As of the end of February, there is a brand new Prefect Team within the St Simon Stock 6^th Form. We are the Prefect Team of 2019-20. Due to the upcoming vital A-Level exams for Year 13, the Prefect Team of 2018-19 has abdicated and Year 12 has taken over the responsibilities of the Prefect Team a few months earlier than expected. This will be the second year of the new system within the Prefect Team and, for those who are unaware, this is that the Prefect Team now consists of four separate teams that have different main roles respectively. These teams are the Events, Communications, Academic Support and Mentoring teams.

The Events Team, as the name suggests, deal with any events that take place in the school. It is their job to come up with ideas for events to celebrate days like the schools Founder’s Day and Sports Day and to execute events that the staff has thought up, like the recent ‘Dare to Bare’, no-makeup day to honour International Women’s Day. They will also be doing events for charity, raising money for causes such as the Heart of Kent Hospice and Porchlight. Already in the works is the Porchlight sleep-out, at which 6^th formers pay a donation for the charity and sleep the night outside the Sports Hall building. This is done to support Porchlight in their efforts to keep as many people as possible off the streets and show support for those already in that difficult situation. It is only 6^th Formers who can actively take part but it is hoped that as many people from the lower school as possible make donations to the cause. This and many other events have been placed in the very capable hands of our newly formed Prefect Events Team.

The Communications Team has responsibility in multiple kinds of communication. Firstly, within the school, their job includes the advertising of the events that the corresponding team plans and the management of the student voice. After a few years’ hiatus, the Communications team is planning to reinstate the student council by taking a couple of representatives from each year group to take part and relay student suggestions to teachers in that way. It is important to the school that the students are both enjoying their time at here and are achieving the academic success that they deserve. Therefore, it is vital to ensure that the students voice their concerns or suggestions for the school’s success for them, and the Communications Team is on route to make this a reality. In terms of outside school, this team will take charge of existing social media accounts, and the possible set up of more, and will use other methods to promote the school across Kent. As you can see, another vital role is laid in the palms of the new Prefect Communications Team.

The Academic Support Team is a team which is there to support any and all students that are having a particularly difficult time in their subjects. Each member of the team has an academic speciality and if any student has a particular desire or need to seek help in a specific subject, they should approach their subject leader or form tutor who would refer them to the Prefect Team and the appropriate member of the team will meet with the student until they are able to proceed successfully in the subject. If the student doesn’t know who the heads of subjects are, they only need to ask their form tutors who can procure the list for them. The team is hoping to start some clubs or drop-in sessions, during which students can solve any smaller issues they are having in class. The team is well qualified to support students throughout the school and we hope the student body is satisfied by the hard work of our new Academic Support Team.

Finally, the Mentoring Team are here to support the school in a more personal way. The Peer Mentoring system is a prominent one within St Simon Stock and this section of the Prefect Team will help to organise this and use other methods to support students across the school. They will be personally supporting students in their status as mentors, some of whom have previously or are still Peer Mentors themselves so are well qualified to handle any difficulties any student has within school or at home and are finding it difficult to find a way to cope. This team is dedicated to making sure each and every student is comfortable at school and wants to ensure no-one feels trapped or scared at school and will do almost anything to support your personal and emotional needs. They are even proposing drop-in sessions for people to approach the team in a safe and comfortable environment. The team is experienced and are mature so any student who is having any emotional or personal struggle of any kind should feel safe to approach, in confidence, St Simon Stock’s brand new Mentoring Team.

Miss Lockett is in charge of the 6^th Form Prefect Team so if a student doesn’t know of any other way to approach the teams, she will be able to direct them to the relevant team to give you the appropriate attention and help. She is situated in room A4, which is upstairs in the English/MFL building and if you want to talk to the Prefect team, there are a few email addresses you can use. You can, of course, contact Miss Lockett at LockettC or you can contact the team as a collective at the address PrefectTeam19-20. Furthermore, you can contact each team at addresses EventsTeam19-20, CommunicationsTeam19-20, AcademicTeam19-20 and MentoringTeam19-20. We are available whenever you may need us and we will welcome ideas and suggestions from any of you in any capacity. I am happy to present you with the brand new 6^th Form Prefect Team of 2019-20.

Jerome Harrison, Communications Team