Bishop Aldhelm's CE

Primary School

Loved by God; United in Learning

House Points - Bishop Bonds

A System to link totally to our VALUES

Bishop Aldhelm’s CE Primary School boasts a house-point system that is very unique and is seen as a means of rewarding pupils who demonstrate the values of the school, whilst also providing a competitive element between groups of children.   All children belong to a ‘house’ in school and the houses are simply named after colours – Blue, Green, Red and Yellow.  If you ask your child he/she should be able to tell you his/her house colour!  All siblings are in the same colour house as each other.

Any member of staff can reward a child with a Bishop Bond, he/she will then give the child a physical token.  Children put these tokens into a collection unit (‘The Bishop Bond Bank’), which has been designed specifically for this purpose (one tub for each of our four houses).  The member of staff rewards the child with a sticker to indicate the value that they have demonstrated.

There are four Bishop Bond token designs, each of a different colour, with each of the bonds representing one of the school values.  A child is awarded the bond that represents the value in which he/she has excelled.  For example; for ‘Love’ a child may show great companionship towards a fellow pupil when they are unwell, for ‘Courage’ a child may try something for the first time, for ‘Unity’ a child may have worked well within a group and for ‘Inspiration’ a child may have completed a great piece of work that was shared with the class/year group/whole school.

The termly totals are read out in a celebration assembly at the end of each term, and a Bishop Bond Trophy is presented to the winning team that has the most amounts of Bishop Bonds in total.  There are four more trophies that represent the four school values – so a team could still win a specific trophy for a value but not be an overall winner. They are displayed in the school with the appropriate coloured ribbon for the next term.

At the end of each term, the team with the overall highest score is allowed to come to school in mufti (in their team's colour).

Individual Reward Scheme

We strongly believe that pupils should be regularly and fairly rewarded for their achievements, to not only celebrate pupils’ successes, but to also inspire and motivate young people to achieve their very best and become confident, independent learners.  This vision, in turn, raises standards and improves behaviour and attendance.

The Platinum Awards is celebrated termly and Gold, Silver and Bronze Awards will be an accumulation of Bishop Bonds that have been awarded throughout the academic year.  The number of Bishop Bonds that a child can/will achieve highlights that this reward system is something that children will have to work hard for and Bishop Bonds will not be handed out lightly!

The Platinum Award winners are presented with a certificate and the privilege of being a Bishop Aldhelm’s VIP for the day (during the following term).  As a VIP they meet and greet parents and pupils at the gate with the Senior Leadership Team, have lunch with the Senior Leadership Team, assist in the school assembly and receive various other rewards that are decided by the school council. The latest reward is a special ride around Poole in a limousine!