A frequent topic of curiosity raised by ou scholarship program applicants is the house system at St. Paul’s School: a British tradition that is not usual among Brazilian schools.
The house tradition at St. Paul’s began in 1931 when the first houses were Dean and Sherwood for girls and Tudor and Stuart for boys. Today, St. Paul’s has three houses: Stuart, Tudor e Windsor for boys and girls alike. Those are named after famous Royal Houses in British history.
Various activities occur throughout the year under the ethos of house spirit, in which pupils can earn points for their house. These include an annual athletics day (held on school premises for the Prep, and at the University of São Paulo for the Senior School) and a house shout (a fun, motivational musical competition). Pupils have different ways of earning house points, such as small competitions throughout the year during themed weeks.
Each house is represented by house captains who are pupils chosen for their house spirit and dedication. They’re also represented by a teacher, who takes on the role of House Master.
The house with the most points at the year-end wins the coveted house cup (or house spirit trophy in the Prep School).
Unlike in Harry Potter, where students are sorted into houses through the Sorting Hat ceremony, pupils who enter St. Paul’s are automatically and randomly allocated to a house when they join the school. This will be their house during their school life as a paulean.
We have 18 scholars who are currently distributed as 8 scholars in Windsor, 6 in Stuart and 4 in Tudor.