Young leaders making a difference

Young leaders making a difference

YEAR 10 students are stepping into exciting new leadership opportunities which will benefit pupils across the school community.

More than 30 junior prefects have been appointed following a rigorous selection process, which included completing a trial break-duty shift and an interview with senior staff.

The initiative reflects the school’s ongoing commitment to developing leadership skills and encouraging students to give back to the wider school community.

Together, they have all already shown impressive dedication to their new responsibilities, proving excellent role models for younger students.

Throughout the next academic year, the students will take on a range of important roles. These include organising and running lunchtime sports clubs for younger pupils, providing a safe and welcoming space where students can relax and practise mindfulness, creating opportunities for community engagement and fundraising, supporting younger students during form time, and helping to organise events as they prepare to leave Year 11.

Five junior prefects have been selected to lead dedicated subgroups, each with a different area of focus, supported by deputy leaders.

One of the newly-appointed group leaders, Anais Writer, says she's keen to play a larger role in the school community: "I am looking forward to helping organise and plan events, whilst also being a voice for any younger students who feel less confident around the sixth form and staff. 

"In order to help the younger students in school, I hope I can be a voice for them if they ever have any worries, ideas for the school, or just want a friendly face to talk to. For me, being a leader means being responsible, considerate, and organised," she said.

Another young leader, William Parkes, described the role as an amazing opportunity to ensure that RGS stays a safe, supportive, and enjoyable place for all students, especially those in Year 7 who will be settling into school life in September.

"I am most looking forward to giving opportunities and support to those in younger years and using this new role to bridge the gap between our senior prefects, members of staff and younger students in our school community."

"I'm excited to work with heads of year and other teachers to continue offering support to students throughout their time at RGS and I'm also looking forward to seeing what my team and I can achieve over the forthcoming year," he said.

Deputy head Mrs Keelan-Edwards said the standard of applications for the roles was exceptionally high, with candidates demonstrating enthusiasm, commitment and a genuine desire to make a positive contribution to school life.

“At RGS, we are continually looking for leadership opportunities for our students, and we have been impressed by the number of Year 10 students who applied for the junior prefect role and want to give back to the school community.

“They are an impressive group of young people, and we are looking forward to seeing how they develop their roles within their subgroups over the next academic year,” she added.

Congratulations to all 34 students on their appointments. We look forward to seeing the positive impact they will make as they help to support, inspire and enrich the experiences of younger pupils across the school.