Pupil Leadership

Every child a leader. Every voice matters. Every opportunity to make a difference.

At Ashtree Primary Academy, we passionately believe in the power of pupil leadership. We believe that children should not simply be participants in school life; they should be active contributors to shaping it. Every child has the potential to lead, influence others, demonstrate our values and make a positive difference to the world around them.

Our commitment to pupil leadership is rooted in our vision: “At Ashtree, we are courageous, we care for everyone and we are curious to learn.” We want our children to leave Ashtree with the confidence to speak up, the compassion to support others and the curiosity to seek out opportunities to improve their community.

Pupil leadership at Ashtree is not reserved for a select few. While we have formal leadership positions that carry additional responsibilities, we believe that leadership is a skill that every child can develop, regardless of age, confidence or ability. From our youngest pupils taking responsibility for their classroom environment to our senior leaders welcoming prospective families, every child is given meaningful opportunities to lead.

Through these experiences, our pupils learn to communicate effectively, listen to different perspectives, solve problems, work collaboratively, show initiative and take responsibility for their actions. They discover that leadership is not about having a badge, being the loudest voice or telling others what to do. It is about service, responsibility, integrity and making a difference.

We want our children to understand that leadership is not a title; it is the positive impact you have on others.

Our pupil leadership team

Senior Leadership Team – Head Boy, Head Girl, Deputy Head Boy and Deputy Head Girl

Our Head Boy, Head Girl, Deputy Head Boy and Deputy Head Girl are ambassadors for Ashtree Primary Academy. They represent our school, model our values and help ensure that the voices and experiences of our pupils remain at the heart of school life.

These positions carry significant responsibility. Our senior pupil leaders are expected to demonstrate courage when speaking in front of others, care in the way they treat their peers and curiosity in seeking ways to make our school even better.

Their responsibilities include:

Welcoming prospective families and visitors, helping them experience the warmth, ambition and values of our school.
Touring families around the school, explaining our learning environments, enrichment opportunities and what makes being part of Ashtree special.
Delivering speeches and speaking confidently to prospective parents, sharing their experiences of school life and helping families understand what their children can achieve at Ashtree.
Acting as positive role models for younger pupils, demonstrating excellent conduct, kindness, responsibility and pride in their school.
Supporting whole-school events and celebrations, representing the pupil community with confidence and maturity.
Gathering and sharing pupils' perspectives, helping leaders understand what matters to children and how their experiences can be improved.
Encouraging their peers to embody our values of Courage, Care and Curiosity in their everyday choices.

Our senior leaders have already been developing their public speaking skills by delivering speeches to prospective parents and guiding visiting families around the school. These are authentic leadership experiences: our children are not simply practising for future opportunities; they are making a meaningful contribution to the way our school is experienced by others.

We want our senior leaders to recognise the privilege of their positions and understand that being a role model means consistently living the values they represent.

House Captains – North, South, East and West

Our House Captains lead and inspire pupils across our four houses: North, South, East and West. They play a vital role in building belonging, strengthening relationships between year groups and creating a sense of shared identity and healthy competition throughout the school.

House leadership provides children with opportunities to motivate others, celebrate achievements and recognise that success is about participation, teamwork, perseverance and supporting one another.

Our House Captains:

Lead their houses during inter-house competitions, challenges and whole-school events.
Deliver acceptance speeches during our Celebration Assembly, representing their house with pride and demonstrating confidence in front of an audience.
Encourage younger pupils to participate, helping them feel included, valued and connected to their house community.
Support the organisation and smooth running of house events, working alongside staff and other pupil leaders.
Motivate their peers to demonstrate teamwork, determination, fairness and good sportsmanship.
Represent their houses during Sports Day, helping to build excitement, encourage participation and celebrate the achievements of all pupils.
Celebrate effort, progress and positive contributions, reinforcing the message that everyone has something valuable to offer.

Through their roles, House Captains learn that effective leadership involves bringing people together. They understand that their success is measured not only by the performance of their house, but also by how well they encourage, include and support the children they lead.

School Council – Giving Every Pupil a Voice

At Ashtree, we believe that children should have genuine opportunities to influence the decisions that affect their school experience. Our School Council provides a structured way for pupils to share their views, raise concerns, suggest improvements and contribute to the ongoing development of our school.

School Council representatives act as a link between their classmates and school leaders. They have a responsibility to listen carefully to the views of others, represent different perspectives fairly and communicate the outcomes of discussions back to their classes.

Their responsibilities include:

Gathering the views, ideas and suggestions of children in their class.
Presenting these views during School Council meetings and contributing constructively to discussions.
Working collaboratively to identify priorities and suggest practical solutions to issues affecting pupils.
Helping school leaders understand what children enjoy about school and what could be improved.
Sharing decisions, updates and agreed actions with their classmates.
Encouraging children to understand that their voices matter and that positive change can happen when people work together.

We want our School Council to be more than a forum for discussion. Where appropriate, pupils should see how their ideas are considered, what actions follow and why particular decisions are made. This helps children understand democratic processes, representation, compromise and accountability.

By listening to others and representing their peers, our School Council members develop the confidence to express their views respectfully, the courage to raise important issues and the responsibility to act in the interests of their wider school community.

Play Leaders – Championing Positive Play Through OPAL

Play is an essential part of childhood. Through our commitment to OPAL (Outdoor Play and Learning), we recognise the importance of creating playtimes where children can be active, imaginative, independent and socially connected.

Our Play Leaders support the development of positive play experiences, helping to ensure that lunchtimes and playtimes are safe, purposeful, inclusive and enjoyable. They help younger pupils feel confident in the playground and encourage children to make the most of the opportunities available to them.

Their responsibilities include:

Supporting younger children to access play opportunities, particularly those who may feel unsure about joining in.
Encouraging inclusive play so that children of different ages, interests and abilities can participate.
Helping pupils understand expectations for safe and respectful play.
Promoting positive relationships, cooperation, turn-taking and problem-solving.
Encouraging children to explore the different play opportunities available through our OPAL provision.
Helping identify when a child may need additional support and knowing when to involve a member of staff.
Modelling kindness, responsibility and positive behaviour during unstructured parts of the school day.

Our Play Leaders are not a substitute for adult supervision or responsibility for safeguarding. Instead, they provide an additional layer of peer support, encouragement and positive role modelling within our play culture.

Through this role, children develop empathy, communication skills and the ability to support others. They learn that a successful playtime is one in which everyone has the opportunity to belong, participate and enjoy themselves.

Classroom Leaders – Leadership for Every Child

At Ashtree, we believe that every child should experience the responsibility and pride that come with leadership. This is why every child in every class has a leadership role within their classroom.

We want leadership to be an everyday part of school life rather than something experienced only by pupils who hold a formal position. By giving every child a meaningful responsibility, we ensure that all pupils have opportunities to develop independence, contribute to their class community and recognise the value they bring to others.

Classroom leadership responsibilities may include:

Learning leaders: Explaining the learning taking place in the classroom to visitors, sharing what they have discovered and articulating how their knowledge and skills are developing.
Resource leaders: Ensuring books, stationery and learning equipment are organised, ready and available when needed.
Classroom organisation leaders: Supporting the smooth running of classroom routines and helping to maintain an orderly, welcoming learning environment.
Welcome leaders: Helping new pupils settle into school, showing them around, explaining routines and making sure they feel included.
Reading leaders: Supporting classroom reading routines, helping to organise books and encouraging a positive reading culture.
Technology leaders: Supporting appropriate classroom routines for using digital equipment and learning resources.
Values leaders: Looking for opportunities to demonstrate Courage, Care and Curiosity, celebrating positive examples and encouraging others to do the same.
Communication leaders: Helping share important classroom information and supporting agreed routines so that everyone understands what they need to do.

Responsibilities are adapted to the age, stage and needs of each class. For our youngest children, leadership might involve helping to tidy resources, welcoming a friend or distributing books. As children grow, responsibilities can become more complex, requiring greater independence, initiative, communication and problem-solving.

We want every child to understand that their contribution matters. By giving all pupils opportunities to take responsibility, we help develop confidence, independence and a strong sense of belonging. We also ensure that leadership is inclusive, with opportunities for children who may be quieter or less confident to develop their skills and demonstrate their strengths.

Our classroom leaders help create environments where children take pride in their learning, support one another and understand that a successful classroom is a shared responsibility.

Developing the leaders of tomorrow, today

Our approach to pupil leadership is about far more than allocating roles. It is about deliberately developing the knowledge, skills, attitudes and character that enable children to make a positive contribution to their communities, both now and in the future.

Across all our leadership opportunities, we encourage children to:

Show Courage by speaking up, trying something new, taking responsibility and standing up for what is right.
Show Care by listening to others, including everyone, offering support and treating people with kindness and respect.
Show Curiosity by asking questions, seeking feedback, exploring solutions and looking for ways to improve.

We want pupils to understand that leadership involves listening as much as speaking, serving others as much as representing them, and accepting responsibility as well as celebrating success.

Our staff support children to develop these skills through guidance, modelling, reflection and opportunities to learn from experience. We recognise that leadership is a journey: children will not always get everything right first time, but they should be encouraged to reflect, learn and grow.

We also want our pupils to see that leadership can make a tangible difference. Whether a School Council representative helps bring about an improvement, a Play Leader helps a younger child feel included, a House Captain inspires their team or a classroom leader helps a new pupil settle in, these small actions contribute to a stronger school community.

Our ambition: every child has the opportunity to make a difference

At Ashtree Primary Academy, pupil leadership is central to the culture we are building. We want our children to feel heard, valued and trusted with age-appropriate responsibility. We want them to know that they can influence their environment, contribute to decisions and make a difference through their actions.

We are committed to ensuring that leadership opportunities are meaningful, inclusive and connected to the everyday life of our school. We want our pupils to develop confidence without arrogance, responsibility without entitlement and ambition alongside compassion.

Ultimately, we want every child to leave Ashtree knowing that they have a voice, that they have something valuable to contribute and that they have the power to make a positive difference.

At Ashtree, we are courageous, we care for everyone and we are curious to learn. We are not just preparing children to become leaders in the future; we are giving them opportunities to lead today.