At Highwoods, our pupils have many opportunities throughout their school life to take on additional roles and responsibilities. These roles allow pupils to develop the knowledge, skills and character to help them be the best version of themselves. 

For pupils to achieve roles within the school, they need to demonstrate the Highwoods High Five – this needs to be sustained and over time. We are very fortunate to have many wonderful pupils who are eager to take on roles. Should your child not receive a role, it is likely not a reflection on them – rather a reflection on our school being full of ambitious and eager pupils, with a limited number of vacancies for extra responsibilities. We teach our pupils about British values – about democracy, and standing for elections. We also teach them that it is vital to have a voice, to contribute while understanding that they may stand for election, but might not be successful in being elected. These are vital skills for life and something our pupils recognise and accept.  

Roles and responsibilities at our school include:

Year 6 prefects – these pupils conduct parent tours and meet many visitors to our school. They are the very best of what we want our pupils to aspire to be. 

Reading Ambassadors – these pupils help shape the reading culture in our school. They meet with the English lead, help purchase new books, create a termly newsletter, read with younger pupils and visit the local bookshops. 

Maths Ambassadors – these pupils help shape the maths culture at our school; they work in partnership with Essex University to run a maths club, and they plan and create a maths-inspired curriculum day for all pupils. They work closely with our maths lead. 

Cultural Ambassadors – these pupils are hand-picked by teachers to promote the culture of our school – to strengthen our understanding of British values, while also ensuring we are all educated and knowledgeable about different cultures and religions. They meet with the Headteacher and Trustees each term and have responsibility for whole school projects, assemblies and displays. 

School Council – these pupils are elected into roles and help address whole school issues. These termly meetings explore matters arising from school meals, play time resources, anti-bullying campaigns and school uniform. These pupils liaise with their peers and feed back in their meetings.

Eco Council – these elected pupils oversee our plan to ensure we follow our responsibilities to be as sustainable and eco-friendly as we can. This group of pupils meet termly to take on school projects like making bird feeders, carrying out litter picks both at school and in the community, and work to help change the physical environment at our school so that we are encouraging wildlife and nature. 

At Highwoods, it is vital that all of our pupils have fair and equitable access to opportunities – we track and monitor every single pupil who stands for election, and then gets elected. We have a dedicated member of staff (Ms Bradley) who oversees this information and helps us encourage and promote the roles and responsibilities for all pupils.