Student leadership

At Dixons Ashton Academy, the opportunities that we provide for students to engage in leadership roles across the academy and throughout their academy life are key to the personal development of our students. With support and encouragement, every young person has the potential to become a leader in some area of their life.

Involvement in leadership activities can improve students’ learning as well as helping them to develop the skills and traits needed for success outside of the classroom. We believe that young people who are supported in harnessing their leadership skills are likely to gain a better understanding of themselves, a higher level of confidence, and an increased capacity to manage and organise their own lives. They are also likely to develop processes and skills useful in their learning and develop a more profound sense of maturity.

Our student leadership model aims to be inclusive to ensure that all students have an opportunity to lead. Our expectation is that every student will take up at least one position of leadership at Dixons Ashton Academy. We believe that through leadership roles, each student will develop the character values and virtues that will allow them to flourish, achieve their potential, and go on to live a happy and successful life.

We have three pathways for student leadership:

• Key Stage 3 champions

• Key Stage 4 ambassadors               

• Academy student council

Our student leadership champion and ambassador opportunities sit within a wide range of four broad themes:

• Wellbeing

• Language for learning

• Community and environment

• Curriculum

All leadership opportunities will be advertised and student appointments made via an application and interview process. Examples of the types of champion and ambassador roles available to students in an academic year:

Wellbeing

• Inclusion ambassadors

• Hero ambassadors

• SSNAP ambassadors

• Upstanders

• Rainbow ambassadors

Language for learning

• Librarian champions and ambassadors

• EAL ambassadors

• Reading / literacy ambassadors

• Lead learners

Community and environment

• Eco champions and ambassadors

• Faith ambassadors

• Sports captains

• Duke of Edinburgh

• Charity ambassadors

• Digital champions and ambassadors

• Club ambassadors

• Enterprise champions

Curriculum

• Sports leaders

• Maths champions and ambassadors

• STEM champions

• Subject ambassadors

Our student council approach:

Our Year 11 student leadership team

• Two head students

• Two deputy head students

• Ten plus student leaders

• Student leaders linked to a key school area

• All positions are obtained via application and interview

• Led by head of year

Student senate

• Led by key stage directors

• Two students elected from each year group's council

• Two head and two deputy head students

• Meets every half-term

• Lead on whole school environment projects

Year 7 - Year 10 student councils

• Led by head of year

• 20 representatives (two per form group) voted for by peers

• Meets every half-term

Our student councils focus on these key academy areas:

• Events and fundraising 

• Equality and diversity

• Community and environment

• Anti-bullying

• Language for learning

Having held a student leadership position is incredibly useful when applying for further education and jobs. However, we do not want experience as a student leader to merely be on a piece of paper. Our Year 11 student leaders undergo a training workshop led by SSAT. They are taught how to lead other people, how to deal with difficult situations, what qualities a leader should have and how to run meetings.