Birkdale High School

Prefect Handbook
May 2015

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Contents

Page 3: Introduction

Page 4: Requirements, Role and responsibilities

Page 5: Lunch and Break Duties, Limits of Authority

Page 6: Accountability, Removal from the Post of Prefect, Leadership

Page 7: Key questions to ask yourself

Page 9: Extra Roles of the Senior Team

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Introduction

Congratulations!

If you are reading this handbook it is because you have been selected to be a School
Prefect. Being given the title and position of School Prefect is an honour and a privilege
and we hope that you will look back on your time in this role with a sense of pride,
particularly in future years when you move on from Birkdale High School to college,
university and beyond.

As a School Prefect a weight of responsibility rests on your shoulders. Teachers will ask
you to take on extra duties in addition to your normal studies and extracurricular
activities and expect you to behave in an exemplary manner at all times, setting the
standard by which the other students measure themselves. You will play a crucial role in
ensuring that the ethos of the school carries across to all areas of school life. The
students will look up to you and will follow your example therefore it is imperative that you
set a good example. Your actions, and the way you conduct yourself, are especially
important and will have a big impact on life at Birkdale High School. You will need to treat
all students equally and fairly and work to ensure that the students you represent are
cared for and supported. At times they will need you to listen to them and they will need
your help and advice to work through their problems. There may be new students who feel
alone or left out and it is your responsibility to make these students feel welcome and
included in aspects of school life.

In essence, being a School Prefect is not about you it is about the students you represent.

In performing your duties as School Prefect, you will be expected to:

Observe the school rules at all times
Be dressed appropriately at all times
Maintain an excellent behaviour, attendance and punctuality record
Be punctual for your duties
Be positive and enthusiastic
Be able to encourage and motivate fellow students
Be cooperative, helpful, well-mannered, trustworthy, and responsible
Be respectful toward teachers, your peers, and the school environment
Display leadership qualities: confidence, initiative, problem solving skills
Be willing to take on extra responsibility
Be able to work independently and complete tasks without supervision
Maintain a good academic record
Be a good ambassador for the school

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Requirements

Qualifications and experience

Academic record should be on or above target
Behavioural record must be exemplary, including attendance and punctuality

Personal skills and aptitudes

Self-confident: be bold and assertive
Ability to speak in public, to students and adults
Team working skills
Be organised and resourceful
Be polite, honest, reliable, punctual and hardworking

Roles and Responsibilities

Prefects play a vital part in the running of Birkdale High School; assisting and supporting
both staff and pupils.

The role of a Prefect falls into four main categories:

Maintaining discipline
Helping staff
Supporting younger pupils
Organising events

You may be a Prefect for one particular area in the school, but you may also be required to
cover other areas. It is important you, and the whole school community, are very clear
about your role and responsibilities:

To act as a role model for students and promote the ethos of the school
To maintain an atmosphere of friendly cooperation, discipline and unity in the school
To wear the correct uniform at all times
To adhere to school rules and regulations at all times
To help ensure school rules are adhered to by pupils
Academic and behavioural standards must be maintained
To report any issues to the Head Boy
To attend all meetings as required
To liaise and collaborate with each other as a team, to ensure efficiency and smooth
running of their own area of responsibility and of the school as a whole.
To be an approachable Prefect to whom students can come to for assistance or
support

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 To serve as councillors for younger students
To always work in the interest of the school
To help organise school events
To attend school events when required
Perform Lunch and Break duties (more detail given below)
Certain Prefects may be given specific roles and responsibilities.

Lunch and Break Duties

All prefects are required to perform duties either at break time or at lunchtime. It is
important that you know where and when you are on duty. It is vital that you always turn
up for your duties on time, that you execute your duty to the best of your ability and that
you do not leave until the end of your duty time. During your duty you are not allowed to
use your phone, listen to music or eat. Arrangements will be made to allow you to have your
dinner. It is also essential that you only stand with the other prefects on duty in that area
and not with your ‘friendship group’. If you fail to turn up to your duty you are letting
yourself and fellow prefects down and weakening the Prefect system. Prefects that
persistently fail to turn up to their duties will forfeit their right to be a prefect. If you
know in advance that you are unable to do your duty, it is your responsibility to ensure that
the duty is undertaken by arranging a swap with another prefect.

What are you expected to do while on duty?

Observe the school rules at all times

Be dressed appropriately at all times
Act a role model to the other students
Support staff in monitoring behaviour
Be proactive and suggest improvements of the system were you see fit
Enforce the school rules with regards to food being taken out of the dining room

Limits of Authority

Implementation of discipline is carried out by members of Staff only. Staff can use the
services of Prefects for supervision only. It is your duty to support staff by reporting any
issues to the member of staff on duty at the appropriate time. This may be immediately as
a pupils safely is at risk or at the next available time if it is not a pressing issue. You
should be proactive to inform staff suggestions/improvements to make lunch and break
times run smoothly.

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Accountability

Prefects are ultimately responsible to the Headmaster, HOY and the member of
staff in charge of Prefects
On a day to day basis Prefects are responsible to the individual member of staff
running the activity or duty (refer to duties list on the Prefect notice board).

Removal from the Post of Prefect

Prefects who fail to adhere to Prefect Code of Conduct and to maintain the roles and
responsibilities of Prefect will be given a notice of intention to remove their prefecture
status. Students failing to address the area/s of concern will have their prefect status
removed.

Leadership

You might not see a direct link between leadership and being a prefect, but there is one.
You will have been chosen as a prefect based on certain skills and qualities that you
already have or for the potential that has been recognised in you. Many of these skills and
qualities are common with leadership, such as: confidence, decisiveness and the ability to
communicate effectively.

The Basic Skills of Outstanding Leadership

Integrity
Integrity means honesty and more. It refers to having strong internal guiding principles
that one does not compromise. It means treating others as you would wish to be treated.
Integrity promotes trust, and not much is accomplished without trust.

Communication
Communication in the context of leadership refers to both interpersonal communications
between the leader and followers and the overall flow of needed information throughout
the organisation.
Leaders need to learn to be proficient in both the communication that informs and seeks
out information (gives them a voice) and the communication that connects interpersonally
with others.

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Relationships
Networking is also a relationship skill. Relationships develop good interpersonal and group
communication skills.
A leader who likes dealing with people issues, who can initiate and deepen relationships
with others, has a great leadership advantage. This is a leader who can build a team and
achieve impressive results.

Persuasion
The ability to influence others and cause them to move in a particular direction is a highly
important skill in leadership. Your ability to be persuasive is directly related to how much
people trust you and how good your communication and relationships are.

Adaptability
Adaptability and flexibility in not being bound by a plan are important success factors.
The leader must move easily from one set of circumstances (the plan) to the next (if the
plan is not going as expected) and take them all in their stride, even when the
circumstances are unexpected.
The good leader has to embrace change and see it as opportunity.

Teamwork
Teamwork is an important and often neglected part of being a prefect. A school does not
simply have a number of individual students who are identified as prefects. There is more
to it than that; it has a team of prefects who are part of a prefect system.
No one person can do it all. That’s why a team, comprised of others with different skill
sets, is essential. A leader must know how to build and nurture such a team.

Decision-making
A leader must be able to wade through information, comprehend what is relevant, make a
well-considered decision, and take action based on that decision. Making decisions too
quickly or too slowly will impede your leadership effectiveness.

Key Questions to Ask Yourself

Integrity
How deep are your convictions on the things you believe in? What do you believe in SO
MUCH that you will stand up to anyone about it including your friends? How much are you
willing to compromise your important beliefs? To what extent does your behaviour and the
choices you make align with your guiding values and principles?

Communication
How much and how willingly do you speak out and keep information flowing? Conversely, can
you keep confidential information private? How often can and do you listen more than you
speak in conversations with your peers? How do you handle ‘bad news’ when you receive it?
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Relationships
What is the level of trust and respectful feelings you have with each of your peers? How
easy or difficult is it for you to initiate new relationships or deepen existing relationships?

Persuasion
How persuasive and influential are you? Under what circumstances can you persuade
others to your point of view? To what extent do people value your opinion and follow your
lead?

Adaptability
To what degree can you relinquish control? When is it easy and when difficult for you to
embrace change? How do you react when things don’t go as planned.

Team work
To what extent do you value working cooperatively as part of a group? How do you promote
teamwork among those you lead? In what ways do you work collaboratively with your
peers? How do you handle team conflict?

Decision-making
How comfortable are you with having to make the ‘final decision’ on things? Do you have
any tendency to decide too quickly without due consideration or, conversely, to gather
data, analyse and ponder endlessly and be unable to decide? In what areas do you struggle
with making firm decisions and standing up for what you believe?

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Extra Roles of the Senior Team

If selected as one of the senior team, above all you are role model to the other prefects.
Extra roles and responsibilities are detailed below.

Head Boy
Prepare duty rotas and make sure that they are carried out
Open Days/Evenings, Parents evening and other events
Be prepared for special duties, including speeches
Find out and understand the problems and views of the school and represent them
to the Head and Staff e.g. attending School Council meetings
Hold regular Prefects’ Meetings

Deputy Head Boy

Shadow the Head Boy and be prepared to deputise and support them in all of the
above duties, as required.
Help with rotas and monitoring that duties are being done
Write the minutes of meetings and circulate them

Senior Prefect
Shadow the Head Boy/Deputy Head Boy and be prepared to deputise and support
them in all of the above duties, as required.
Maintain Prefect notice board

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 Birkdale High School

Prefect Contract
After thoroughly reading the Prefect Handbook and agreeing to its principles, all prefects
must sign the code of conduct outlined below. If any prefect reneges on the contract,
their tie and position will be taken away.

Code of Conduct

I accept my tie as a prefect at Birkdale High School for this year. I agree to carry out
the following duties and responsibilities:

To maintain a high standard of academic progress, behaviour, attendance,

punctuality.
To wear my prefect's tie and uniform with pride.
To obey the school rules in their entirety and without question.
To help members of teaching staff if they require assistance.
To represent the school at any public function taking active part in the event,
helping and organising whenever I am asked.
To help new pupils, especially new pupils during their introduction to the school.
To assist visitors to school at all times by being polite, friendly, and courteous.
To maintain a high standard of cleanliness and tidiness throughout the school.
To attend my lunch and break time duties, arranging cover if I know in advance I will
not be in.

Over and above this code of conduct it is expected that all Birkdale High School students
will be ambassadors of the school.

I, _________________________________ have read and understood my Prefect's

Code of Conduct and I agree to carry it out to the best of my abilities.

______________________ _____________
School Prefect Signature Date
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