House cup and end-of-year awards: how schools present the year's winners
The house cup is the moment the year's points turn into a result. Schools handle it differently: what counts, how often points are added up, who gets the cup and what individual pupils receive. Here is what four schools do, and the choices to make for your own.
Decide what counts toward the cup
Be specific, and publish the list before the year starts.
- St Mary's Catholic High School in Croydon counts attendance, academic achievement, inter-house competitions and a wide range of contributions to school life toward its House Points Trophy. Its page notes that demerits can cost points, which is a choice your school may or may not make. The house points rules guide covers it.
- Stanborough School counts house events, reward points for outstanding work, and attendance. Faculty events there are worth 100 points, and premier events such as House Drama or Sports Day are worth 1,000 points to the winners.
Weighting some events more than others, as Stanborough does, is a decision to make and explain in advance.
Consider more than one trophy
Different achievements can have different awards.
- Stanborough has two trophies: the Medal Trophy, for the house with the most gold medals across events, and the House Trophy, for the most house points at the end of the year.
- St Mary's gives a House Points Trophy for the summer term and one for the whole academic year, and introduced new cups and shields for houses.
- Newborough CofE Primary has a House Cup alongside other named cups, including a Perseverance Cup for each class every term and sports and music cups presented annually.
Several awards let more pupils and houses be recognised, but each one needs its own clear rule.
Add up the points often, and show them
Frequent totals keep the competition alive.
- Weekly: at Newborough, house captains add the week's points together. At Queenscliff Primary, student house leaders calculate points every week, they are displayed in each classroom, and the weekly winner is announced at assemblies.
- A visible cup: at Newborough, the winning house has a ribbon in its colours tied around the House Cup, which is displayed by the office.
- Year-end: Queenscliff decides its Koonawarra Cup by the year's total, and engraves the winning house's name on the cup.
Decide who receives the cup
Queenscliff presents the Koonawarra Cup to the school house leaders at the final assembly of the school year. Giving the cup to the pupils who led the house marks their work through the year. At St Mary's, the house cups and shields were presented as part of an end-of-year awards ceremony held on the last day of the summer term.
Recognise individuals as well
A house award does not replace individual recognition.
- St Mary's gave individual winners trophies and certificates, including awards for attendance, core values and a Student of Lessons award.
- Newborough has certificates for attendance, writing and maths, a Governors Certificate nominated by teachers, and "proud of" certificates.
- Queenscliff gives an Excellence Award when a pupil has collected ten Excellence Stamps, presented at a school assembly.
Plan the ceremony
Before the last assembly, decide:
- which awards you will give, and what each one is for
- who presents each award, and who receives it
- how you will tell the pupils and families what the criteria were
- what you will record, so you can answer a question about any award
The inter-house competition guide shows how the awards fit into the year, and the house points ideas article covers prizes and milestones.