What made you want to become a pastoral prefect?

Kai: I liked the sound of the ‘pastoral prefect’ role rather than being on the ‘school prefect’ team because it gives you the opportunity to help others. I knew it would lead to more training, so if people came to me asking for help, I would be able to support them. I also thought I’d learn skills which would be useful in life.

Laiba: I joined BGS in Year 9 and I was really shy. It took a while to make friends and settle in. It was a difficult time. One thing that really helped was Mrs Wilde introducing me to a Year 12 who had come to BGS from London. She spoke to me about how difficult it was for her to move. I really liked that idea of having other people in a similar situation to talk to. Being a pastoral prefect means I can help younger students in the same way.

What was the application process like?

Kai: We had to write a short piece on why we wanted to be a pastoral prefect. I was really happy when I was selected.

Laiba: We had to apply for the role of prefect and then all the teachers and students voted for the applicants they thought would be good. I was shocked and delighted when I found I was going to be one.

What training did you undertake?

Kai: We did a Mental Health First Aid course at the start of the year which talked about the importance of listening, gave training on how to give advice and how best to help someone who’s having a problem, such as by signposting them to the right support.

Laiba: It was really good because it taught you how to deal with specific situations and how to act without making someone feel nervous so they would be comfortable to speak. Jo, the School Counsellor, also did some training with us to give us confidence about mentoring younger students.

What does your role involve and what do you enjoy about it?

Kai: We have meetings every other Friday to plan what we will be doing with the younger year groups and discuss assemblies and activities. We can also meet with the counsellor whenever we need to so, if we have any problems or anyone who needs referring, we can ask her for advice. At lunchtimes we run a regular boardgames club and invite students to come along. It’s a far better way for kids to come and talk to us, especially if they’re shy. It brings them out of their shell. The games club is also fun for us!

Laiba: I love games club too – everyone does! It’s the same people who come most days and we encourage pupils who might not find it easy to socialise at lunchtime to come along and join in too. We also lead assemblies as part of our role and are delivering these to the whole school in each of the Wellbeing Weeks this year. I’m a Year 8 prefect and I’ll be taking an active role in speaking about wellbeing in Year 8 assemblies, covering topics such as healthy eating and the importance of students looking after themselves.  We also help with things like Anti-Bullying Week and Safer Internet Week.

What kind of issues do students need to talk about?

Kai: Bullying – online or in real life – advice about exams and life post lockdown are common things.

Laiba: For many of them it’s friendship issues or loneliness, they may not have a lot of friends and be a bit shy. We can offer a listening ear for that and encourage them to meet new people through the games club.

What are the benefits of having pastoral prefects?

Kai: It’s nice for students to be able to talk to someone who’s close to their own age. Everyone is studying different subjects so they’re there to give advice on what they’re good at. I think it’s easier to come to a Sixth Former and have a chat rather than speak to a teacher sometimes.

Laiba: When you speak to a teacher it feels more official and much more formal. It’s a lot less pressure to be able to speak to a peer, particularly if they’ve gone through similar things. We have a good variety of people and we’ve all got different interests which is good. We all work together well.