The TOWIS House System
Every student at TOWIS belongs to a House. From the moment you join us — whether you are three years old in EYFS or joining secondary — you become part of a community within a community. Your House is your team, your identity, and your place to belong.
The House System is one of the oldest and most powerful traditions in British schooling. It works because it does something that a timetable and a classroom cannot do alone: it connects students across year groups, gives them a shared purpose, and creates the experience of working together toward something bigger than any individual lesson or result.
At TOWIS, Houses sit at the heart of the Engagement and Character Development pillars of the ACE Approach. Through Houses, students develop teamwork, leadership, resilience, and pride — not in the abstract, but in real competitions, real events, and real moments of shared achievement. Every teacher is also a member of a House, because belonging is not just for students.
How the House Points System Works
House Points are earned every day, in every lesson. Every positive ClassDojo point awarded by a teacher contributes to a student’s House total — one ClassDojo point converts to ten House Merit Points. At the end of each quarter, the House Cup is awarded at a whole-school assembly. At the end of the year, the Annual House Cup goes to the House with the highest cumulative total.
Points can be earned through:
- Academic achievement and effort in every lesson
- Positive behaviour and demonstrating the Student Profile qualities
- Attendance and punctuality
- Participation in House events and competitions
- Acts of kindness, leadership, and community contribution
House Events and Competitions
House events run throughout the year — some planned in advance, some spontaneous. This year’s competitions included football, frisbee, badminton, table tennis, a spelling competition, a general knowledge quiz, and a World Book Day challenge. House Captains help organise events and ensure that every student — from the youngest to the oldest — has the chance to compete, contribute, and celebrate.
Why We Chose These Names
Our four Houses are named after endangered animals found in Myanmar and Southeast Asia. This was a deliberate choice — not simply to create memorable names, but to make a statement about who we are and what we stand for.
TOWIS is an international school in one of the world’s most biodiverse regions. Myanmar is home to extraordinary wildlife — animals that share this land with us and that are now fighting for survival. By naming our Houses after these species, we ask every student to know their names, understand their stories, and care about their futures.
The connection runs through our whole school. Primary assemblies explore endangered species as part of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Our Recycling Club and Nature and Gardening Club build environmental habits from the earliest years. Our Global Perspectives curriculum challenges students to ask hard questions about the relationship between human activity and the natural world. Our House names are not decoration. They are a daily reminder that we share this planet — and that what we do matters.
Meet the Four Houses
The Bengal Tiger is the most numerous of all tiger subspecies — and yet it is still endangered, with fewer than 2,500 remaining in the wild. Powerful, solitary, and supremely adapted to their environment, tigers once roamed freely across Asia. Today they survive in scattered forest reserves, threatened by habitat loss, poaching, and human encroachment. Every tiger alive is a conservation success story. Every one lost is irreversible.
Red Tigers carry the spirit of their name: fierce, driven, and built to compete. Red Tigers give everything on the field, support every teammate, and never stop until the job is done.
The White Elephant holds a unique and revered place in the cultures of Southeast Asia. In Myanmar, white elephants have been considered symbols of royal power, wisdom, and great fortune for centuries. They are extraordinarily rare — a naturally occurring leucistic variation of the Asian Elephant, which is itself endangered with fewer than 50,000 remaining in the wild. To encounter a white elephant was once considered a sign of a golden age to come.
White Elephants carry the spirit of wisdom, strength, and rare distinction. White Elephant students are calm under pressure, thoughtful in their decisions, and carry themselves with quiet grace.
The Giant Panda is one of the world’s most recognised and beloved animals — and one of conservation’s greatest success stories. Once on the brink of extinction, dedicated protection has brought the wild population back to 1,800. Pandas are patient, persistent, and quietly determined — spending up to 14 hours a day foraging through mountain bamboo forests without complaint. They remind us that with commitment and care, recovery is always possible.
Yellow Pandas bring energy, warmth, and unstoppable determination to everything they do. Yellow Pandas are the House that keeps smiling, keeps trying, and lifts everyone around them.
The rhinoceros is one of the oldest large mammals on Earth — a living connection to the ancient world. Rhinos have survived for over 50 million years, yet in the last century alone, poaching and habitat loss have pushed several species to the edge of extinction. The Black Rhino was reduced to fewer than 2,500 individuals before intensive conservation work slowly brought numbers back. The rhino endures: ancient, armoured, and absolutely unstoppable.
Green Rhinos carry the spirit of the rhino: powerful, resilient, and impossible to move. Green Rhinos charge forward regardless of the obstacle, support one another without hesitation, and wear their green with pride.
How Are Students Assigned to Houses?
Every new student is assigned to a House when they join TOWIS. Houses are carefully balanced to ensure each one has a strong mix of year groups, backgrounds, and abilities — because a House is only as strong as its diversity. Once you are in a House, you are in it for your time at TOWIS. The points you earn, the competitions you win, and the memories you make all become part of something that lasts.