A house system is when a school splits its students into different groups. Each of the groups is a house.

To develop: Leadership, Responsibility, Involvement, Loyalty, Co-operation, Competition and Descipline.

The house system will filter through all aspects of HLC life. All parts of the school will use the house system to raise achievement and aspirations. This will be achieved through:

• Sports Day
• Other inter-house competitions in PE and in other subjects
• Attendance competitions
• Rewards competitions
• Behaviour competitions
• House D days, social events and trips
• Lesson activities

House assemblies are held once each month. During these assemblies, the team ethos is developed and achievement is celebrated.

The idea of a new house structure (to replace the old one) was first discussed in June 2009. Staff and students were asked to decide upon a theme for the houses along with four names (one for each house), a logo, house colour, and other attributes. Over the course of the next twelve months, following much debate and discussion, decisions were made.

Because Hadley Learning Community is a Specialist Engineering College, it was agreed that the idea of basing the new house system on an element of engineering would be the most appropriate one. As a result, four great engineering fetes were chosen to give their names to our houses.

Head of House:
Mr. Jonathan Brown

House Colour: Green
House Motto: Together we will achieve

Apollo – Apollo 11 is the name of the mission that successfully placed the first astronauts on the moon. This is when the immortal phrase: ‘That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind…’ was transmitted back to earth. The pursuit of placing a person on the surface of the moon began in earnest in the 1960s and was completed within a decade on July 20th 1969. This event marked one of the most definitive achievements of the 20th Century and engineering achievements of all time.

Head of House:
Mrs. L Philips

House Colour: Blue
House Motto: Deeds not words

Bridge – The iron bridge crosses the River Severn at the Ironbridge Gorge. It was the first arch bridge in the world to be made from cast iron. A new blast furnace in nearby Coalbrookdale lowered the cost of producing iron and so encouraged local engineers and architects to solve the problem of crossing over the river – the only previous way was via ferry and industries in the area needed a more reliable method. Being the first of its kind, the construction had no precedent and the bridge had to span 100 feet across and to rise to 60 feet above the river. The bridge was raised in the summer of 1779 and was opened on New Year’s Day 1781.

Head of House:
Mr. Kim Pickford

House Colour: Purple
House Motto: Above and beyond the call of duty

Concorde – The world’s most successful supersonic passenger airline. From the first flight in 1976 to the last in 2003 Concorde was able to cruise at an average speed of 1,330 mph and had a maximum cruise altitude of 60,000 feet. This made it possible to fly from London to New York in only 3.5 hours.
The designers of Concorde had to pioneer and over come many engineering and technological challenges to make the aeroplane able to travel at such speeds and altitude. Despite no longer being in action the engineering success ensures that the concept and design of a supersonic commercial airline is yet to be surpassed.

Head of House:
Mr. Karl Downes

House Colour: Yellow
House Motto: Honour and pride make the yellows strive

Darby – From his Coalbrookdale premises Abraham Darby III was responsible for one of the first and most important steps in the industrial revolution. Darby devised a method of smelting iron that could provide abundant supplies of the raw material that was needed most at this time. Iron from this process was used in the production of steam engines and bridges (including Ironbridge) amongst other great inventions of the 19th century. The previous method of smelting iron would not have supplied sufficient iron to keep up with the demands of the industrial revolution.