TAKING OVER
Newly appointed Pupil Headmaster, Jamie Holmes, has started thinking about his plans for TAKE OVER day already. These include the possibility of an international lunch, which he needs to meet with the Catering Department to organise, and embedding his values and ethos. Jamie is a firm believer in the power of a smile, it has become his mantra – “a smile could change a day” it is his expectation of his staff team to implement this!
Jamie Holmes would like to introduce you to his second in command – a fellow Year 8 pupil, Archie Maclaren. In his first interview since his appointment, Archie has this to say about Pupil Take Over Day:
“As soon as I found out about pupil take over day, I was hooked. The idea of pupils taking on the roles of teachers would surely be a challenge and that made me even more excited for the day. Straight away my mind went flying, picking out subjects that I was talented at and then it hit me, what about the deputy head. I thought to myself, I’m a good listener and I love getting ideas and improving them. I also thought that it would positively improve my leadership and teamwork skills. After the Head was announced as Jamie Holmes I knew that I would certainly work well with him, so I asked for the application form and sent the application letter in. I was excited when I was shortlisted with a fellow pupil. The interviewing process taught me so much about work life, about how being organised and being able to keep the nerves inside and to smile. I knew good impressions count, nervousness will occur and the outcome is unpredictable. I gave the interview my all, answering the questions with thought. Shortly after the interview, I was informed that I was successful in achieving the roll of Deputy Head. The news filled me with joy and I just can’t wait to get started and see what the day has in store.”
Over the past fortnight Jamie and Archie have joined the Pupil Take Over Day Team to interview over 30 candidates for various teaching and support roles. The quality of applications has been so high that the boys and the rest of the team have found it hard to make decisions. However, in Jamie’s wise words “even if people weren’t successful, I hope that they had a good experience.” The team now have the unenviable task of feeding back to successful and unsuccessful candidates.
Mark Sully, Deputy Head Academic, commented, “Archie has impressed me with his endeavour to make the most of this opportunity. We've already had a chat about the expectations of the Deputy Head. Archie will do a great job in supporting the Pupil Headmaster and I can see them both working well together. The two have not stopped smiling throughout their early days in post and I hope that they both continue smiling, even when they face some challenging times in post. Archie will have a busy time helping Jamie to deliver his aims and values, managing the Pupil Heads of Department and working closely with his PA. I'm sure he will absolutely love it.”
The team are really looking forward to the day – the date of which is soon to be announced.