"The Westgate School is a happy and vibrant community,
where pupils are encouraged to aim for excellence"
(Ofsted, September 2022)
Becoming a Prefect | Pupil Leadership Groups
At The Westgate School, we are very proud of our Pupil Leadership opportunities. Pupil leaders are the very best ambassadors for the school and are the embodiment of our core principles and values. Pupil leaders are often called on to lead at school events such as Open Evening and Partners in Learning Evenings as well as supporting concerts, Year 6 Taster Days, Summer Camp and a wide range of other school events.
Pupils may become a Junior Prefect from the Summer Term of Year 9 and again in Year 10.
Year 10 Prefects may then also apply to join the Senior Council in Year 11.
Our current Senior Council Leaders are:
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Lead Pupil All Through - Alora
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Head Boy - Joe
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Head Girl - Scarlett
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Deputy Head Pupil All Through - Jasmine
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Deputy Head Boy - Tom
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Deputy Head Girl - Poppy
School Council and Other Pupil Leadership Opportunities
There are so many other opportunities to develop Pupil Leadership skills at The Westgate School. As well as our prefect team, our House system requires House Captains for each of the four Houses: Air, Earth, Fire and Water. Tutor Captains are also elected for each tutor group. Along with Senior Prefects, tutor captains sit on the School Council which meet every half term. Representatives from ECO Group, Charity Group, Curriculum Group, GSA and Well-Being Group are also invited to join the school council, so that a range of views from the pupil community are expressed and shared using this democratic forum.
Prefect applications
Senior Prefect applications:
Applications to become part of the Senior Leadership team for the next year, open in February, including Head Boy, Head Girl and Head Pupil All Through.
Junior Prefect applications:
To become a prefect, pupils from Years 9 and 10 may apply during the Spring Term.
Experience and activities that would suggest you would be successful:
Active involvement in the the school is essential if you are to be a member of the team. You can show this through being part of the school DofE programme, or having evidence of being part of one of our Leadership groups (e.g. Charity Group). Finally, having a Westgate Community Challenge badge is a sure sign you have engaged with us over the last few years and chould certainly be part of your application.
The qualities needed to be a prefect:
Please refer to these qualities, along with your contribution to the school community, when you are applying for the role.
Integrity
Integrity means honesty and more. It refers to having strong internal guiding principles that one does not compromise. It means treating others as you would wish to be treated. Integrity promotes trust, and not much is accomplished without trust.
Communication
Communication refers to both interpersonal communications between the individual and others both in the team and across the school community. A good leader needs to be proficient in both the communication that informs and actively listen to others.
Relationship building
Relationships develop good interpersonal and group communications. A leader who likes dealing with people, who can initiate and deepen relationships with others, has a great leadership advantage. This is a leader who can build a team and build up trust among the team.
Persuasion
The ability to influence others and cause them to move in a particular direction is a highly important skill in leadership. An ability to be persuasive is directly related to how much people trust you and how good your communication and relationships are.
Adaptability
Adaptability and flexibility in not being bound by a plan are important success factors. A leader must move easily from one set of circumstances (the plan) to the next (if the plan is not going as expected) and take them all in their stride, even when the circumstances are unexpected. The good leader has to embrace change and see it as opportunity.
Teamwork
Teamwork is an important and often neglected part of being a prefect. Our community has a team of prefects who are part of and leaders within the school. No one person can do it all. That’s why a team, comprised of others with different skill sets, is essential. A leader must know how to build and nurture such a team.
Decision-making
A leader must be able to wade through information, comprehend what is relevant, make a well-considered decision, and take action based on that decision. Once a team decision has been made the individual must fully support the group in carrying out the actions related.
Pupil Leadership Groups
The Westgate offers every pupil the opportunity to participate in a leadership role during their time at The Westgate, being part of our commitment to 'Rights, Respect and Responsibility' across our school. This might be through joining one of the following groups: