Student Leadership

In year 12 we ask all students to participate in a volunteer programme to allow them to “give back” to the school and demonstrate the sorts of qualities which will stand them on good stead for their post-18 pathways.

Students are asked to give up one free period a week to take part in the programme.

Students are given three options:

• Work in the lower school supporting a teacher (of their choice) with an Enrichment lesson
• Help in Yavneh Primary School
• Training as a mentor and working one on one with (targeted) lower school students on a weekly basis.

Students are given a booklet with which to document their activities and ensure these are signed off every week by a teacher.

The JLT is a key component of “student voice” at Yavneh College. There is a JLT for each year group, led by one member of the senior prefect team. Each form group elects two members to represent them throughout the year. Meetings (40 minutes) are held once a half term and the minutes from each meeting are shared with the Head of Sixth Form and then discussed with the senior leadership team.

The agenda for each meeting is shared a week in advance with the JLT members so they have an opportunity to discuss and consult with their form group. All members of the JLT are also welcome to raise their own issues to discuss as well as the set items on the agenda.

The JLT also have met with the catering company several times in the last year to gain feedback and suggestions regarding lunches.

As well as providing valuable feedback to the senior leadership team, over the last few years JLT has contributed to a number of changes across the school.

• Staggered lunches for different year groups
• Late starts (Year 12 and 13)
• PSHCE sessions/topics
• “Meat Free Fridays”
• Individual recycling bins for plastic bottles
• Year 7 “help desk” run by Year 12 prefects
• New tables for Sixth Form Café and Workroom
• New water fountains
• New picnic benches
• Additional vegetarian and vegan options in the school canteen
• Summer dress code for Sixth Form students

Prefects

Any student can apply to be a school prefect at the end of year 11. All prefects serve for the duration of Year 12. Students will be assigned a subject/department to work with as well a weekly lunch duty.

The subject prefect duties include a wide range responsibilities including helping with open evenings, putting up displays, running extra-curricular clubs, supporting GCSE revision clubs and many more.

The weekly duties range from lunchtime queue supervision, LRC support, working in the SEND base at lunchtimes and joining in Shacharit with Key Stage 3 forms.

House Captains

Two students from each house are selected from the prefects to represent each of the school houses. Under the supervision of Mrs Max (Head of IJE) the house captains perform a range of duties which include delivering assemblies to the lower school, working with the IJE department in many ways during festivals and events and playing an active role supporting each house during sports days.

Senior Prefects

Any Year 12 student can apply to be a senior prefect. As well as acting as role models for all students in the school, our senior prefects will each be responsible for an individual JLT year group where they will run a half termly meeting and feedback to the Head of Sixth Form. Senior prefects will also have the opportunity to represent the school in a range of ways including giving tours to perspective parents and guests, speaking at prize days and open evenings and playing an active role in “student voice” through regular meetings with the Head of Sixth Form.

Mission statement:

• To help Yavneh students cope with any challenging or difficult social situations.
• To ensure all pupils have an older student available to ask for help and who can direct them towards appropriate advice and/or support.

This committee was established in 2021 in the aftermath of the Sarah Everard murder and the growing national spotlight on the issue of sexual harassment.

The aim of the committee is to ensure that the students themselves can help play a role in further educating students about respect and appropriate behaviour towards each other.

Role of the committee:

• Meet once a half term with either the Head of Sixth Form and/or Headteacher.
• To further develop pupil voice and lines of communication with senior leadership with regard to the issues of respect, sexual harassment and consent.
• To ensure that the committee is “relaunched” every year for Year 12 students at the start of the summer term.
• To consult with Head of Sixth Form on the topics for year 12 and 13 PSHCE.
• To play a direct role in the delivery of a Year 12 PSHCE lesson on sexual harassment and consent. This will be integrated into the current Sixth Form PSHCE curriculum.
• To visit every form group in the school with the purpose of introducing all students in the school to the members of the committee and highlight their role and goals.
• To produce a poster to be put up across the school publicising the committee and its role.
• Years 7-12 will be assigned at least one student from the committee who will be introduced as a source of support for any student in the year group who wishes to report/discuss any incidents or concerns relating to harassment with a member of staff.
• To establish a confidential email address for students to contact their assigned member of the committee if they wish to speak to them directly and ask for their support.

Student Observers

In 2021, we have launched a pilot scheme to give a small group of year 12 students an opportunity to work with teachers to help them reflect on their own practice. Student observers work in pairs to arrange a time with an individual teacher to observe a (chosen) lesson. Students will then feedback with the teacher following the lesson and discuss ideas for future practice and development. Each pair will have a specific focus when observing the lesson which students are free to choose. These include:

• Pupil Engagement
• Teacher movement during a lesson
• Nature of questioning
• Nature of feedback
• Nature of participation of students

All students chosen to be student observers have to attend a training session with the Head of Sixth Form which focuses on how to observe a lesson and how to approach the subsequent feedback sessions with teachers.

From September 2021, this programme will be expanded with a view to role out to students in the lower school and incorporate a larger number of teachers. The group of Year 12 students involved in the pilot programme will also be involved in the training of the lower school students.