Houses

At Cumwhinton School, our commitment to immersing our children in the heritage and richness of Cumbria extends to our ‘House’ system. Children are placed into houses on entering our school- siblings are place in the same houses. All other children are divided into four groups in alphabetic order by surname.

Our school houses are an integral part of our behaviour policy and reward systems, where children can win points for their houses by doing exceptional work in the class room and collecting their Cumwhinton Merit Vouchers.

At the end of each half term, the house with the most house points will win a house treat for all the members of their house. In Year 6 children can apply to become the House Captain of their house through an application process.

Hallsfell

Hallsfell is the highest of the summit fells of the famous Lake District peak which can be seen from our playground here at Cumwhinton. Locally known as ‘Saddleback’, this peak represents our commitment to our children experiencing all the National Park which lies on our doorstep has to offer.

Saddleback now more popularly known as Blencathra is the old Cumbric name for blain ‘top, summit’ and cadeir ‘seat, chair’, meaning ‘the summit of the seat-like mountain’ which gives reference to its shape when viewed from the east. Standing at 868m, it is not one of the highest of all the Lake District Peaks, but it is one of the most impressive and recognisable.

Hallsfell, Blain-Cadeir, Blencathra, Saddleback plays a central part in our children’s wider experience whilst at Cumwhinton, as through part of our progressive visits curriculum our children are given the opportunity to explore this majestic landscape seen from our school, including scaling its steep paths and viewing it at night!

Itouna

Itouna, was the name given by the Romans to the majestic River Eden. The river is entirely Cumbrian sweeping from the north eastern-most tip of the county high in the moorland bordering North Yorkshire. It extends 80 miles passing through a dramatic landscape until it reached the sea at the Solway Firth.

Itouna, was given this name meaning, ‘rushing’ as it depicts one of England’s finest examples of a sandstone and limestone bed river. The river passes through the centre of our city, Carlisle, framed by the impressive Eden Bridge designed by Sir Robert Smirke.

Itouna is important to us here at Cumwhinton as not only does it form a central part of Geography curriculum which allows our children to understand first-hand the skills needed for geographical fieldwork, but also passes right outside our village.

Luel

The regional major city in Cumbria is Carlisle. The Celts gave Carlisle its name; they called it Caer Luel, the fortified place belonging to Luel, who was believed to be a prominent figure in Celtic mythology. Dominating the centre of the city is the fortress in red sandstone that is the castle.

For 500 years, until the English and Scottish crowns were united in 1603, Carlisle Castle was the principal fortress of England’s north-western border with Scotland. A mighty stronghold in the frequent conflict between the two countries, the castle has endured more sieges than any other place in the British Isles.

Unlike most medieval castles, it has been continuously occupied since its foundation by William II in 1092. From the 18th century to the 1960s it was the headquarters of the Border Regiment, one of the oldest in the British army.

Our city is now a bustling regional centre that provides venues for our community to come together under one roof. It provides athletic experiences at the central Sheepmount athletics track and cultural and historic experiences for our children at the Sands Theatre and Tullie House.

Schelly

Schelly are a variety of protected fish species which ‘threatened’ status can be traced back as far as the ice age. This endangered fish is unique to only four locations within the Lake District; Ullswater, Haweswater, Brothers Water and Red Tarn.

Ullswater at over 60m deep in places and Red Tarn being formed by the melted glacier that carved out the eastern side of Helvellyn provides a secluded and secretive home for this elusive fish.

The Schelly represents our Cumwhinton commitment to sustainability and ensuring our children understand their roles as global citizens as they go through life; a responsible attitude to our world and our individual behaviours are central to the wider curriculum and systems at our school.