Student Voice

At Horndean Technology College we pride ourselves on giving our students the opportunities to voice their opinions, views and beliefs within a respectful environment. Our Student Voice, overseen by Miss Landre our Equal Opportunities Co-Ordinator, ensures our students can pursue a particular area of interest or contribute to a wide range of roles, having a real impact on our whole College.

Our Student Voice is very closely linked to our rights respecting approach to education with the principles of a rights respecting College being at the heart of our Student Voice. This quote from our OFSTED report sums up why our students make HTC ‘the place to be’.

“Pupils are proud of their school and appreciate all that it offers them. They wear their uniform smartly, talk enthusiastically about their learning, and treat each other and members of staff with respect. Pupils are keen to do well and are proud when their individual contributions are rewarded. This is an inclusive school community where difference and diversity are celebrated and embraced. As one pupil explained, ‘everyone gets accepted for who they are.’”

An overview of our Student Voice structure is below, which includes a list of their roles. We are proud of creating a provision which is accessible by all our students and we encourage all students to broaden their own views and beliefs by contributing to Student Voice at HTC. We strongly believe these roles develop our students’ confidence and resilience as well as providing them with essential lifelong skills.

College Council

Tutor Captains

Prefects

Peer Mentors

Tour Guides

Student Leadership Team (Progress and Outcomes, Safeguarding, Behaviour, Personal Development, Curriculum)

Equality and Rights Advocates

Health and Safety Representatives

Charity Committee

Eco Group

| The Prefects

Our Prefect system starts each year when students are in Year 10. Students receive an assembly, led by Miss Landre as our Equal Opportunities Co-ordinator and current Prefects, which introduces them to the role and the associated duties of this high profile position. Any student who is interested in pursuing this role will be required to apply initially in writing and further attend an interview. The student’s attendance, punctuality and attitude to learning will also be taken into consideration.

Prefects are then offered the opportunity to apply for Head Girl and Head Boy positions during the Summer Term of Year 10.

| Tutor Captains

Each Tutor Group will have 2 representatives who may assist with the daily running of their Tutor Group, supporting their Tutor in their role but also attending College Council meetings, sharing and representing the voice of their peers and in turn disseminating the views of others in designated Tutor sessions and/or assemblies. An example of some of the responsibilities of our Tutor Captains are below:

Tutor Captains will represent their Tutor Group.

Tutor Captains will lead by example following our ready, respectful, safe core principles.

Tutor Captains will present any issues or concerns raised by their peers to their Tutor, Year Leader and Equal Opportunities Co-ordinator (as well as through meetings, such as College Council.

| Eco Club

At Horndean Technology College we think it is important to look after our College environment to ensure that we have good facilities for staff, students and other users to utilise. We recognise that our responsibility towards the environment extends beyond our College grounds and we aim to minimise our environmental impact on both a local and global level.

Students are actively involved in this ongoing process. We have an Eco club which meets once a week to discuss issues and implement measures and action plans to raise awareness of environmental issues and to reduce our impact on the environment.  This club is open to students from all years and we have an enthusiastic and dedicated group of students who attend this club regularly.

Eco Club would love to see the end of polystyrene and single use plastics throughout the College. We have joined and support ‘Surfers Against Sewage’.  This term we have collected a lot of recycling and sent off thousands of items which would have gone to landfill.  Eco Club litter pick to help keep the grounds looking good.  We have also been asked to join a project to design and build a nature garden for Dimension Childcare, this will be a big project which will take quite a lot of our Eco Club time this year.

| Student Multi-Media Technicians

The SMMTs help run the technical aspects of assemblies, operating sound, lights and projection in Barton Hall, the Old Hall and the Gym. The position is available to students at KS4 with students being trained to use the professional sound and lighting desks as well as setting up microphones. Some of these students also go on to learn how to use the portable PA and the recording studio in ‘The Live Room’ in M Block. Training begins in the summer term of Year 9 with students having to show a clear ability to be reliable, responsible and focused.

| Peer Mentoring

At HTC we recognise the value of peer support and peer mentoring as younger students benefit from having older students to talk to and to have as good role models. Year 9 students are invited to apply and are trained in the Summer Term ready to start at the beginning of Year 10. They always work in pairs and have the full support of the school counsellor. Peer mentors will be asked to give up a break time once a fortnight to meet their mentees and will also be asked to help with tours, transition from Year 6 and Open Evening.

| Equality and Rights Advocates

Our Equality and Rights Advocates represent our continued work on rights, equality and diversity. As part of our rights respecting agenda our students support the further development of a rights respecting ethos at HTC, working with staff and students to ensure our college community have their rights fulfilled but also understand that these rights are for everyone. Students work to ensure all aspects of our curriculum offer a breadth of opportunities to learn about rights based issues, prejudicial behaviours, individuality, cultural diversity – similarities and differences, to name a few.

Our EARA group will also contribute to our Tutor and assembly, INSET and staff training programmes. They observe and feedback on rights, behaviours, displayed by all members of our college community, around college site and where identified will develop ways to explore any areas where further understanding of rights is needed.

Students volunteer to become part of this incredibly important group and are committed and dedicated members of the college who support other schools in their rights journey and take on their own ambassadorial role throughout our County. They see the relevance of rights based work for them, in a beautifully diverse world which we live in and one which our young people will further contribute to in their future.