Our new Heads of School, Amelia and Luke, set out their key values for how the Prefect team will work this year...

As Heads of School, alongside the Prefect team, we have decided on some key values which will be the cornerstone of how the Prefect team will work this year.

Our first step has been integrating the Third Form into the School, by helping them understand the values that are so important to our school community. These include kindness, participation, respect and community. Firstly, kindness, while it can often be overlooked, is extremely important for a small school such as King’s in establishing an inclusive environment. Working with the Equalities and Mental Health Committee helps us gain a perspective on the issues governing the School, and how to tackle these. As a Prefect team, we will be discussing bullying, mental health, racism and sexual harassment, and how we can have a more proactive stance in combating these issues, starting with a Black History Month assembly next week. While it is difficult to collate every view in the School, over the year we will continue to listen and work for the pupils of the School to make them feel safe, secure and content within their education and boarding environment.

This extends to our second value which is participation. Through promoting this value in the Prefect team, we hope to create a school environment where pupils feel they can excel in extra-curricular sport, drama and music. It is also important for pupils to push themselves out of their comfort zones, and the value of participation will mean championing the discovery of new activities which challenge pupils, such as being in the CCF. We believe that through the key values, as decided on by the Prefect body, we will be able to take decisive action, acting with modesty and integrity, for the best team outputs.

Our third value coincides with the second, being community, as we strive to keep the lively community spirit in King's. Although King's Bruton is a small school, it creates an atmosphere around the campus between pupils and teachers which we believe to be a key aspect of life at King's. This is upheld by the Houses being a focus of the School environment, as pupils get to know a variety of other pupils of all ages throughout the Houses. Furthermore, the competitive nature of inter-house competitions, spanning from sports to chess and debating, makes for a fun and exciting edge to the year. Although this is a structural way of keeping the community feel, we feel like there are things we can do to uphold it, and throughout the year we will encourage the younger years to feel the same way about the School environment.

Lastly we have respect. Which although is closely linked to kindness, we believe respect should be a separate core value that all pupils should coincide with. That being respect to the staff and pupils who we learn from and work with on a daily basis. As a Prefect team, we work for the pupil body at King's and respect every persons views and thoughts which can be addressed. We plan to work with the Junior Council, to promote the ‘pupil voice’ of the junior years and hear their views on the School. We want to show respect on a daily basis and strive to demonstrate it through actions and the way we carry ourselves around school. We know we can’t teach respect to others, but we know that setting a precedent will lead others to acting in the same respectful way.

It has been a privilege for us, in these first few weeks of school, to be given this position of responsibility, and we will strive to continue offering our services to the pupils and staff of King’s over the year.

Amelia (Wellesley House) and Luke (New House) - Heads of School