Student Leadership

Students reading Macbeth stood in front of their class

We define Student Leadership as follows:

A student leader is typically an aspirational, example-setting, motivated student who seeks to serve in a leadership position in our school community to improve our community for the benefit of other members of our community’.

Our Student Leadership focus has three main objectives:

  1. To encourage students from across Wilmington Academy to seek additional responsibility, and to lead student participation across the school community;
  2. To develop leadership skills within successful student candidates, including the award of an externally accredited qualification;
  3. To ensure that all students are engaged in the student leadership process with student leaders visible and accountable.

Key Stage Three & Key Stage Four (overseen by Mr Leitch)

There are ten Student Leader positions across both of our colleges – Apollo and Minerva – across KS3 & KS4. In order for students to secure the positions, they are required to formally apply on a Student Leader application form. The applications are then sifted by P16 Student Leaders, with some candidates going through an interview process if necessary.

Key Stage Five (overseen by Ms Whitcombe)

Post 16 students are also required to apply for Student Leadership roles, as well as our Head Boy and Head Girl positions.

Whilst KS5 Students have their own meetings and responsibilities, they are also connected to the KS3 & 4 students and lead some initiatives with the younger students as part of their own leadership roles.


Student Leadership Accreditation (SLA)

The Student Leadership Accreditation (SLA) is offered by SSAT, as part of Wilmington Academy’s on going membership of the group.

The SLA was developed by students, for students, in partnership with teachers, HE and FE institutions, and employers. Together they identified ten key skills that young people need to be successful leaders, and grouped   into three core themes: developing myself, contributing to my community, and working with others. These skills and themes are grouped into a self-assessment framework, which can be adapted to reflect the schools’ context and ethos. Students assess themselves against this framework and then actively seek opportunities to advance themselves and gather evidence to showcase their new skills in a portfolio. Students can work towards the SLA at three levels: bronze, silver, and gold. Unlike other awards, the SLA is moderated by students’ peers as well as by SSAT, ensuring the process both reinforces and rewards meaningful student leadership.

The SLA was developed ‘by students, for students’, and it is this focus on the individual that makes the award so popular across SSAT schools. As well as the prestige of accreditation, the process that students go through in becoming accredited is of great benefit. This process encourages students to:

  • Critically self-reflect on their own skills as leaders;
  • Work collaboratively to plan how they will meet the criteria and evidence it;
  • Organise and structure their evidence;
  • Peer assess others’ work against criteria;
  • Aspire to take on increasingly challenging leadership responsibilities.