Student Leadership

Leigh Academy Halley student leaders are aspirational and motivated role models who demonstrate respect, resilience and integrity. They collaborate in leadership roles to continually improve our academy community.

Our student leadership focus has three main objectives:

To encourage students across Leigh Academy Halley to seek additional responsibility, and to lead student participation across the academy community
To develop leadership skills
To ensure that all students are engaged in the student leadership/voice process with student leaders visible and accountable

Each small school has two Head Student Representatives and five Prefects. These roles give students the opportunity to develop key skills to take into later life. This includes:

Leadership
Organisation
Time management
Mentoring
Speaking and listening

Our students really do have the opportunity to make a difference to the daily life of the Academy. They represent and speak for students in their Small School, are ambassadors for the Academy, both internally and externally, and act as role models for all students. Our student leaders have the opportunity to speak to visitors of Leigh Academy Halley, present and prepare assemblies and oversee student voice meetings.

These students have been appointed following an application process and have been selected to represent their Small Schools due to the dedication they have shown to their studies and the kindness they have shown to others.

STUDENT VOICE

Student voice is a highly valued aspect of life at Leigh Academy Halley, with students regularly undertaking student surveys and having the opportunity for discussions during tutor times. Student voice is an opportunity for the voice of all students to be heard, for them to make change and shape both their own Academy and the local and global communities in which they live. Student voice is also an opportunity for our students to spark a conversation about something positive that they want to share or an issue or concern they want to talk about.

At Leigh Academy Halley, this can be done by placing comments in one of the Student Voice Boxes around the Academy. The comments will go directly to Leigh Academy Halley Social Action Group who will discuss and action the ideas. Students can collect suggestion slips to place into the Student Voice Boxes from a folder in their tutor room.

SOCIAL ACTION GROUP

The Social Action Group at Leigh Academy Halley

We are immensely proud of the work undertaken by the Social Action Group at Leigh Academy Halley. This group helps to make student suggestions a reality. They also work closely with Citizens UK, an alliance who work to make positive changes within communities through community organising. Working in collaboration with Citizens UK supports the development of young people into community leaders capable of engaging with their fellow students and wider community, and taking action to create meaningful change.

The students engage in a journey of conducting research to find out what the community needs and ways in which to change it. They apply practical tools to understand and create change, such as one-to-one meetings, negotiation, power analysis, public speaking, planning and taking action, among others.

In recent years, Leigh Academy Halley Social Action Group spoke in multiple assemblies to gain community support to tackle misogyny and violence towards women and girls. They told their story and took action on our council leaders, the Borough Commander, and the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on hate crime. Their actions directly informed a law review that was discussed in Parliament. They have developed outstanding leadership skills and have opened the door to justice for thousands of people. They have been featured in ITV News, The Evening Standard, The South London Press and The Mercury; and met the Chief Detective to explore how the police and Leigh Academy Halley student leaders can work together for a safer Greenwich. The group is currently working on a knife crime campaign.

HEROES

Halley’s Heroes

Leigh Academy Halley students have taken part in Humanutopia “Who Am I?” workshops.

The workshops centred on students’ personal development and created a safe space for students to stop and reflect on their lives to date. Students were provided with opportunities to consider the influences of others, peer pressure and the culture of conformity. They were encouraged to reflect on their attitude, behaviour and impact on others and given an opportunity to discover their authentic self, considering where their true potential may lie and how their futures could look.

In addition, over 60 Year 9 students have been trained by Humanutopia as ‘Heroes’ and have worked with students from Kidbrooke Park Primary School and our Year 7 students to hone their skills. They will continue to work during the year to develop and lead an independent student leadership project, focusing on mentoring and community schemes.