Introduce yourselves

Hello. I am Sam, one of this year’s Head Students studying Economics, Maths, Physics, and Further Maths. I have attended Prince Henry’s since year 7 and have loved my time here.

Hi! My name is Lily, I study Psychology, EPR and German. I was new to Prince Henry’s for sixth form after being drawn to its friendly environment and the numerous opportunities on offer. One thing that stood out to me was how involved sixth form students could be, and I knew this was something I wanted to do.

How did you become one of our Head Students?

SAM - The stages of the application process were both fun and a great opportunity to challenge myself in different ways. The process has definitely helped me for future applications to know what to expect and to understand my strengths in different situations.

The process started off with an application form which gives you a chance to look at the responsibilities of the role (and to explain why you would make a good Head Student or Assistant Head Student).

After the application form, potential candidates were invited to complete a group task that was observed by the sixth form team. I enjoyed this stage, and it was great preparation for the events we held this year in school.

After the group task, candidates gave speeches to each year in their assemblies. This stage really helped with presenting and gave me a taste of this key part of being Head Student that I have loved doing.

Finally, the last stage involved an interview from an interview panel (including the sixth form team and Head Teacher). Then the next day, I was so happy to receive the news I would be a Head Student. Regardless of the outcome, I had gained so much from this brilliant application process.

LILY - Originally, I couldn’t see myself being a Head Student because I didn’t feel I had the confidence for it. However, when applications came out, I decided to push myself out of my comfort zone and just go for it. Since this would be my last year at school, I wanted to make it memorable, not just for me but for the rest of my year too. I was excited to bring a fresh perspective and try to implement positive changes.

The application for Head Student was tough, but highly rewarding. You go through a series of rounds, starting with a written application and then a team-work task with other applicants. During this task, the sixth form team watch and take notes, which was quite uncomfortable but is great preparation for job applications in the future.

Once you get through that round, you give a small speech to each year group explaining why they should vote for you as Head Student. This was the most nerve-racking part for me as public speaking has always been a fear of mine. Each day I was shaking and stuttering on my words, but as the week went on, I slowly found more confidence and improved little by little.

After getting through that round, we had an interview with Miss Bishop, Miss Willis and Miss Robinson-Junni. This was extremely intimidating, but again great practise for the future. When these were finished, the 6 remaining candidates were called in one by one to Miss Bishop’s office to find out whether we would be offered the role as Head Student or a Deputy / Assistant. I was the last one to be called in and the anticipation was excruciating. I went in expecting the worst so when I was offered the role as Head Student, I was so excited, and I couldn’t have been more grateful.

What do the Head Student’s do (and what have been your highlights)?

SAM - An important part of our role is to voice the ideas from all year groups in school. There is a group of Year 13 students which form the Senior Student team. As Head Students, we work with the team in the various areas including organising fundraising events and open evenings, presenting in assemblies, working with the Student Council lower down school and so much more.

LILY - Being a Head Student at Prince Henry’s brings a lot of opportunities and responsibilities. One of the main things we do is help manage the Student Council. Every half term, the year reps meet with me and Sam and share all their year group’s ideas about how to improve the school. The next day Sam and I go to a meeting with the Senior Leadership Team and deliver feedback on certain topics, suggest new ideas and request improvements.

This has been one of my favourite parts as we are given a real opportunity to make a change within the school and turn student voice into action. A key change implemented this year was ensuring all female bathrooms are stocked with a good supply of free period products.

We also plan and co-ordinate a wide range of fundraisers alongside part of the senior student team. After a bit of negotiation with SLT we were able to have ‘Wear a Festive Item Day’, in which we raised £1155! Thank you for everyone who participated in support of our 2 chosen charities this year: Papyrus (Young suicide prevention) and Wildlife Friendly Otley.

I’m also part of the Prom Committee. It has been great fun planning the whole event and it will be a great way to finish a year of hard work.

Head Student’s also give a speech at the school’s celebration evening. Despite having a lot of practise by this point, I was still incredibly nervous. This was the biggest speech I had ever done, and it was such a surreal moment stood speaking in a pulpit with people surrounding us on 2 separate floors. I cannot even express how rewarding it felt once we had finished! Both me and Sam had an overwhelming sense of pride knowing we had represented the student body to such a large group of people. It was something I never thought I could have accomplished!

SAM - I really have enjoyed every experience. Apart from the above, a few specific highlights include:

The Staff Vs Students quiz. One of my favourite fundraising events was the Staff Vs Students quiz. It was interesting to learn about everything that goes into planning these exciting events. During the afternoon of the event, I was part of the marking team. I loved seeing how the teams got on with the questions we had created, and I can confidently say that the Senior student team worked hard in the background to keep the event running smoothly.

The Yearbook. Another reason this year is memorable, is because it is the last year of my time at Prince Henry’s, so I really enjoyed working with the Yearbook team to create something that the Year 13’s would have, to look back at their time at Prince Henry’s.

Over the year as Head Students, it’s been rewarding to bring in some changes and be the voice of the students at Prince Henry’s.

 

What have you learnt from doing this role?

LILY - I’ve absolutely loved my role as Head Student and have learnt so much about myself. I’ve learnt that I can push myself to be more confident and do things far out of my comfort zone. I’ve developed skills in leadership, teamwork, negotiation and much more. I’m so grateful to have been given this opportunity and it has given me so many long-lasting memories.

I’ve also learnt a lot about the school. The staff are amazing and constantly go above and beyond to make the students’ experience the best it can be. They truly value student voice and offer so much support. I want to extend a massive thank you to all the staff who have helped Sam and I.

SAM - From a personal point of view this role has taken me out of my comfort zone and has given me the chance to learn and develop new skills, such as time management.

One of my favourite parts of the role is that I have been able to communicate and collaborate with others, like the senior student team who I have been lucky to share this experience with. I have really enjoyed developing my communication through presenting to both students during assembly and staff in the weekly staff briefing.

More widely I have been fortunate to see all the amazing work that so many people put in to planning school events, from marketing to helping run them on the day, allowing events to run smoothly.

I have seen how much staff want to help students and work with them to make sure everyone has the best school experience.

Final thoughts

LILY - There is no set mould for a head student. Me and Sam can be very different - you can see this in our responses in this ‘Inside Story’.

There is so much to be gained from this experience, and the opportunity is too good to miss. I would encourage anyone to go for it. If you don’t get the role, you may become a Deputy / Assistant Head student and if not, the application process itself is great practise for the future.

Thank you again to Sam and everyone who has supported me as Head Student this year. It’s been an incredible experience and I’m so grateful to have been part of such an amazing school community.

SAM – Yes, a massive thank you to all the staff and students for your support and encouragement throughout the year. A special thank you to Miss Robinson-Junni for all your help and to Lily for being amazing to work with!

I can easily say that this role has given me unforgettable experiences I am incredibly grateful for.

Both - If you are a student thinking of putting yourself forward for Head Student, go for it!

 

We hope you enjoyed reading our ‘Inside Story’.