At Chellaston Academy our core values and vision encourage us to seek ways to provide opportunities for our students to learn and develop as individuals. Consequently, we try to provide students with a number of different Leadership opportunities across their time at the school. We encourage Leadership roles within group work to increase interpersonal skills, and link this to our work around employability skills. We encourage Leadership roles through our extra-curricular sports and arts programmes and also offer specific roles that pupils can take on to represent the school and to be an advocate for young people everywhere.
Head Student and Deputy Head Students
6th form students in Year 12 have the opportunity at the end of the academic year to apply and interview for the role of Head Student and Deputy Student for the next school year. This is the pinnacle of student leadership roles at the academy and the role comes with a detailed job description which both challenges and develops the leadership skills of those students selected. Each year we work with the most suitable and impressive applicants to use their skills and this year we have a team of six students – three Head Students and three Deputies.
School Prefects
Each year the academy offers students in Year 12 and 13 to apply for the role of school prefect. This role has two parts to it. Firstly, they are an important part of the 6th form leadership team, feeding back ideas and suggestions to the 6th form teachers. However, their role is also school wide in that they have a role to play at developing the academy though extra-curricular and charitable work as well as offering their support and presence around the school at leisure times. Once again this role challenges students to move out of their comfort zone and to develop leadership skills that they will need in the future. Training is provided and students are mentored by Year 13 students to succeed in their role.
Wellbeing Ambassadors
Some of our student leaders care passionately about mental health and wellbeing and offer peer support to students who would like to talk to someone and ways to signpost students to different places of support. They raise awareness of Mental Health charities and wellbeing initiatives across the school and act as ‘upstanders’ in the school community.
Rainbow Ambassadors
These is a new initiative to allow some of our 6th form team to find a voice for those who identify as LGBT+. We are developing this role this year to explore what it could mean for our school.
Duke of Edinburgh
The Duke of Edinburgh scheme is incredibly popular with our students and we offer all three levels here at Chellaston. The scheme is clearly renowned across the country and provides students the opportunity to learn new skills, develop resilience but have fun at the same time.
School Council
Each year group has a council specific to their Year group and the needs of its students. Each form is represented and meets with the Head of Year and prefects once every half term. Following on from these discussions the Head of Year can look to address or raise any issues that have been brought up. Two representatives from these meetings then feed into the whole school council meetings ran by student leaders and the Senior Leadership Team of the school. We invite students to Senior Team meetings and then produce a ‘you said / we did / you can’ document that from reps can then discuss back within their form groups.
Student Voice
In order to work effectively as an academy we believe that it is imperative to give students a voice and to take their opinions and views on board, looking to change and improve things where we can. We meet with pupil focus groups and give out student surveys as regularly as possible to find out more about what pupils want and also encourage feedback after events and around exam times so we can offer the best support possible. We encourage subjects to provide opportunities for students to feedback on Teaching and Learning wherever possible and we are really proud of the way we respond to pupil feedback.