Aims of Student Leadership

• To offer a range of roles and responsibilities to a large number of the student population including a range of gender and abilities including students from different backgrounds.
• To promote active student leadership
• To deepen student engagement and positive self-esteem
• To contribute to whole school improvement
• To provide students with the tools to help and support other students
• To provide students with the opportunity to develop their leadership skills so that they develop in character and are more employable.

Overview

At Eckington School, we have an extensive student leadership programme for students from Year 7 to Year 13. Eckington Student Leadership is about students learning to lead themselves as well as leading others. Our young leaders develop a sense of responsibility, and a positive mindset coupled with planning and organisational skills which enable them to become better learners, supporting them to fulfil their potential.

There are three strands within our student leadership programmes:

1. Whole School Student Leadership
2. Department Student Leadership
3. Student Support Leadership

All roles must be applied for and specific training is also provided.

The Roles within Student Leadership

Head Prefects

Sixth Form students apply for and are given posts of responsibility within the school. There is a Head Boy and Head Girl and Deputy Head Boy and Girl (Year 13 Students) who represent the school and work with SLT and the Student Committee on issues that affect the students’ experience. They will lead the Senior Prefects and represent the school in a number of public evenings.

Senior Prefects

Senior Prefects are Y12 students who work with the student committee and Head prefects. They attend and chair cabinet meetings, and represent the school in a number of public evenings.

House Captains

House Captains (Year 12 students) represent their house and work with the Head of House to run competitions throughout the year and help deliver House assemblies.

Subject Ambassadors

We have subject ambassadors in Art, Drama, Music, Careers and MFL. Students from any year group can apply for this role. Students work in one of these departments to help drive improvement. They will run projects such as creating displays or running musical/dramatic evenings for our students, their parents and staff.

Library Assistants

The Student Librarians are responsible for: ​

• the library monitors​
• sending out overdue notices, ​
• processing book reservations and book selectors​,
• making sure that all the Accelerated Reader books are labelled correctly​

​The Library Monitors are responsible for: ​

• a section of the Library​
• making sure that books are in the right place​
• adding labels so that you know what level, or type of book​
• choosing books for displays​
• promoting their collections​
• working on the desk issuing and returning books​
• working together to run activities​
• representing the Library at school and other events

This role is available to any year group.

Science Assistants

Science Assistants meet in Science at lunchtime and help the Science technicians in their daily duties. The role is available to any year group.

Transition Leaders

Transition leaders help with marketing our school and assist with the smooth transition for pupils in Y6 to Year 7 and Y11 to Y12. This role is available to any student from Y7 to Y13. Students in KS3 or 4 will help with KS2 to KS3 transition and students in KS5 will help with the transition into our sixth form.

Transition leaders will help with the planning and delivery of the Y6 open evening , show prospective students and their parents around our school, ​ visit Primary schools to speak to Y5/6 students, look after Y6 students on taster days and during their first few weeks at Eckington School, attend all parents evenings to promote our school and its sixth form, assist with the planning and delivery of the Y12 open evening, attend Y12 open days at other venues where we ​market our school and contribute to and take part in video presentations for prospective students.​

Well Being Ambassadors

Students will work as a group to improve student Well Being. They will come up with initiatives to support students and put these in to practice.

Anti-bullying Ambassadors

This is a team of students who promote the anti-bullying message within the school community, creating a positive, safe and happy environment to work in. They are a point of contact for students who may have concerns around being bullied or other students who are being victimised. The programme is run through the Princess Diana Trust.

Peer Tutors

These students tutor and support the progress, achievement and well-being of younger students within the school. They will meet their tutees on a regular basis, follow a formalised programme that will focus on either numeracy or literacy skills. The opportunity provides younger students to receive support from their peers.

Student Ambassadors

Student ambassadors are called upon during the year for parents’ evenings, open days, induction evenings, and to act as tour guides. Their primary role is to act as good publicists for the school and to support the management of whole school events. They receive appropriate training tailored to the event that they will support.

All our student leaders have the opportunity to take part in staff recruitment.