Student Leadership

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In the Sixth Form at The King Edward VI School we believe that our students have an important part to play in the development of the Sixth Form experience. We have in place a number of forums in which students can express opinions and share ideas. There also exist a number of ways in which selected students can represent their peers and gain access to the staff who make the decisions that affect their lives in the school. We aim to create an ethos in which students feel that their opinions are valued by staff who are approachable and responsive to the messages they receive.

The main vehicles for student representation in the Sixth Form are described below:

Senior Students

Every year four senior students are elected to represent the whole school and perform important duties within the main body of the school. The four positions elected are Head Boy and Head Girl and Deputy Head Boy and Deputy Head Girl. This is a Year 13 role and any current Year 12 student who will be entering Year 13 in September can be nominated to stand by five of their peers. The nominated student will then complete a letter of application in which he/she will outline reasons for wanting to take on such responsibility. A short interview will be conducted by the Head of Sixth Form and Head of Year with each nominee to ensure that expectations of the role are understood. Students going forward to election will prepare an election address and make a short presentation to a specially arranged Year 12 Assembly. They are elected by Year 12 students and by all of the school staff. The term of office is for twelve months commencing at the beginning of the Summer Term in Year 12 and finishing at the same time in Year 13.

The Senior Students’ roles are important and combine the developmental with the ceremonial. Senior Students represent the student body from all year groups and not just the Sixth Form. Their duties are agreed beforehand and are recorded in the Senior Students’ job description. Their duties are managed in such a manner as to minimise the disruption to their academic curriculum.

Year Councils

Tutor groups from both year groups in the Sixth Form elect a representative to sit on a decision making forum chaired by the Head of Year. There will be a group for Year 12 and a group for Year 13. Meetings will be held weekly or fortnightly as arranged by the Head of Year. Joint meetings between Years 12 and 13 will be arranged as necessary.

• The representatives gather agenda items from their peers in the tutor group.
• This agenda is taken to the Head of Year in advance of the meeting where it is approved and other items added by the Head of Year at his/her discretion.
• Meeting takes place at the appointed time.
• Minutes are taken by a selected student.
• Minutes are distributed to each tutor group and read to their peers by the representative. Any feedback is recorded and may inform an Agenda item at a subsequent meeting.

Final agenda items are at the discretion of the Head of Year but experience suggests that the following are typical of the areas of activity organised by the Year Councils.

• Development of the Sixth Form Centre
• Upgrading of Sixth Form facilities
• Reviewing the Sixth Form dress code
• Organisation of fund raising events for charity
• Organisation of non uniform days
• Recruiting student volunteers for various school events
• Organisation of social events
• School Council

The School Council is a forum for discussion of whole school items bringing together representatives from all of the year groups 9 to 13. These representatives will normally in turn have been nominated to attend the School Council by their own individual Year Councils. Co-ordinated by a senior teacher the Senior Students representing the Sixth Form are required to organise all the School Council, liaising with the representatives of other year groups and keeping a record of items discussed and agreements reached at the meetings.

Student Subject Leaders

Each department in the school will appoint one or two students (depending on the size of the department) to act as a subject leader with responsibilities defined by the Head of Department. Students will be invited to apply for such positions ahead of the Summer Term in Year 12. Letters of application will be submitted to Head of Sixth Form, and interviews arranged as necessary by Heads of Departments.