Our overall aim of the HBGT this year is for pupils to have a wider involvement in all aspects of school life. We want to achieve this by engaging our current sixth form as well as supporting those lower down in the school to grasp all of the opportunities that are available to them. Whether that is taking part in the Xtra programme, the CCF, the vast amount of sport that the school offers or competing in the house system against fellow peers. It is really important that everyone takes an active role to improve their current skill set and seek out new challenges in order to develop into successful and well-rounded individuals, during their time at Sandbach School.

– Will Dobson and Eloise Williams

This year we are really looking forward to involving the whole school in the decision-making process and hope that each student enjoys taking an active role in charitable works throughout the year. As Heads of Charities we have decided to choose three local charities – Cheshire young careers, Sandbach animal rescue and Visyon – and three national/ international charities – Great Ormond Street Hospital, Samaritans and Doctors without borders, which we will ask the students and staff to vote on, with the most popular being the two main charities we, as a school, will support. We will also be continuing to work with charities and organisations throughout the year, such as Children in Need, Prostate Cancer UK and the Jon Shaw Foundation.

I am very pleased to be Deputy Head Boy and House Liaison this year. I am looking forward to working with Will, Eloise and the team this year. With the house system, my main goal is to get more students involved in events, especially in the sixth form where we see a large drop off in participants. I am aiming to do this by introducing new events that get a wider variety of people involved and by having better publicity so that the schedule and results of house events can be accessed easier. I also want to bring back a pride in the house system that we haven’t seen since pre-pandemic. I want to achieve this with the reintroduction of house colours and house assemblies which will hopefully get all involved more excited about the house system.

I am really pleased to be a member of the HBGT this year as KS3 Lead and Deputy Head Girl. I would really like to utilise the support and interests expressed from sixth form students in order to put in place learning buddies for English, Maths and Science, especially with the advantageous opportunity to mix with other years now that Covid restrictions have lifted. With the pandemic hindering the younger students’ education, particularly with English, I am passionate about expanding literacy as a subject in the school, with the KS3 library opening doors for a book and homework club, as well as a monthly newsletter to illustrate what year 7 and 8 are up to. I hope to see lots of the sixth form getting involved in these extra-curricular activities, not only to aid younger years in their studies, but to employ personal skills and evidence of academic involvement to benefit future endeavours.

As Key Stage 4 lead, it is my responsibility to develop students through their most difficult and challenging academic time at the school. When students reach KS4, they start to feel pressure as the reality as examinations loom. My job is to make this journey as smooth as possible. As KS4 lead, I will be helping to set up Buddy systems with Sixth Form students who have been through the process so that they can help with numeracy and literacy. I will be liaising with the HBGT lead for mental health to ensure students have the pastoral support they need during this time to alleviate stress and support with learning. I will be putting in place revision support to ensure students have all of the necessary knowledge they need to reach their academic potential. Having gone through the transition from KS4 into KS5 myself, I know how important it is to be supported through this process with all of the information they need. I will also be making sure that students who are at a disadvantage in their personal circumstances get all of the help they need to close the academic gap and give them the same high level of results as their peers.

I am very pleased to be the Sixth Form liaison for the 2022-23 HBGT. As Sixth Form liaison I aim to improve the sixth form experience by improving the facilities, as well as working on the integration of external students to help the growth of the sixth form. This will include working with other members of the team to make sport more accessible and promoting weekly enrichment to get all students involved with the school’s many extra-curricular activities and have the chance to put something back into the school. I will also be managing communication and editing the half-term E-mag. I am looking forward to seeing what the team can achieve.

As the new Senate Chair and PSHCE lead, I’m determined to ensure that the school environment is informed by the ideas and attitudes of the students. When it comes to PSHCE, the most important thing for me is to prepare students for their life after school outside of an academic view. Seeing as we’re on the verge of being able to vote, we should really have some understanding of what our vote means. Hence, I feel a curriculum which talks about this in greater depth would be beneficial to increasing participation among young people. I passionately believe that educating voters of the future on politics is immeasurably important for developing a global understanding. As for the senate, the school’s student body, which is responsible for representing the students and raising issues to the leadership team. Seeing as students are the ones who will be impacted by what the school does, it seems only fair that we all have some input on actions that are taken. Overall, I hope that my work as part of the HBGT will help improve the school’s environment and atmosphere.

Hi, my name is Aaron and my role is Sports Liaison Officer. In regards to KS3/4, it is of my best interest to make sport more inclusive, whether that being through the Xtra program, the House System or school fixtures. With this I really hope to increase rates of participation in both the lower school and the Sixth Form with a few interesting ideas in mind. I’m looking forward to working with the rest of the HBGT and members of staff to enhance everyone’s sporting experience here at Sandbach School.

I am honoured to have the opportunity this year to be the Mental Health and Wellbeing Lead of the HBGT. I aim to provide more education about mental health and positive wellbeing throughout all school years through PSHCE lessons and assemblies. I will also be working closely with the Senate, as one of their main focuses is mental health, to review new policies and ensure that the school has a quality system to support all students, whether this be a wellbeing hub led by sixth form students or a group of students representative of the whole school.