School appoints new head boy and head girl

Woolton-based Abbot’s Lea School has appointed a new head boy and head girl as part of its commitment to promoting student leadership.

Ryan Griffiths (16) will fulfil the role of head boy and Saoirse Redmond (16) will be head girl. They take over from the last year’s successors: Dan Houghton and Chantelle Nicklin-Harvey.

Mrs Ania Hildrey, the school’s headteacher is passionate about developing distributed leadership within the school and introduced the head boy and head girl roles in 2016 as part of wider school developments.

Those who wanted to take on the vital positions were asked to apply in writing sharing their leadership values and ideas. Mrs Hildrey then held interviews with possible candidates with each one showcasing their vision for the school and their commitment to playing a role in its future development.

Ryan and Saoirse will assist in the outdoor learning project which aims to re-design the school grounds to improve facilities for students of all ages.

Ryan said: “I am very pleased to be head boy at Abbot’s Lea. I am keen to represent the voice of many students here at the school and share their ideas with the headteacher and the leadership team.”

Saoirse added: “As head girl I am looking forward to working closely with Mrs Hildrey, the staff and members of the school council to ensure Abbot’s Lea is a welcoming and positive environment for all.”

Mrs Hildrey said: “It is with great delight that I introduce our new head boy and girl. Following last year’s successful appointments, we had a lot of interest from students and I was incredibly impressed with each of the six candidates’ commitment and confidence.

“It is fantastic to know that so many of our senior students are keen to take on leadership roles and represent the school in this way.

“I have been keen to create a distributed leadership model for the staff and the students. This model strengthens shared vision, school developmental planning and creates a culture of mutual accountability. By students becoming an integral part of this approach, they are given not only the voice but also – very crucially – extra responsibilities to prepare them for further education, the world of work and the reality of an adult life.”