Brownsea House - Head of House: Miss Cumbers
My name is Miss Cumbers, and I am the head of Brownsea House. Our Brownsea House is named after our very own Brownsea Island found here in Dorset. Brownsea Island is the largest island in the Dorset country at 2.4 kilometres long and 1.2 kilometres wide and consists of 500 acres of woodland, heathland and saltmarsh. The beautiful landscape is not the only thing that Brownsea Island has to offer, it is also well known for its thriving wildlife. The vibrant wildlife is made up of peacocks, grey heron, grey squirrels and is best known for its red squirrel population. Brownsea Island also played an integral part in the formation of the Scouts back in 1907 and the island is full of history.
I am very proud to be able to be the head of Brownsea and I look forward to working with all of you and taking home the House Cup!
Chesil House - Head of House: Mr Newham
Hello everyone, my name is Mr Newham, I am Drama teacher here at Avonbourne and I am extremely privileged to be head of Chesil house, the current 2 times Sports Day champions!
Chesil Beach is an 18-mile-long shingle barrier beach stretching from West Bay to Portland. At the end of the last Ice Age, about 15-20,000 years ago, the sea levels began to rise, eroding large quantities of gravel and sand from the cliffs of what is now Lyme Bay. This was driven eastwards by the prevailing wind and waves, forming Chesil Beach and the shingle that is found there today. This natural barrier protects the low-lying coastal village of Chiswell from flooding. Like the shingle barrier, students and staff in Chesil house look after each other, enabling each other to thrive in an environment built around community and belonging.
All Chesil staff members are there to support you, and if there is anything you would like to discuss with us, whether it is any challenges you are facing in school, or whether you have any ideas for events and celebrations in school, please do speak to one of us. I believe a positive mindset can overcome any obstacle you may face, so stay positive Chesil and keep moving forward!
Durdle House - Head of House: Mr Stokes-Carter
Hello, my name is Mr Stokes-Carter and I am the Head of Durdle house. Community is the focus of Durdle house. I want every student in Durdle to feel that they are a part of a wider community, and that they can rely on other people in the house. Last year, we may not have achieved the REACH point success as I would have wanted, but I saw fantastic effort from everyone in Durdle! This was exemplified by the great efforts made at the cake sales, as we had a Durdle cake and a tiramisu made by our students.
Going forward, I want Durdle to be the house that demonstrates those community values more than the others. Everyone will care for each other, help each other and when someone is feeling down, it is someone in Durdle that is there to help. It has been a brilliant start to Durdle house and I can’t wait to see how we improve going forward.
Lulworth House - Head of House: Miss Slaughter
My name is Miss Slaughter and I currently teach PE at Avonbourne Academies. My favourite sport is Football and of course, blue is my favourite colour.
The house system is based around events and competitions which are all chances for you to represent Lulworth and win points for the house. Lulworth Cove is a land formation found on the Jurassic coast of Dorset. Formed by the combined forces of the sea and a river swollen by melting ice at the end of the last Ice Age, the cove has been around for approximately 10,000 years. Like the cove, you too will grow older as you move up through the academies and naturally become role models for those younger than you in your community. Its unique geology meant the wave diffraction gave it the coved shape. As a house we too are going to be unique by pulling together all our individual qualities, personalities, and skills to create a sense of unity and lead us to success!
Making Lulworth house inclusive is important for me and so I encourage you to use your voice and tell me what events you would like to be a part of, or to share ideas to make us a better house. My aim is to get everyone in our house involved and work together to reach the top of the REACH point leaderboard!
Purbeck House - Head of House: Mr Murphy
Hello everyone, my name is Mr Murphy, I am a PE teacher here at Avonbourne and, I am extremely privileged to be head of Purbeck house, the current holders of the house cup!
Purbeck house is named after an area of Dorset, which has significant natural beauty and stunning features, all of which make Purbeck truly unique.
Last year, Purbeck won the Inter-House competition with a huge lead of REACH points. This was down to the hard work and determination of Purbeck's fantastic students! Purbeck students are well regarded within the school, and always show our key qualities of Respect, Equality, Ambition, Community, and, of course, Hard work and Determination.
This year, the Purbeck students chose to support Friends of the Earth as our House Charity. Friends of the Earth is an environmental charity, which aims to preserve the natural environment and support all people within it. Any money raised by Purbeck students through bake sales and other House events will be donated to this wonderful charity.
I look forward to another fantastic year and am incredibly proud to be leading this wonderful House.