School houses

There are four school houses which play an important part in the school organisation. Each has a boy and girl Captain and Vice-Captain chosen from the Year 6 classes. These 16 pupils take on many additional responsibilities throughout the school and meet with the headteacher to discuss issues relating to all aspects of school life. The houses also help us organise competitions, projects and activities throughout the school year.

Where the names came from

The history of the houses is interesting, in that they relate to four families who were all former owners of the Coombe Estate where the school now stands. In chronological order they are:

Belet (blue)
Neville (green)
Somerset (red)
Spencer (yellow)

Belet

Belet is named after Michael Belet, who was presented with the land in the 11th century for the part he played in helping William I in the conquest of England.

Neville

Neville refers to Hugh de Neville, whose family owned the land in the 12th and 13th centuries. An Abbey was established on the estate and some local roads still use the name Neville.

Somerset

In the reign of Henry VIII the dissolution of the monasteries saw this estate claimed by the crown and presented to the Duke of Somerset; hence Somerset, our red house.

Spencer

By the 18th Century the land had been purchased by the Spencer family. Just a few hundred metres away the Coombe Cottage Estate was once one house, the 60-room Coombe Cottage, where the great-grandmother of Diana, Princess of Wales, once lived.