We passionately believe that the young people sitting in our classrooms right now will be the women walking tall through the corridors of power tomorrow. To facilitate this process, we offer outstanding leadership opportunities in the Sixth Form – but we also make sure that girls don’t have to wait until they’re in Sixth Form before they start gaining leadership experience.
Leadership opportunities exist across the whole spectrum of school life. There are specific elected roles within tutor groups, including Form Leader, Charity Rep, School Council, Green, PSHCE and IT Reps. We also offer students the chance to become Sports Leaders, which enables them to coach and mentor younger players. Our Music scholars take the lead in organising concerts and leading ensembles. Students lead on many aspects of Drama productions in school whether that’s directing, performing, back stage, with wardrobe or in lighting and sound. As part of the Sixth Form Perspectives programme, students work with younger pupils in local partnership primary schools as Book Buddies, Maths Mentors and STEM leaders, and our school magazine is led by our Sixth Form editorial team.
Most importantly, Oxford High School is the place where students take an active role in leading their school. The Prefects lead the school council and champion improvements and new initiatives: most recently a school orchard and surveys about food and transport. House Leaders help organise hotly contested competitions throughout the year. Assemblies, clubs and charity fundraising are all areas where students lead from the front. In fact, if a student has a good idea and steps up, the staff and older students offer support. Examples have included Year 7 students organising a Comic Book Club during lockdown; Eco Club working with staff on green projects and a series of informative assemblies; Year 11 Current Affairs club; Sixth Form Prefects organising a virtual charity quiz; and Year 13 students arranging a PSHCE speaker for the whole school for Pride month, as well as leading on a very impressive virtual conference series with international speakers and over 500 participants at most events. And we could go on! We encourage all students to contribute to their school community and lead with confidence.
