Student Voice
"There are many opportunities for students to develop leadership skills, including through being members of the student council, raising funds for charity and acting as sports team leaders."
Ofsted
Student voice can exist in schools in many different ways. It can be through student councils, students observing lessons or even students working on improving how environmentally friendly their school is.
At The Sutton Academy we have a Student Council who represents each year group, along with a Year 11 Student Leadership Team.
About the Role
This role has a very high profile within the community and involves public speaking at events such as our Open Evening and Awards Evening. Based on the application forms a number of students will be invited to attend an interview to discuss why they want to be Head Boy / Head Girl before a final decision is made.
Becoming a Student Leader is an honour to which students should aspire. Student Leaders are role models and play a major part in shaping the positive image of The Sutton Academy within the local community. The role of a Student Leader is an important one and, if chosen, you will be accepting a position of considerable responsibility. You should be a highly motivated individual with a flexible, supportive and considerate approach to others and who likes working as part of a team. You will also be able to demonstrate good communication and organisational skills build excellent working relationships with staff and have good time management skills. If you are a student with an excellent record of behaviour, attendance and punctuality then you are a suitable candidate.
This is an exciting opportunity to develop your leadership skills and play an active part in the life of the academy, helping us deliver our values and aims. You will have the opportunity to become involved in a wide range of activities which will enable you to provide valuable service for our academy community. This is a unique experience that you can use in your applications to higher or further education, or when applying for employment. Student Leaders will act as either Peer Mentors, Academic Mentors, Sports Leaders or Charity Leaders.
The Sutton Academy Leadership Team
Each year our student leaders choose a charity to focus on. Our last student leadership team chose The Willowbrook Hospice. Willowbrook have provided specialist palliative care in our local community for thirty years, and rely on charitable donations.
The student leaders organised a number of events which raised over £650. They have also supported the Teardrops Hub and the Hope Centre in St Helens. They provided a food drive, along with a gift donation collection to ensure people accessing these provisions could enjoy the Christmas period with their families.
Our student leaders also ‘raffled’ a signed Saints ball during the final week of term. This was to help raise money for a member of our local community, which will support with the funding for life-saving treatment. This is a family member to one of our students, which has meant an extra drive to raise as much money as possible.
We are incredibly proud of the charity work our students undertake both in and outside of the academy.
We look forward to seeing what next year will bring for our incoming Student Leaders and their charity initiatives