Student Leadership
“We need to educate young women whose lives will make a difference to the world around them and to discover their own personal purpose in life”. Mother Janet Erskine Stuart
Why Have an Extensive Student Leadership Structure?
Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat considered the service of education as the primary means by which the Society would carry on its mission of communicating the love of the Heart of Jesus. For her, education was never the end. The end was to make God’s love known and to rebuild the fractured world in hope; the means was forming young people to intelligent faith, compassionate action and courageous hope.
The young women who are part of this school, are also part of our nurturing community that recognises all young people have their individual purpose in life. Their time here at Sacred Heart, Hammersmith is the start of their discovery of their own purpose; their part of the continuing history of women on this historic site; and through participating in the leadership of the school, we are helping them to realise the potential they have within to contribute to our ever-changing world.
Pope Pius IX said that “It is a fundamental principle of social philosophy, fixed and unchangeable, that one should not withdraw from individuals and commit to the community what they can accomplish by their own enterprise and industry.”
Our approach to student leadership responds to this. At the heart of a stable and ordered school community, we foster personal responsibility that naturally accompanies individual freedom and encourage individual desires and the common good of our school community to co-exist in fruitful harmony. This principle underpins one of our Sacred Heart Goals of Education: ‘personal growth in an atmosphere of wise freedom.’
Organisation
Each student leadership strand relates to a specific Sacred Heart Goal and is led by a member of staff and sixth form leaders who promote leadership roles to the student body via assemblies, tutor groups and Google Classroom to yield membership. Student leaders are commissioned in the chapel and annointed for mission.
Student leaders meet with a Deputy Headteacher twice a term and write a summary of achievements which will contribute to a termly report for parents and governors.
Goals and Linked Student Leadership Roles
All student leadership roles relate to one of the five goals of Sacred Heart Education. The goals are listed below, with their linked leadership roles. Please use the menu tab to read more about each of these roles and see the work in action.
Valuing an Active Faith: Kairos Team.
Valuing Intellect: High Performance Learning Ambassadors; Subject Ambassadors, West London Partnership Student Council.
Building Community: Senior Prefects, Big Sister Programme, Outreach Champions.
Personal Growth: Mental Health & Wellbeing Ambassadors, Form Reader, Form Captains, House Captains, Sports Leaders.
Social Awareness that Impels to Action: Diversity & Inclusion leaders, Student Council Leaders, Sustainability Leaders, Debating Ambassadors.