School Leadership
Download: Student Leadership Policy 2023-2024 [PDF]
School Prefects
As part of citizenship education, we believe that children need to experience duties and responsibilities that come with being a member of a community.
At St Oswald’s Catholic Primary School, we believe that prefects have a very important role in the day-to-day organisation of our school. Only Year 6 pupils have the opportunity to be a prefect and as a result, the role is considered very prestigious. The position not only allows the Year 6 pupils to lead by example and demonstrate their responsibility, it also enables younger children to learn from a good example. Our prefects wear their badge with pride and complete daily tasks as part of a team to support both staff and children in our school.
Prefects have to apply for the position and their applications go through a selection process. Children from Year 6 may be added to the current group of prefects as the year goes on, the list is never closed.
Play Leaders
At St Oswald’s Catholic Primary School, we encourage children to develop as individuals. One of the ways we try to encourage this is a ‘Play Leading Scheme’. The scheme promotes children’s well-being, abilities, social skills and team work. It also encourages the older children to organize games for the younger children, it promotes the children’s organization, communication and responsibility skills and most importantly they all have fun! We meet on a regular basis with Mr. Wall to discuss new games and play equipment and questions that the children want to ask.
Our play leaders volunteer their time to support the younger pupils at play times to establish a happy play time for all children. In September of this year, Mr Wall appointed 12 play leaders from Year 5 and they have received training on how to deliver different games at break time.
As well as delivering traditional playground games, the children have lots of play equipment to enjoy, ranging from hula hoops, skipping ropes, basketball, netball, bowling, football and dodgeball with more equipment on the way!
Another of the aims of the scheme is that it will increase the amount of physical activity undertaken during playtime/lunchtime and reduce the amount of behaviour issues on the playground. It is hoped there will be a whole school impact in terms of children’s behaviour both at lunchtime and in afternoon lessons.
Pupil Advocates
Pupil advocates solve lots of problems. These can be people arguing or falling out, calling others names, those who are hurt or those who have problems at home. If a problem is too serious to handle, like bullying, children in danger at home from fighting or emotional abuse, we hand over to an adult so that they can try to solve the problem. We also tell an adult if a child is still upset or unhappy after we have tried to solve a problem.
Jay, 5EC
Student Council
We are very proud to have elected our School Council.
School Council meets on Wednesday afternoon to discuss issues and matters that affect school life. Each class has two representatives, who serve for the entire academic year. Our School Council currently meets as two separate bodies, Infant council and junior council, and meeting together as a full school council once per half term.
School council are currently working towards developing joint projects for the coming year and working through issues and solutions brought forward from each meeting.
Thank you to everyone who put themselves forward for the role of School Council this year. We had lots of fantastic speeches, so well done to everyone who applied!
Well done to our new School Councillors, who were voted for by their peers, we have also recently had Reception voting and one child from each class has now joined our school council.
Monitors
This year, our school have appointed class monitors to help around school. Our team of monitors are chosen by the class teacher within each class. These roles enable children to take on positions of responsibility within the school, in preparation for aiming to become a prefect in Year 6. Monitors will be given various roles and responsibilities in shadowing prefects and will be given roles to work alongside the prefects. Monitors will also be considered by class teachers for any jobs in class or around school. They work directly with pupils to improve the ‘behaviour for learning’ in school.