PREFECTS: WHAT DO THEY DO?

As we’re approaching that time where the Year 12s take over the school positions of responsibility, here’s a guide to the role of School Prefect. Fundamentally, being a School Prefect is about amplifying pupil voice, being a support/role-model to pupils, and having fun along the way!

By Polly Symes

School Prefects:

Ten Heads of Houses, four Heads/Deputy Heads of School, and six other School

Prefects Those who are in this group can wear any coloured shirt, and also wear a badge, so are not exactly inconspicuous!

Below is a complete list of the School Prefects’ roles.

Initial Training/Activities: (done only once when you take over):

Bonding: 60 minutes - running through imaginary scenarios and deciding how to resolve them

Safeguarding Presentation: 60 minutestraining on how to spot signs of low wellbeing

Leadership Training: 60 minutes - Mr Lamb runs this (terrifying!) one. Try not to have a heart attack

Dinner: an incredible meal in the Function Rooms

House Prefects:

Head of House (automatically a school prefect, so wears the coloured shirt), Deputy Head of House, plus two other House Prefects These pupils help your Hsm run the house, support pupils and organise fun activities

Heads and Deputy Heads of School: They have responsibilities of School Prefects, plus additional ones, such as extra meetings and assisting in appraisals (more on that later). Oh... and the super cool march up the chapel aisle for HoS

Tuesday Meetings:

Every Tuesday at 1030 we meet with coffee, tea and biscuits: heaven in a busy morning of lessons

Here, we discuss exciting new school projects (such as Mia Taylor’s Beach Clean Initiative) and upcoming events that we need to help out with

Duties (the bit you know about):

Lunch/Supper Duty - 30 minute slot 2-3 times a week monitoring uniform/queue behaviour I’ve definitely met some interesting people here (shoutout to Jaime in Wargrave Yr 9) drill; we lip sync around the school to a Christmas song, making ourselves look ridiculous for the whole school to then watch during the Carol Service!

Congo/chapel: we arrive at 520 to seat pupils/check uniform, and stay behind afterwards to tidy up hymn books/kneelers. Reminder - bring your scarf in the winter months!

House Decoration Competition: (only the heads of school) go around all ten houses and give a prize to the best decorated. Somehow Watt have never won in my time corruption?!

Ch i t Di ll th P f t th i

Activities:

Wellbeing Wednesday: two prefects organise an activity per week for the school, such as diamond cricket, karaoke or a guided meditation (Gus, you will never be forgotten)

Prefect Chapel: once a term, the prefects prepare a (hopefully vaguely fun) chapel service which they deliver on both Monday and Friday

Touring every Open Day

School Societies:

There is a School Prefect in every school society, ensuring that your voice is fed back to SMT. These societies include: Charity Society, Food Committee, School Council, The Stag, and all the Be You groups

Prefects

Your Hsm and the Heads of School write a paragraph saying how well they think you ’ re doing

Then you have a meeting with Ms TaylorHall or Mr Symes where they give you their feedback

And at long last… the summer School Prefect dinner!

Christmas:

We then help out at events organised by these societies, such as the Charity Quiz Nights in Tim’s Café Christmas Video: you know the

This is a black-tie event to celebrate having done all of the above!

I’m looking forward to seeing the new Year 12 School Prefect Team around soon. Good luck!