Leadership is an integral part of Sixth Form life at King’s. Sixth Formers are given considerable opportunities to act as leaders and mentors in a variety of areas.
At King’s, leadership takes many forms. It can be the moment when a pupil offers a helping hand to someone who has fallen in the playground. It can be the time when a team captain encourages her players to dig deep and score the winning goal. It can be deciding to go in the other direction on a Duke of Edinburgh expedition, as the rain beats against you.
One of our greatest strengths as a school is the variety of activities on offer in addition to our core academic provision. Our bustling programme of trips and activities is specifically designed to enhance the learning experience and provide opportunities for us to guide each pupil in how to lead effectively, whilst giving them the space to discover their own leadership style.
Throughout their school career, pupils can take on leadership roles in their house, or as a sports or an activity captain as part of our co-curricular programme. All these opportunities help them to develop the confidence to apply for one of the prestigious leadership roles that become available as they complete their final year with King’s in Upper Sixth.
Our Upper Sixth leaders benefit from formal training to develop key skills in leadership, including communication, planning, motivation and compassion.
School Monitors
These students are responsible for upholding the rules and expectations of our school, Monitors are chosen through an interview process, an advisory vote, and after conversations with staff and members of the Houses. Through their ability to engage with pupils about the issues they face our Monitors have been the catalyst for change in several areas of the School.
Meet the 2022 – 2023 School Monitors.
Heads of House
Each year we appoint Heads and Deputy Heads of House to support House Tutors with the effective running of their House and the mentoring of younger pupils. As well as running activities during House time, they sit on the School Council, attend various meetings with their peers, and support House Staff in promoting the ethos of their House.
Meet the 2022 – 2023 Heads of House
Heads of School
Each year we appoint two Heads of School from our body of Monitors. As well as leading our team of Monitors, they represent the school at formal events and make a number of key speeches throughout the academic year, including at our open days and events.
Meet the 2021-2022 Heads of School
From Heads of School, to School Captains, School Monitors to Peer Mentors, there are opportunities a plenty for students to represent the School, support younger pupils and be the catalyst for change across the Foundation.
Student Leadership Spotlights
Luke Beever
Luke Beever (U6S) is one of our two Senior Scholars. He combines this academic leadership role with success on the sporting front and undoubtedly has an exciting future ahead. He writes:
“Receiving university offers is an exciting time for all the Upper Sixth and provides a real reward for all the hard work put in over the course of several years. For me, holding a number of offers is both a relief and a motivation.
Whilst being one of the Senior Scholars is a big responsibility, it allows me an unparalleled view into the academic life of many other year groups and insight into their successes.
Hearing the Lower Sixth talk about universities and knowing that I can offer mature and sensible advice is an important responsibility for the Senior Scholar. In addition, seeing the younger years gain experience and competence is truly remarkable. I feel secure in the knowledge that I will be leaving the school to those year groups in safe hands.
I had the privilege of being appointed a Monitor alongside my position as Senior Scholar. Writing and delivering a Monitor’s Address was an unforgettable experience and something I am honoured to have done.
Similarly, it is a privilege to represent the school on both the river and the playing fields and these experiences will provide fond memories of my time at King’s.
Being a student leader has been challenging but I would like to think that I have offered help and support and brought something new at every opportunity. My experience of the Sixth Form has been amazing, from beginning to end, and I cannot wait to go out into the world with all the wonderful support, knowledge and guidance from my school career behind me.
Charlotte Morgan
Charlotte Morgan (U6Ca), joint Head of School and Hockey Co-Captain, has made a fantastic start in her leadership roles. She writes:
I am grateful to be given the opportunity to be joint Head of School with Josh. What I love about the role is the ability to make a positive impact on the school that I have gone to for over 15 years. I feel I can make a real difference by speaking to pupils and staff around the school, hearing their thoughts and feeding that back to senior members of staff.
Josh (joint Head of School) and I are also involved with organising school events and the monitors; this gives us an opportunity for leadership and teamwork, which are important skills for me to learn as an aspiring medic.
I want to make the school the best possible place it can be for all the pupils, so that they feel comfortable, supported and happy throughout their time at King’s.
This role has also improved my public speaking and leadership skills, which will benefit me in later life. I find this to be an extremely rewarding job, where I can make a real impact within the school community.
I’ve really enjoyed being hockey co-captain with Jess W. It has taught me valuable life skills, such as decision making and communication, and has also been really rewarding to be able to give support to younger pupils.
Throughout Sixth Form I have been working towards my medical application, which has been hard work. When I received my offer for Cambridge, I was so happy to see my determination had paid off. As part of the leadership team in school I hope I can pass on all the knowledge and tips I have gained through these experiences to help younger years have an insight into a similar path.
Rhys Watkins
Rhys Watkins is a fantastically motivated and proactive student in the U6. He holds a number of roles of responsibility. He writes:
“In the past year, while I have worked on my university application for engineering, I have had the opportunity to reflect on how my leadership roles within the school are important to me.
“The role of Contingent SNCO in the Combined Cadet Force has presented me with many challenges and has allowed me to develop my leadership skills considerably. As it is a role I share with Jamie W, it has helped me to develop my ability to work in a team. This is particularly important as I must work with the other NCOs to coordinate training for the cadets. It has also provided me with unforgettable experiences such as flying, gliding and competing at national level competitions.
“Leadership is extremely important in the CCF as it is important to keep moral high while enacting change to improve life as a cadet. What I love about the role is that it allows me to work with the younger cadets to make sure that they have as great an experience in the CCF as I have had.
“Likewise, it was a great privilege to be appointed as a Monitor. This role gives me the opportunity to make a real change to school life and also develop my public speaking and leadership skills. Writing and delivering my Monitor’s address was a fantastic opportunity and an unforgettable experience that I will likely never have again.
“I am extremely grateful for these opportunities as they have provided me with leadership skills that will help me at university and in later life as an engineer.”
Henry Halford
Last term saw the return of the Senior Production, performing We Will Rock You, with a leading role for Henry H. It was a tremendous production with a fantastic performance from Henry.
Leading cast member and Lower Sixth pupil, Henry, commented on this opportunity and how he put his all into the principal role of the sold-out Senior Production,
“Being put into a leadership role was a big challenge, having previously never done a production at school, but I really enjoyed the opportunity to take it on.
“Being in the school production this year was a huge privilege, especially since we’ve not had live theatre for almost two years. All the cast, crew and band worked so hard to get the show up and running and we hope that everyone who came along enjoyed it! Being a principal role was challenging and a huge responsibility but all of the cast and teachers were so supportive, making it an amazing experience right from the start. It could not have happened without everyone working together and playing their individual part and we were so thrilled that we were able to put on such a fantastic production!
“As one of the principal roles as Galileo Figaro, it was my job to know my part thoroughly and help others to get the most out of their roles. I would love to say that I instinctively knew how to direct my peers and how to lead the production, but I definitely did not. Having amazing actors like Amelia D and Zoe S to teach me how both to play my role well and guide others really helped in boosting my confidence. I started to be able to direct others and develop my own character that I was portraying.
“As well as this, we all worked well as a cast to help people if they had forgotten a line, or a stage direction, and would improvise if something went wrong. The feeling of leading a musical of such a high standard was incredible and made me feel very proud of what we had all achieved as a cast.
“Overall, it was an unforgettable first production for me at King’s and I can’t wait to take part in it next year, whatever it may be!
Sophie Lloyd
“There is a well-known African proverb, ‘It takes a village to raise a child’. Never has a statement been more apt than this for my education at King’s.
My academic teachers, the many staff who have enriched my experience, my family, other pupils and the music staff at Worcester Cathedral have all played their part in raising me to where I am today.
“I am a Forces child, which meant I moved schools every two years before starting at King’s. So, from the start of the Fourth Form, I followed the example that older pupils set, and threw myself into every opportunity that came my way. I am part of a large team whose common purpose is the future success of The King’s School, Worcester and its pupils. I’m friendly, extrovert and inclusive towards younger pupils, particularly within the leadership team of Chappel House, and I remain in touch with many OVs who share my interests.
“As a Cadet Senior Non-Commissioned Officer (SNCO), I have enjoyed being in charge of CCF recruits, motivating them to get involved, listen, learn and have fun. When I leave King’s, I hope to leave a legacy of strong support for the RAF section and the Contingent as a whole. We have competed in National competitions; we have flown, been gliding and enjoyed many trips away.
“Being chosen as Head Girl Chorister at Worcester Cathedral and gaining my ARSM Singing Diploma are my proudest achievements. I hope that I have passed on my love of choral music to the younger girl choristers as they develop musical confidence and teamwork and I know that they will continue to have fun supporting the Three Choirs Festival and services in Worcester Cathedral.
“I have great admiration for my super-talented peers who make beautiful music in our wonderful school setting, and they have tolerated my contributions on the French Horn with patient humour as I occasionally play the correct notes in the right order. The Cleobury concerts are simply stunning to attend and Nicholas Cleobury’s wise words of advice pushed me out of my comfort zone to sing solo performances without my music. I have loved bringing my friends to perform at the Open Mic Nights. Our School Music Tour to Malta was a triumph, with us performing on National TV, but the sublime sound of our Chamber Choir recording of Schedrik in support of the Ukrainian Refugee crisis gained thousands of views online and it was an honour to lead this important piece.
“I have recently received five offers to study for a Master’s Degree in Pharmacy. The many and varied opportunities for leadership in school have helped me make confident and considered decisions and present myself well at the interviews. I am looking forward to caring for people, helping them to improve their lives and being part of the developing role of pharmacy in society. I am hopefully going to Cardiff University, and I have an audition for the BBC Chorus and also for the National Youth Choir, so singing will always be part of my life.
“So, house competitions, theatre roles as carnivorous plants, roller-skating aliens and bearded men, the sports-day shot-put and relay entries, cake-sale baking, quizzes, foreign exchanges and drama productions were all hugely valuable experiences, and not in vain even when I wasn’t successful. To my younger peers I would say, embrace the opportunities, have a go; it might be fun, and you’ll gain long-lasting friendships and memories. How would I have found success and my passion without all of the confidence and opportunities that the King’s community has given me?”
Bobby Riddell
Lower Sixth student Bobby Riddell has recently been appointed as a School Monitor for 2022 – 2023. Bobby is a well-rounded student, and plays a key role in the Charity Committee. Ahead of this year’s Fort Royal Garden Party, he writes:
Being a part of the Charity Committee this year has been a fantastic learning opportunity for me, as well as being greatly enjoyable. It has helped to cultivate organisational and logistical skills, and provided leadership opportunities for all involved.
A wide variety of events, ranging from the more creative Valentine’s day deliveries to the huge team organisational efforts of Ukraine day and the Senior Citizens’ present collection, allowed everyone to excel and be challenged according to their individual strengths, whilst giving back to the community as best we can.
The unfailing drive and commitment of Mrs Yates, Mrs Fellows and Mrs Walmsley to charity creates an environment in which everyone on the Committee’s ideas are listened to and incorporated, and I have loved getting involved as much as possible.
The highlight of this year for me was the planning of Ukraine Day, in which the committee split into groups and each took charge of one aspect of the event. This meant that everyone stepped up and took responsibility for their roles to help put together a fantastic event in support of the Ukraine crisis.
Another key event in the Calendar is the annual Fort Royal summer party, where the whole Lower Sixth are involved in organising a fun and inclusive day for the children at a local primary special school. This is especially important as it embodies the Committee’s ethos of helping the local community, and the members of the team have done a brilliant job in coordinating the efforts of their respective House groups to create what will hopefully be a lovely and memorable day for the children at Fort Royal.
Overall, being a member of the Charity Committee has been a great experience for me and I look forward to contributing to many more events in the future.