Cromer Academy names house system after local community figures

Cromer Academy has officially launched their new house system inspired by families within the Cromer community. To celebrate Cromer’s strong sense of community and local history, the houses have been named after families and individuals who have served, or continue to serve, the Cromer community. 

The houses are named after the Davies family, one of Cromer’s most famous fishing families; Henry Blogg, the most decorated lifeboatman in Royal National Lifeboat Institution history; Les Sadler, caretaker of Cromer Academy for over 30 years; and Sandra and Tony Shipp MBE, chairman of Cromer carnival.

Representatives of each family attended the house launch to celebrate this achievement and have all expressed great pride in becoming a part of Cromer Academy’s history.

(Left to right:  Enya Beck - House Captain, John Davies- former coxswain of Cromer lifeboat- 8 generations of Davies are fisherman/coxswain of Cromer lifeboat, Richard Leeds - Town Mayor of Cromer)

John Davies, former coxswain of Cromer Lifeboat and Davies house representative, said that having an academy house named after his family is “an achievement for the family and I’m very, very proud of it. It’s a privilege to be here and to be associated with the other houses. They have all been a huge part of Cromer’s history and the community throughout my lifetime, so it really does feel like an achievement.”

Samantha Lee, family descendant of Henry Blogg, said that she grew up with a strong sense of family and tradition and that “it’s always been that everyone looks out for everybody.”

(Left to right: Richard Leeds - Town Mayor of Cromer, House Captain - Amie Sillett, Samantha Lee - Relative of Henry Blogg, Courtney Morgan - Year 8 pupil and daughter of Samantha Lee)

The new houses replicate this sense of unity. All students have been placed into one of the following houses: Blogg (blue), Sadler (red), Shipp (green) and Davies (yellow), with the aim to provide an even greater sense of community and self-worth. 

House banners have been put around the school, reinforcing the mottos and key values that each house stands for - including loyalty, integrity, resilience and passion. Students are encouraged to adopt these values in everything they do, looking up to and building upon the remarkable achievements of the generations before them.

(Left to right: Richard Leeds - Town Mayor of Cromer, Les Sadler - Caretaker at Cromer Academy, Charlie Sadler- grandson of Les Sadler, Beth Cass - House Captain)

Les Sadler said: “It’s great to see the school embracing its history and our family values, I look forward to future families seeing it come to fruition.”

Tony Shipp said: “I hope in the years to come, people will follow in our footsteps and carry our values onto the future. Seeing our family values instilled from an education standpoint really brings the community into the school’s principles.”

The new house system is all about bringing the rich local history and strong values of Cromer into the education system and encourages students to become active members of their community. 

Darren Hollingsworth, Principal of Cromer Academy, said: “I’ve recently joined this school and have been warmly welcomed into the local community. We decided to name our houses after families in the area to show our dedication and respect for Cromer. We’re proud to be a community school and we want every child that enters our classrooms to embody our values.”

 (Left to right: Sandra and Tony Shipp MBE - Chairman of Cromer carnival)