Leadership and Opportunities

Leadership at Hockerill is about much more than holding a title. It is about taking responsibility, contributing to the community around you and developing the confidence to make things happen. 

As the most senior students in the College, Sixth Formers have many opportunities to demonstrate and develop these skills. Some choose to take on formal positions of responsibility; others lead through sport, music, clubs and societies, support younger students or help organise activities and events. 

You do not need to arrive in Sixth Form as a confident or experienced leader. These opportunities are also about developing potential: learning to communicate effectively, work with others, organise yourself, solve problems, take initiative and become someone on whom others can rely. 

Becoming a Prefect 

All Sixth Form students have the opportunity to apply to become a College Prefect. 

Prefects hold a recognised position of responsibility across Hockerill and are expected to be positive role models for other students. We look for students who are reliable, organised and good communicators; who contribute positively to College life; who demonstrate sound judgement; and who are managing their own academic responsibilities effectively. 

Applications take place during the Lent Term, with successful students serving for one year across the Summer, Michaelmas and following Lent Terms. 

Being a Prefect provides the opportunity to make a genuine contribution to the effective running of the College. Prefects undertake responsibilities across school life, support staff and students, represent Hockerill and help ensure that important events and activities run successfully. 

It is both a position of responsibility and an opportunity to develop leadership through experience. 

Senior Prefect Leadership Team 

From our College Prefects, a smaller group of students is selected to form the Senior  

Prefect Leadership Team. Students apply for these positions through a rigorous selection process involving senior members of staff and contributions from students. We look for those who demonstrate particularly high levels of responsibility, organisation, communication, initiative and commitment to the College community. 

Senior Prefects take on significant responsibilities within Hockerill. These can include coordinating the wider Prefect team and duty rotas, representing the College at important events such as Open Mornings and helping to organise major Sixth Form social events, including the Winter Ball and Year 13 Prom. 

They also have opportunities to contribute to wider College leadership. Senior Prefects may chair College Council, participate in panels when the College recruits new members of staff and represent the student body in discussions and events involving staff, parents, prospective families and visitors. 

These are genuine responsibilities. They give students experience of representing others, organising people and events, communicating with different audiences and contributing to decisions that affect the wider College. 

Leading our Equipes 

Sixth Form students also play a central role in Hockerill's Equipe system. 

Each Equipe has student Heads and Deputy Heads of Equipe, who help create a strong sense of identity, participation and belonging across different year groups. 

They lead assemblies, organise events and competitions, encourage students to participate and help bring together younger and older members of their Equipe. Whether supporting an inter-Equipe competition, celebrating achievement or encouraging others to become involved, they have an important role in building community across the College. 

These positions provide another opportunity for Sixth Formers to develop leadership while working directly with students of different ages. 

Lead through what you enjoy 

Not all leadership needs a badge or formal title. 

Sport, music, drama, the Combined Cadet Force, Duke of Edinburgh's Award, Model United Nations and the many other activities at Hockerill all provide opportunities for students to take greater responsibility. 

You might captain a sports team, lead an ensemble, help run a rehearsal, organise an event, support an activity for younger students or take responsibility for an aspect of a club or society. 

Sixth Formers can also establish and lead their own student-run clubs and societies. If there is an interest or activity that does not currently exist, we encourage students to bring forward their ideas and, with appropriate staff support, create it themselves. 

Leadership often starts simply by being prepared to get involved. 

Supporting younger students 

Being one of the most senior students at Hockerill also provides opportunities to help others. 

Sixth Formers can support clubs and activities involving younger students, assist staff with their organisation and increasingly take responsibility for leading elements themselves. 

Students may also contribute more directly to the academic development of younger students through opportunities such as paired reading and academic support. Sharing knowledge, encouraging someone who is struggling or simply being a reliable older student to whom a younger student can relate can make an important difference. 

These experiences develop patience, empathy and communication as much as they develop leadership. 

Making things happen 

There are also many opportunities to contribute to the practical organisation and successful running of College life. 

Sixth Form students can help with events, activities, performances, competitions, Open Mornings and other occasions when organisation, teamwork and reliability matter. Sometimes leadership means taking centre stage; at other times it means noticing what needs to be done and helping to make sure it happens. 

We value both. 

Developing your leadership 

We recognise that students enter Sixth Form with very different levels of confidence and experience. 

Some will already have held significant positions of responsibility. Others may never previously have considered themselves leaders. Hockerill provides opportunities for both. 

Leadership develops through practice. Taking responsibility for something small can lead to something bigger. Helping with a club might eventually mean running one. Supporting an event might lead to organising one. Participating in an Equipe might lead to becoming its Head. A student who would never initially have considered applying to become a Prefect may develop the confidence and experience to do so. 

What matters is a willingness to contribute, take responsibility and develop. 

These experiences also have value well beyond Hockerill. Universities, apprenticeships and employers are interested not only in what students have studied, but in the experiences and skills they have developed alongside their qualifications. Leadership opportunities help students learn to communicate, organise, collaborate, solve problems, manage responsibility and work with people of different ages and backgrounds. 

By the time students leave Hockerill, we want them to have had opportunities not simply to demonstrate leadership, but to become better leaders. 

Leadership in Boarding 

For students who board, residential life provides further opportunities to take responsibility and contribute to the community in which they live. 

Sixth Form students can be appointed as Head and Deputy Head of Roding House, our girls' boarding house, and Head and Deputy Head of Thames House, our boys' boarding house. These are important positions of responsibility within the boarding community. 

House student leaders work closely with their Head of House and boarding staff, helping to support the effective running of the House and contributing to a positive, welcoming and inclusive environment for students across different year groups. They act as role models for younger boarders, represent student views and help strengthen the sense of community within the House. 

They also represent boarding to the wider Hockerill community. This can include welcoming prospective students and their families, leading tours of the boarding houses and talking openly about their experience of living and studying at Hockerill. 

Leadership opportunities extend beyond the Head and Deputy Head roles. Boarding Sports Captains help organise sporting activities, fixtures and competitions for boarders, encouraging participation and bringing students together beyond the academic day. 

Living together creates particular opportunities for leadership. Students learn to consider the needs of others, communicate with people of different ages and backgrounds, help build a strong community and take responsibility for an environment that is also their home. These are valuable experiences in their own right and another way in which boarding can help students develop confidence, maturity and independence.