Students
House system and Festivals
PHSG is very proud of its House system, and the students feel real loyalty to their House – points are very meaningful and can be attached to any competition run in school.
There are four Houses, named after a significant person associated with the school and each has its own colour:
Anthony
Alice Anthony (born 18th December 1859) was the first girl on the register. Her father was also one of the founders of the school.
Kendall
Miss Kendall was the first Headmistress of Plymouth High.
Latimer
Mr Isaac Latimer was a founding Governor of Plymouth High.
Temple
Frederick Temple was President of the original Board of 7 liberal minded men whose aim was to found a school for girls in Plymouth; he became a founding Governor of Plymouth High.
The House Shield is awarded annually at Christmas when the new House Captains take over. House Captains from Year 12 are elected by the whole school in November. There are also Junior House Captains. Regular House Assemblies are also held; these are the responsibility of the House team. House Noticeboards outside the Newman Hall keep students informed and are vital for organising the end of term festivals (these take up the majority of the last day of each term):
Autumn: Drama Festival
Spring: Gym and Dance Festival
Summer: Music Festival, Sports Day & swimming gala.
Student Leadership Opportunities
There are many opportunities for leadership:
- Head Student team (School Council Lead, Charity Ambassador, Student Magazine Editor, Equality & Diversity Lead)
- Earth Alliance team
- House Captains and Junior House Captains
- Academic Subject Captains
- Sports Leaders and Sports Council
- Student Leaders
- Form Captains
- Student Council representatives
- Peer mentors
- Leaders of Clubs
- Lead learners/Subject Ambassadors
Head Student Team:
Each year a rigorous interview process is conducted early in the Autumn term to select a team of 3 or 4 outstanding leaders from Year 12 to support the Headteacher, oversee the Student Council, and run their own projects.
Earth Alliance Team
Earth alliance group is a climate awareness group created by the students, for the students, to make the school and city more environmentally friendly.
Year 12: House Captains; Sports Captains; Subject Captains
Selected mid-November to lead the Festivals each term and motivate students to enter and win as many House competitions as possible. Subject Captains selection process overseen by Departments. Leadership year tends to run approx. Dec to Dec.
Student Leaders in Year 10
A rigorous selection process is undertaken to be accepted. This gives them responsibilities as well as the privilege of going off site at lunch time, provided their pass is handed in so we can monitor who is off site. Passes can be removed by staff for lateness, insufficient work etc.
Form Captains
Selected/elected by each tutr group according to HOY rota and changed regularly.
School Council Representatives
Selected/elected according to Head Student Team instructions each year.
School Council Members
A formal application process is followed by induction and training by the PE department. Sports Council members help PE staff lead activities and play a leading role in coordinating and running Sports Day.
Student Librarians
The Librarian oversees the selection. The Student Librarians support the library not only by organising the dispensing of books on the computer system Oliver, but they also help promote reading and organising activities such as quizzes or judging book awards.
Lead Learners
Some subjects may choose to identify lead learners to support their peers.
Clubs
Students may lead clubs – these are often Subject Captains too.
STUDENT VOICE/ STUDENT COUNCIL
The Head student team coordinate the Student Council at least once a term. Members of the student council are elected by each form and represent their Forms’ views at the meeting. Agenda items are suggested by the Senior Leadership team as well as the Head Students. The Council is a useful way of gaining the view of the entire student body and consulting on changes or improvement to the school. A member of staff is attached to the council for practical reasons but they play no part in the discussions.
The Council meets during the school day so students involved are released from a lesson to attend.