The House system was re-introduced at the Academy in 2023 to foster a sense of belonging and to create a community for students to support each other, engage in friendly competition, and bond together to make positive contributions within their house, school, and local community.
The new house names were decided by the entire Park Academy community. Students suggested categories and names of houses, which were then narrowed down by the Student Council. The staff then helped to decide the final house names.
As we are called Park Academy, our Houses are named after four of the royal parks in London:
When joining Park Academy West London, each student is allocated to one of the four Houses, becoming a member ‘for life’ and benefiting from the guidance of the other students within their House and creating heroes amongst the students. We try to ensure that family members follow each other into the same House, a tradition which we hope will encourage camaraderie, loyalty, and commitment. Each house is led by a Student House Captain.
Throughout the year, students compete for the House trophy. Every student can make a contribution to the overall points total by achieving merits, having good attendance and getting involved in the numerous House activities throughout the year.
The House system also supports the pastoral care of the school by ensuring that each student identifies with a smaller community, made up of students in every year group from Year 7 to Year 11 and into 6th Form, therefore creating a sense of belonging amongst them.
The structure of the House system means that each student has a chance to shine, to discover their own talents, enjoy some fun and excitement and to make a genuine contribution to their school community. House events and celebrations allow students to build friendship and companionship throughout the school. Houses provide opportunities for leadership, responsibility, coaching and mentoring.