Student Leadership Team

Head Students

Our Head Students serve as the leading representatives of Five Acres High School, acting as the voice of the student body and working directly with the Headteacher to share feedback and influence whole-school development. They represent the school at key community events—including Remembrance services, the Town Mayor’s engagements, awards evenings, and Open Evening—while also leading major whole-school initiatives such as the Christmas Charity Appeal. Head Students meet with the Headteacher monthly to discuss student priorities and contribute to shaping the school experience for their peers.

This role offers significant personal and professional development, building skills in public speaking, presentation preparation, leadership, teamwork, and interview techniques—valuable foundations for future careers in fields such as law, politics, education, public service, business, and the creative industries. Applications and interviews for the Head Student team take place each March/April and are open to Year 10 students only.

More Student Leadership Roles

Explore the other vital leadership opportunities available to our students below.

Character Education Leads

At Five Acres High School, our Character Education Student Leadership Team plays a vital role in promoting our school values and inspiring others to live them every day.

The team is made up of 10 Year 9 and Year 10 students and one Year 11 Student Leader who oversee the school’s Character Education programme. Each of our five core values — Ambition, Confidence, Creativity, Determination, and Respect — has a Lead (Year 10) and a Deputy (Year 9). Students apply for these prestigious roles through a letter of application and formal interview process. Successful candidates are re-elected each April/May to ensure that the team remains dynamic, committed, and student-driven.

Our Character Education Leaders are easily identifiable in school by their distinctive grey and black striped ties, symbolising their leadership and commitment to the school’s ethos of Aim High, Work Hard, Be Kind.

Leaders attend a weekly DEAR meeting, where they share good practice, celebrate student success, and discuss strategies to encourage others to earn their Character Badges and embody our school values.

As part of their duties, each leader commits to volunteering one lunchtime per week to help process Character Badges and certificates. They carefully match badges to certificates and ensure they reach tutor groups, helping to celebrate student achievement across the school.

Character Education Leaders also support tutor groups during DEAR time every Wednesday and Thursday, explaining weekly Character prompts, setting challenges, and helping their peers to achieve their next badges. This peer-to-peer support develops strong communication, oracy, and mentoring skills, while fostering a positive and inclusive school culture.

Beyond their day-to-day responsibilities, our Character Leaders also play an active role in Academies and Societies, fundraising, and volunteering. They proudly represent Five Acres High School at major events such as Open Evenings and Remembrance Services, consistently acting as role models for other students.

Through their work, Character Education Leaders leave a lasting legacy of determination, kindness, and ambition, helping to ensure that every student has access to a broad and balanced education that develops both academic excellence and strong personal character.

Student Ambassadors

Becoming a Student Ambassador is a rewarding opportunity for our Year 8 students to be involved in shaping our inclusive and welcoming school culture. The Student Ambassador Programme allows pupils to develop their leadership, communication, and teamwork skills while representing the school community in a positive and proactive way.

Their key roles and responsibilities are:

Developing scripts for morning line-ups to support Heads of Year in raising awareness of key events and themes.
Assisting with the planning and delivery of Fun Friday activities, whole-school assemblies, and character education badges.
Leading guided tours for prospective students, families, and staff, including open evenings and induction events.
Contributing to the school’s environmental initiatives by supporting the Eco School Award application, including evidence collection and awareness-raising activities.

Becoming a Student Ambassador helps pupils build key transferable skills such as communication, teamwork, leadership, and organisation — all of which are highly valued in future education and career pathways. These skills are particularly relevant for careers in areas such as education, public service, event management, marketing, and environmental leadership. Ambassadors also gain valuable experience for applications to student leadership roles, college placements, and future employment.

The application process for the Student Ambassador Programme typically runs in the summer term from June-July.

Leadership in Sport

At Five Acres High School, we believe that leadership extends beyond the classroom and into every aspect of school life — including sport. Our sporting programme provides a range of opportunities for students to develop teamwork, responsibility, and confidence through leadership roles.

Students have the chance to serve as Team Captains across a variety of sports. These captains are selected by staff for their positive attitude, teamwork, and embodiment of our school values. Roles are flexible and may change from match to match, ensuring that many students have the opportunity to experience leadership. Captains help with team organisation, ensuring all players are ready and informed, supporting with team sheets, and leading warm-ups before fixtures.

In addition, students are invited to support our Primary Cross Country events, acting as Sports Leaders for the day. These students are chosen for their enthusiasm, reliability, and leadership qualities, helping to guide younger participants and ensure the smooth running of the event.

Through these opportunities, students not only enhance their sporting skills but also develop key leadership attributes such as communication, initiative, and teamwork — qualities that reflect our core values of Ambition, Confidence, Determination, Creativity, and Respect.

Student Council

Our Student Council provides pupils with a meaningful leadership opportunity, enabling them to represent their peers, influence whole-school decision-making, and develop essential communication and teamwork skills. Each tutor group elects a representative who gathers views, suggestions and ideas from their peers and brings them forward to the year group and whole-school councils.

Roles and Responsibilities

Tutor Group Representatives

Lead and organise tutor group discussions on key questions or topics.
Record opinions, suggestions and ideas shared by their group.
Attend their Year Group Council, presenting all tutor group feedback.
Contribute to forming a collective set of ideas and priorities for their year group.

Vice Chairs (Year Group Council)

Summarise and communicate the year group’s collective outcomes to the Year Group Chair.
Support the chair in preparing for whole-school meetings.

Year Group Chairs

Represent their entire year group at the Whole-School Student Council (one representative per year group).
Work together to identify the strongest proposals and present them to the Senior Leadership Team (SLT).

Expectations in Meetings

All council members are expected to:
Use respectful, considerate language.
Let others speak and listen actively.
Represent the views of every student in their tutor group, not just their own.
Take part in training on leading discussions, note-taking and effective participation.