they are ready for the world.