Our Lady's Abingdon - House Activities

House Activities

Home is where the heart is, and the Houses welcome and encourage all pupils and teachers to be at the heart of our school community. Our House system gives pupils a sense of belonging, a place to make friends and to aspire to do well in all their endeavours. They quickly settle into school life knowing that they are part of a community with great team spirit and can contribute to its success.

We have four Houses (Bowyer, Challoner, More and Rich) named after famous humanist figures who have played an important role in Catholic history.

The Four Houses

BOWYER (yellow):

Sir George Bowyer was a benefactor of the first Sisters of Mercy in Abingdon.

CHALLONER (red):

Bishop Richard Challoner worked as a Catholic priest in Oxfordshire in the eighteenth century when Catholics were still discriminated against.

MORE (green):

Sir Thomas More famously proclaimed himself the King’s good servant but God’s first as he refused to abandon his conscientious objection to Henry VIII as Head of the Church.

RICH (blue):

Sir Edmund Rich of Abingdon became Archbishop of Canterbury and was canonised as St Edmund.

Each House is led by a House Captain in the Lower School and an elected House Team made up of House Captains and Vice House Captains in the Senior School who work with the Head of Houses.

Our pupils take pride in participating in competitions and events to win points that go towards the House Cup which is awarded annually. We have a wide range of activities for all age groups, devised to appeal to our pupils’ interests and talents, as well as social events to promote inclusion and celebration, so that each pupil’s unique gifts are recognised and rewarded.

Whether you are in Year 3 or OLA Sixth, the Houses will always provide a fantastic opportunity to meet other pupils, to work towards a goal as a team and to thrive in a supportive and close-knit community.