How to choose house captains: applications, speeches and votes

The house captain guide shows what captains do and four ways schools pick them. This guide goes one step further and sets out the process: who can apply, what the application asks, how candidates speak, who votes and how the result is announced. It draws on eight school documents and pages, mostly from England, Australia and Oman. Each school's rules are its own, so use them as options.

1. Write the role description first

Candidates, voters and staff all need to know what the job is before the process starts. Three schools publish one.

Sharnbrook Primary (Bedfordshire, England) calls it a job description: a job purpose ("to lead your House effectively"), a list of qualities, key responsibilities such as monitoring and announcing house points and attending meetings, and the length of the post, which is a term.
Crieff High School lists a role, responsibilities (organising a programme of house competitions, organising house teams, working with the Head of House) and desired criteria such as active participation in school events and well-developed communication skills.
Parkway Primary (Bexley) lists duties including organising house meetings, collecting and announcing house points and supporting inter-house competitions such as Sports Day.

Write yours in the same shape: purpose, duties, what you look for, and how long the post lasts.

2. Decide who can apply

The sources range from open to selective.

At Parkway Primary, any child wishing to become a house captain can put themselves forward.
At Bartons Primary (Bognor Regis, West Sussex), Year 6 children get the chance at the start of the autumn term.
At King's Hawford (Worcester), pupils from the top of the Prep School and the top of Pre-Prep were encouraged to put themselves forward.
Indian School Muscat (Oman) sets conditions for its 2026 election: a pass in every subject with at least 33% in each and an aggregate of 60% in the previous class, two consecutive academic years at the school, participation in inter-house activities in the previous two years (inter-school as well for captain), and a clear discipline record.

Criteria on marks and discipline can narrow the field, so some pupils who would be good at the job may not qualify. Decide whether you want that, and say so in advance.

3. Choose the application

Four ways to apply appear in the sources.

A form with written answers. Beenleigh State High School (Queensland, Australia) asks for a personal statement, or a video, covering why you would be the best house captain, an example that shows leadership, and what you would do in the role. It also asks the applicant to get two members of staff to sign and comment as references.
A video. Sharnbrook asks applicants to record a short video with their name, house, why they would make a good captain, their strengths and the house activities they would organise. The video is shown to all classes before they vote. Sharnbrook warns that it can appoint only two captains and two deputies each term, so applicants may not succeed the first time.
Self-nomination, then an interview. Thornlands SS (Queensland, Australia) asks candidates to complete an application form by the end of week 1 of term 4. The letter lists interviews and shortlisting only for school captains; house captain candidates go from the application to speeches and voting.
An online form with documents. Indian School Muscat takes nominations by online form, with a copy of the report card, certificates for school events and a passport-size photograph in uniform, by a fixed deadline. Incomplete forms are rejected and late nominations are not accepted.

Ask for no more than you will use. A report card and a photograph are personal data, so keep and delete them under your school's rules.

4. Let candidates speak

How candidates reach voters differs.

A speech to the whole school. At Bartons, candidates prepare a speech about the qualities they have, read to the whole school. At Parkway, candidates write a speech listing personal and other qualities and read it to the whole school in an assembly.
A speech to their own house. At King's Hawford, pupils from Reception to Year Six split into house groups and candidates are invited to explain to their peers why they would make a great house captain. At Thornlands SS, house captain speeches go to Year 4 and Year 5 students in their respective houses.
A video. At Sharnbrook, as above, classes watch the video before voting.

None of these sources sets a time limit for a speech. Set one yourself and tell candidates, so that speeches take about the same time and an assembly does not overrun.

5. Decide who votes, and how

The whole school. At Bartons, the school votes for the captain of their choice.
Pupils and staff. At Parkway, each child and each member of staff has a ballot form and ticks two candidates in their house. Ballot forms have each candidate's photograph next to their name, and voting is private, though younger children may need some support.
The house. At King's Hawford, captains are voted for by members of their house, with house tutors running the voting. The school describes some very close contests in every house.
The student body and staff. Thornlands SS says voting is by the student body and staff.

We suggest photographs on the ballot for younger pupils. Say before the vote whether staff votes count the same as pupils' votes.

6. Count carefully and settle ties in advance

At Parkway, a group made up of the Assistant Head teacher (pastoral) and the Learning Mentor counts the votes and announces the captains. None of the sources says how it handles a tie, and King's Hawford reports close contests. Decide before voting whether a tie goes to a re-vote, a second round or a staff panel, and write it down with the other rules.

7. Announce the result

Bartons reads the results out in its Monday assembly, and each new captain and vice-captain is presented with a badge. Thornlands SS announces new student leaders at a school assembly, with parents invited if their child is successful, and holds an induction ceremony in term 1 of the following year.

We suggest telling unsuccessful candidates yourself, before the assembly, and giving them a way to stay involved.

8. How long the post lasts

Sharnbrook's post is for a term. Parkway elects captains every year, and they can be re-elected. King's Hawford says captains serve each academic year. Pick a term that matches how often you want to run the process, and say whether people can serve twice.

An example timeline

Thornlands SS sets its process out by week in term 4:

Week 1: applications due
Week 5: house captain speeches and voting
Around week 8: results announced at an assembly
Term 1 of the following year: induction ceremony

Allow the same stretch for yours, and add an interview step only if you have many candidates.

A one-page plan

Role description written
Eligibility decided and published
Application form or video format chosen, with a deadline
Speech or video length set
Who votes, and how, decided, including whether staff votes count
Counting group named, and a tie rule written
Announcement date and badge or induction planned
Term length and re-election rule stated
Hand-over from the outgoing captains planned

Where this fits

The house captain guide covers the role and how to support captains. The house system setup plan places leader selection among the other launch decisions, and the house points rules guide covers the points captains announce.