This feature originally appeared in the Spring 2026 issue of In Trinity, which focused on our key value of ‘Responsibility’ in which our Deputy Head reflected on the revival of the house system.
When I joined Trinity seven years ago, I was a little surprised, as many people are, that the school didn’t have a House System. For all seven of my years here, I have been asked by successive cohorts whether it could be brought back. So, it was with a great sense of excitement, and relief, that in the autumn term I announced the House System’s return.
The first record of Houses at Trinity goes back to the autumn of 1908, and at the time the Houses were simply named after their colours: Red, Green, Yellow and Blue. Not perhaps the most creative output from the teaching staff at the time, but it was warmly adopted and records remain of competitions in football, cricket and athletics. In 1925, House rugby arrived and in 1954 House hockey followed.
In the autumn term of 1957, the then Headmaster decided the time had come for some House names with a little more creativity and heritage. Red became Trinity (known colloquially as School), Yellow became Pembroke, Green became Canterbury and Blue became Worcester. The former two names stem from John Whitgift’s positions as the Master of two Cambridge colleges, the latter two from his positions as a bishop and archbishop respectively.
A dive into the school archives unearthed a history of Worcester faring well in House drama, Canterbury in rugby and School in cricket and Pembroke in hockey. Until the 1960s, a student’s House was indicated by the colour of the school crest on their blazer and, in the summer, by the sash around their boater hat, something the students were pleased to hear we will not be bringing back! In the summer of 1995, however, the House system was consigned to history, owing to a school calendar that was already straining at the seams.
Today, the school stands at a new pivotal point in its history, on the verge of full co-education and expansion. It felt like the right time to bring a much loved and frequently requested part of our history back to life. The sorting hat, Microsoft Excel, allocated every current student and staff member a House, and House sport is up and running again with every intention of expanding the calendar to its previous breadth. We hope that in time it will provide an additional layer of belonging, creating communities within our community, a place for additional student leadership roles, opportunities for cross-year collaboration, and somewhere for all students to shine.
The school’s Book of Remembrance is on display every November as we approach Remembrance Day, and every year I stop to read some of the entries. Listed alongside those names is their House: Red, Green, Yellow or Blue. It is a real pleasure to be giving the newest generation the opportunity to be part of a tradition that stretches back nearly 120 years; a chance for them to take on the responsibility of their House’s history and write its next page.
Therefore following the relaunch of our House System this year, we are pleased to announce that this year’s winner, after a spectacular comeback in the summer term, goes to Canterbury, who won with a total of 358 points! We are excited to develop the House System even further next year and look forward to kicking off another round of healthy house rivalry this September.
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