Houses
Upon entering Boston Grammar School each student is allocated to a house. These houses are used in sport and in other forms of competition. Traditionally if a student's father or older brother had attended the school, he would join the same house as his older relative, although this tradition has been discontinued. The four houses are named after historical figures and have associated colours, as follows:
- Gannock - William Gannock - Red
- Laughton - John Laughton - Yellow
- Muston - Robert of Muston - Blue
- Parry - Thomas Parry - Green
George Bagley, in his book Floreat Bostona, refers to the first issue of the Bostonian magazine from July 1920, which reported that the house system had been re-introduced "with some modifications of its earlier form". At that point there were three houses, each with its own housemaster and constitution. The fourth house, Laughton, was formed in 1936 to meet a growth in student numbers.
In 1968, to mark the 400th anniversary of the Big School being built, four stained glass panels were installed in the windows on its west side, each depicting one of the men after whom the school houses are named.
Muston
Gannock
Laughton
Parry
Since the early 2010s, pupils' ties have included a thin coloured stripe (in addition to the regular black and amber bars) to reflect which house they are in. A system of house points is used to reward high quality work / contributions.