Student Leadership Development Programme

Student LeadershipDevelopment

Programme

The Student Leadership Programme will develop students into drivers of change and improvements at Bethnal Green and in the wider community. Students will have ample opportunity to actively participate in all sectors of school life. Participation in this programme

What is the Student Leadership Development Programme?

will eventually be led by Senior Student Leaders. The programme will develop the soft skills of students and act as an early preparation for post school life. Students involved will recognise the value of being active citizens and develop a sense of agency which will drive success in their academic life.

How will the student leadership development programme be different from the current leadership development programme?

The Student Leadership Development Programme will be about ‘real’ student action. As a student leader you will be developed and empowered to be responsible citizens within Bethnal Green and the wider community. The programme will be open to all students who are genuinely committed to driving the school forward.

Essentially, the school will invest in your leadership skills but in return you will be expected to invest in your school.

What will the new Student Leadership structure look like?

The Student Leadership Team will have an umbrella structure which means the Senior Student Leaders will oversee the running of the three additional teams; Team Learning, Team Voice and Team Volunteering. Each Senior Student Leader will be responsible for one of the three teams, will liaise with the teams regularly and feed back to the relevant teaching staff.

Students and staff take the lead by wearing pink and supporting Breast Cancer Awareness Day.

< Our outstanding students collecting their award at the Education Business Awards hosted by BBC Newsreader, Moira Stewart.

Senior Student Leadership Team

As a member of the Senior Student Leadership Team you will lead a student leadership team. The teams will be as follows: Learning, Voice and Volunteering.

As part of the Leadership team you will:

• Provide support and mentoring for the students who are involved in student leadership

• Manage the different strands of student leadership, voice and volunteering

• Take a proactive approach in identifying areas of improvement in BGTC

• Assist in the running of the different strands of student leadership

Team Learning

Team Learning will work alongside teachers from every department to enhance the curriculum taught to students. Team Learning will incorporate a student perspective into the curriculum. Students volunteering in this team will be expected to participate in the evaluation of schemes of work within the school. Students will be paired with a faculty; they will act as a ‘critical friend’ to the faculty and incorporate student feedback into the evaluation process.

Team Voice

Team Voice will advocate and represent the interests, opinions and concerns of the student body to teachers. They will act as a link between their tutor group and other tutor groups. They will have to be willing and able to put forward other people’s views even if they disagree with them. Student voice will be the ideal space to take a proactive part in driving school improvement.

Team Volunteering

Team Volunteering will volunteer in all aspects of life at Bethnal Green. Students will volunteer within the school, the wider community and at home. There will be various volunteering roles that students will be able to sign up to from being a buddy to working on the communications within the school.

How does it work?

Student Leaders learn how to play the role of inspector, exploring how effective learning aids progress.

With all jobs in life, we will be better at some than others based on our skill set. The Student Leadership Programme will require you to hold the following skills but will also seek to develop them within you.

Key Responsibilities

• To provide support and leadership to your peers, to staff and to people within the wider community.

• To review and suggest improvements which would raise the standards at Bethnal Green and/or in the wider community.

• To improve the reputation and raise the profile of students, of the school and of the wider community.

Key Skills

These are important skills which all student volunteers should be able to demonstrate.

• Reliable – you should maintain good standards in terms of organisation, attendance and punctuality.

• Responsible – you should be prepared to work hard and to appreciate the opportunity to lead and help others.

• Consistent - you should be fair and treat people equally.

Valuable skills – These are extra skills which would be useful for student volunteers to have. These skills will improve as part of being involved.

• Confident - you are able to communicate with others effectively by listening and asking questions. You are happy to take the lead in groups and to make presentations.

• Creative – you are imaginative and are able to suggest solutions to problems.

• ICT – you can use ICT equipment effectively, such as Word and PowerPoint.

“Student Leadership is all about skills and values.”

< Students meet with local shopkeepers to discuss the aims of the CitySafe Campaign.

Deciding what team you want to be a part of will be a tough decision to make. Different skills are required for the different teams so before you decide reflect on your own skills and ask yourself ‘what team will be right for me?’

Team Leadership (Senior Team) - you will be expected to hold all of the above skills and the following:

• 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.

• Vision/strategy: A leader must have a clear idea what they want to achieve by their work. Where is it going in the long term?

• Communication: Leaders need to learn to be proficient in both the communication that informs and seeks out information (gives them a voice) and the communication that connects with others.

• Persuasion: Your 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. The leader must move easily from one set of circumstances (the plan) to the next (the plan is not going as expected) and take them all in stride, even when the circumstances are unexpected.

• Teamwork: No one can do it all alone. Being able to work well with a team and make the most of your

Which team is right for me?

team is the key to success. A good leader knows when to be a leader and when to be a follower.

Team Learning - you will be expected to hold of the above skills and the following:

• Critical thinking: You should be able to question ideas and information that you receive. Being able to consider the pros and cons of an idea.

• Creativity: You should be able to experiment with new ideas and alternatives by building on, connecting with and adapting other people's ideas.

• Analysis: You should be able to examine an idea/ concept closely and use what you learn to develop an idea/concept further.

• Confidence: You should feel brave enough to share your ideas and be willing to have them critiqued. Not being afraid to be questioned is an important quality.

• Subject knowledge: A good understanding of the subject you wish to work with. This does not mean you will need to know everything about the subject but you will be expected to have a strong understanding about the subject which is shown in your class work in this subject.

Team Voice - you will be expected to hold of the above skills and the following:

• Listening skills: You should be able to take in what people say and everyone needs to feel comfortable talking to you.

• Organised – it is your responsibility to make sure you collect issues raised by your Tutor Group and bring them to School Council meetings.

• Assertive – the opinions of your Tutor Group are just as valid as everyone else’s.

• Efficient – class discussions must cover many issues in a short space of time.

• Fair – everyone has the right to express a point of view.

• A good communicator – you need to be able to work with staff and students across the school.

Team Volunteering - you will be expected to hold the above skills and the following:

• Good communication skills: you need to be able to work with staff and students across the school.

• Empathy: You need to be able to relate to others and put yourself into someone else’s shoes.

• Common sense: You should be aware of what needs to be done and how.

• Initiative: You should be able to act independently to solve problems.

My Learning Apps

The leadership development programme will develop your ability to use the following learning skills, part of the MyLearningApps framework:

Collaborate Communicate

Be Creative Lead