JESS operates an active house system based on four houses: Lanner (yellow), Merlin (blue), Peregrine (green) and Saker (red). All new students are placed in a house when they join JESS, with siblings being placed in the same house. Those students transferring from a JESS primary school will remain in the same house.

The House System, by its very nature, will offer the individual competitive opportunities. However, if the House is to be successful it will also need to encourage ideas of team and inclusion.

The House System will cover the following areas

• Academic: house points will be awarded for effort and achievement that is above the student’s norm 
• Sport: this will take many forms over the coming years as the School develops. During the course of the year we will hold a swimming gala and sports day complemented by a range of inter-house matches during lunch-times
• Arts: this will develop as the school grows and offer the students the chance to present their performance, musical, artistic or intellectual skills

This year there have been house competitions for:
football, ultimate frisbee, netball, volleyball, swimming gala, athletics festival, maths challenge, Christmas quiz, rock band challenge, and a video challenge. 

The House System will be overseen by staff and student House Captains and house points awarded for a variety of reasons, for example 

• Class or homework that is of a standard higher than the student normally produces
• Helpfulness, e.g. helping a new student to settle in
• For anything a teacher feels is worthy of recognition and reward