Student Leadership
In the words of our student Leaders:
“At Haggerston we believe student leadership is one of the central strands of student achievement. Learning is not something that is done to us, it is a collaborative process with adults and young people working in partnership. At Haggerston we believe that the more engaged you are in your school the more likely you are to succeed.”
“In the past, student voice has been about ‘own clothes day’ or ‘the toilet facilities’. At Haggerston we wanted that to change. We wanted to have conversations about teaching and learning. We wanted to take an active role in supporting others learning and shaping the school.”
We want as many students as possible to be able to take on a leadership role. This is our story so far…
Sixth Form Future Leaders
As our Sixth Form develops, so does our leadership programme. Sixth Form Future Leaders provides opportunities for Sixth Formers to take on leadership roles around the school that expand their skill sets in preparation for life beyond Haggerston. Sixth Form Future Leaders can be identified by their black and gold lanyards.
Our Future Leaders have hosted visitors to the school during the annual Open House London event. They support Year 8 with their reading and have lead school tours for prospective students and their parents.
Our Future Leaders continue with two aspects of their role:
Mentoring
These initiatives gave our Future Leaders a chance to support our Year 7 students on a one-to-one basis. They work alongside Heads of Year, school staff and were supporting our Year 7s with transition, friendship concerns and their academic progress.
Professional Friends
This initiative pairs students with a Sixth Form partner. Key students who would benefit from a role model to help them with transition through the key moments in their ‘school life’ are buddied with a trained future leader. They meet regularly and support students with their academic work and learning. This is a supportive mentoring opportunity that benefits those selected for this.
Head Teacher’s Ambassadors
Photographed below are our 2022/2023 Head Teacher’s Ambassadors. This is the most senior responsibility at Key Stage 4 in the school. Every September Year 11 students are selected by staff for this prestigious position. The students meet regularly with the Headteacher and act as a conduit between senior staff and students. The ambassadors will be involved in many areas of school life. The new Head Teacher’s Ambassadors meet with Mr Rowe and discuss their reflections about the role and how they will represent our school. They take part in staff interviews and regularly make themselves available to all students in order to feel they know what is happening “On the playground”. The Headteacher’s ambassadors can be identified by the distinctive gold trim on their blazers.
Seniors
The Year 10 seniors are a large group of Year 10 students who are involved in shaping the school. Seniors are selected by a key member of staff and have one responsibility only. The idea behind this is to ensure that Year 10’s main focus is their own progress. Currently seniors support learning in most areas of the school. They also assist members of the leadership team. Seniors can be seen wearing a navy and gold tie or a green shirt.
3 ‘R’s for our Seniors are –
Reliable
Responsible
Respectful
Student Union
The student union is a re-packaged and re-launched Haggerston version of what many might know as the student council. A range of students from different year groups from Year 7 to Year 10 are involved in this important role. As with seniors, students had to apply in writing for this position and successfully complete a training course. At Haggerston we believe time and effort needs to be spent in preparing for a responsibility as important as the student voice. The training enables students to feel confident about the unions’ purpose. We talked about being a role model both in and out of school. We have looked at different ways of collecting information and how listening to others is as important as speaking. So far, the student union has worked on the Mental Health and Well-being section of our school website as they advised staff on the design and necessary ingredients of this part of our school website. Furthermore, it has also advised staff on issues to do with well-being and their experiences of school via an online survey portal- these results were shared with staff and the WAMHS(Well-being and Mental Health) working group. As with all roles of responsibility, the union members are recognisable by the shield badge on their blazers.
Buddies
At Haggerston we take the transition from primary school to secondary school very seriously. We know how much work teachers and parents do in order to make the move as smooth as possible. In order to support Year 7 in their first term at school, who better to offer guidance and support, if needed, than students who have been through the exact same experience only the year before. We call these Year 8 student’s ‘buddies’. In the past they have written letters to the new Year 7’s in the summer before they started school. They have performed at the first assembly to parents, students and staff and they have also designed the buddy benches. Buddies wear a green shield badge on their blazers.
3 ‘B’s for our Buddies are –
Be kind and helpful
Be a good friend and support others
Be yourself and be confident
Some of our students want to share their top tips with you.
“Here are my top tips:
1. Check your timetable the night before so you know what lessons and books you need.
2. Make sure you don’t pick up avoidable corrections such as talking during line up.
3. If you have trouble with homework, email the teacher or tell the teacher before the day the homework is due.
4. Never leave your homework to the last second or try to rush it at break time. Make sure you have a checklist or calendar to mark what homework you need to complete.
5. Listen to your peers and teacher in class so you don’t get distracted and daydream. Trust me, I’ve done that many times before.”
Emmanuel
“If anything is bothering you, you could either go to your Head of Year, you could find a teacher you trust or find one of the Year 8 Buddies and talk to us. We are here for all of you.
Always do your homework on the same day you get it- trust me, I know it’s hard because I always have to do that, but you will have so much to complete if you leave it all for the weekend.
Pay attention in class because the teacher is telling you important information that you need to know and if you don’t pay attention, it would be the same as not coming to school at all and it is not good for you.
Believe in yourself. If you get a correction or a detention, don’t be sad or worried. It’s just so you could learn from your mistakes so you don’t do it again. At the same time, don’t be careless about them because that will lead to more serious punishments. Instead, there are so many ways to earn credits and citations, so try to get some. If you don’t understand something in class, don’t give up. Always try to do your best in everything you do. Ask a teacher for support.
Don’t stop trying if you get low marks. Remember this: won’t, can’t – Those are just words, they are meaningless. If you truly want something, you will keep on trying, so do not ever give up.
If you follow all the rules at Haggerston School, you come to school on time and everyday, if you are polite and respectful to teachers and students, you get as little corrections and detentions as you can get and if you try your best at all your classes, I believe that you will leave Haggerston School with a smile on your face, ready to follow your dreams!”
Yildiz
Eco Council
We are very pleased to be involved in the ‘Eco School Programme’ which is a two year long process at the end of which we will hopefully achieve green flag status as an ‘Eco-School’. The students who applied take ownership of the project by joining an ‘Eco Council’ which aims to raise environmental awareness in the school and community. After auditing our sustainability infrastructure, our brave environmentalists and naturalists of the future, pick ten areas in which we need to improve and design ways of doing this. This excellent student leadership opportunity is currently available to Year 7, 8 and 10. Ms Burke is coordinating this important new project for our futures- as ‘there is no planet B!’.
Pride Group
The Pride Group is a new addition to the Haggerston School. It is a group of selected students that are being equipped to become ‘inclusion activists’ and who are confident and empowered to speak out about social justice issues within the school. This group of students feel empowered to point out equality issues and they are making our school a more welcoming place for everyone. The Pride Group has developed and ran a successful IDAHOBIT (International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia) awareness day where staff and students took power poses with rainbow flags and developed resources together to celebrate ourselves.
How Do I Get Involved In Student Leadership?
We are always keen to recruit as many students as possible who want to contribute to school life. Ask yourself these questions:
- Are you proud of your school?
- Can you see yourself as a role model?
- Do you want to take an active role in your learning?
- Can you listen as well as speak?
- Do you have something to say?
If the answer is YES look out for student leadership opportunities. They will be publicised in assembly and tutor time. The end of the summer term will be when we ask for applications for the student union, seniors and, buddies. We look forward to hearing from you.
Contact
For further information contact
Mr Rowe
Student Leadership, Academic Writing, HoD EPQ and Equalities