Pupils at Winsley Church of England Primary School in Bradford on Avon are gaining valuable life-skills to help them become leaders of tomorrow with a new career-led initiative aimed at raising their aspirations and boosting their wellbeing and self-esteem.
As part of its leadership programme, all pupils are encouraged to apply for chosen roles – and are appointed via an interview process to take on additional roles of responsibility within the school.
After applying for their favoured positions, a total of 40 children from across the school have taken on leadership roles. These include a pupil school librarian – which Arthur (pictured above) successfully applied for – who helps make important decisions such as which books the school should purchase. They also help the school’s younger children by reading to them and encouraging their love of books.
Other roles include a music ambassador, an art ambassador and even a coding ambassador – nurturing important IT skills. The environmentally aware school has also welcomed ‘eco warriors’ who have joined forces with a landscape architect to further improve the school’s outdoor offering and biodiversity which already includes wildflowers, a bug hotel, newly planted saplings, and new outdoor furniture.
This school is part of the Palladian Academy Trust family and its values of kindness, courage and wisdom underpin its curriculum and extracurricular activities, all designed to develop its pupils’ skills and broaden their knowledge educationally and holistically inside and outside of the classroom.
Head of School, Ross Wolverson, said, “Through our school values, we strive to ensure that all children can be confident, well-prepared and successful learners. Our leadership programme gives our children the opportunity of putting themselves forward to become leaders within their school community.
“Once appointed, our school leaders then learn about the different aspects of effective leaderships and the many skills required to build, lead and be part of a team. The different leadership roles reflect the many aspects of school life and what is important to our pupils. This level of accountability and responsibility gives them a real sense of pride in their role and their school.
“Through our curriculum and extracurricular activities we are inspiring our pupils to be global citizens of 2043, equipping them with many life skills they will need in the future. It’s really encouraging to see our children flourish in their roles. Their enthusiasm is infectious. Palladian Academy Trust schools are looking at ways to support young people to develop key life skills such as leadership and teamwork.
“The initiative comes as Palladian Academy Trust embarks on its ‘Cradle to Career’ mission. This seeks to create long-term educational goals for children from birth until they reach adulthood. Initiatives such as Winsley’s ‘Roles of Responsibilities’ enables pupils to experience job responsibility before entering the world of work. By starting the development of these skills at an earlier age, pupils will have increased self-confidence as well as the ability to communicate and express their views in an effective manner.”
Winsley CofE Primary School is part of Palladian Academy Trust, an academy trust which provides equitable opportunities so all its pupils can flourish. To find out more about Winsley CofE Primary School, you can visit the website or follow them here on X.
For more on Palladian Academy Trust, you can follow them here on X and LinkedIn