The Benefits of School Houses
Our school’s House system is an integral part of student life, offering numerous benefits to our boys. It builds a strong sense of belonging, encourages healthy competition, and provides ample opportunities for leadership development.
The House system plays a crucial role in pastoral care and student wellbeing. Dedicated Housemasters provide and coordinate personalised support, ensuring each boy receives the attention and guidance they need. This close-knit structure helps nurture confidence, resilience, a sense of security and a moral compass.
Through inter-house competitions and activities, boys engage with peers across year groups, strengthening friendships and camaraderie. Older students take on mentorship roles, guiding younger boys and helping to create a supportive and inclusive environment.
The benefits of the House system extend beyond the students themselves, engaging parents and the wider school community. House events, such as sports days, charity fundraisers, and social gatherings encourage family participation and give boys meaningful opportunities to contribute to society and to be a service to others.
Alum who inspired our School Houses
Our School Houses are named after Alumni who have made a positive contribution locally and to wider society. Abney, Davy, Pulteney and Yates serve to remind our boys of the positive influence they can have in the world.
Abney
Sir Thomas Abney lived in Derbyshire and was just 7 when in 1646 his father decided to send him to Loughborough Grammar School. Whilst under the care of his aunt. He did not go to university but headed instead to London and 50 years later having survived both the plague and the fire, became the first Governor of the Bank of England and then Major of London and then our first MP.
Davy
For George Davys, living in what is now Caravelli’s restaurant in Loughborough, it was only a very short walk to the school which he entered in 1789. He soon showed brilliance and after Cambridge University, he was ordained as a Deacon. He tutored Princess Victoria until she became Queen 14 years later. He then became our first Bishop, the Bishop of Peterborough and laid the Foundation stone on this site in 1850.
Pulteney
That Richard Pulteney arrived at LGS in 1737 was nothing short of a miracle since he was one of 13 children and the only one to reach maturity. As an Anabaptist, his religion debarred his entry into universities and he became firstly an apprentice and then qualified in apothecary, before becoming a doctor. However, by the age of 17, he had completed a study of the flora of Charnwood Forest consisting of 186 pages and 51 watercolour plates. The study of botany and also shells in his spare time produced many similar books and led to him being made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. His herbarium still resides in the British Museum today.
Yate
William Yates arrived at LGS as a 7-year-old in 1799 but by the age of 11 had shown no particular aptitude for learning and so left the school to join his father as a shoemaker. A Baptist, he became a convinced Christian and was baptised at the age of 14. With a desire to preach he returned to the school to receive four hours of tuition a day in Latin and Greek from the Headmaster, Edward Shaw, until he left. He continued his studies under Shaw’s successor but his ability now outstripped that of the Headmaster and he left to teach. Although known as a missionary, fundamentally he was a brilliant linguist and became fluent in Sanskrit, Urdu, Hindustani, Bengali, Hindi, Persian and Arabic. He translated large numbers of texts from the bible into these languages, including the whole bible from the original Greek into Bengali.