School Captains Abbey Driffield and Arthur Sharpe

Archbishop Holgate’s School is outstanding because of everything we represent – predominantly reflected through our principles of values, care and achievement. We truly believe that these principles make Archbishop Holgate’s School a happy, safe and supportive learning environment, where students and teachers alike feel secure and confident. Personal and academic achievement is celebrated within the school community, ensuring that every student is supported in reaching their potential. The consistent support and excellent teaching standards at Archbishop Holgate’s are reflected in the outstanding results and also in the confidence that students develop to believe in their abilities and the opportunities that are awaiting them after they finish their studies here. Moreover, the school takes the time to nurture every child and enable them to become enthusiastic and well-rounded individuals that enjoy contributing to their community, a trait that students will carry forward into the rest of their lives.

As School Captains, we enjoy working with a supportive and proactive team that is as passionate about Archbishop Holgate’s as we are. Our 27 Student Leaders are proudly the only cohort in our school’s history to have individual roles catered to helping the school community. Student Leaders are a vital part of main school and Sixth Form life as they provide a network of young adults who can maturely and effectively communicate between the student cohort and staff body. They also play an important role in supporting key transitory phases along students’ AHS Journey: offering assistance and advice to year 11 students progressing into sixth form. Furthermore, Student Leaders have incredibly important roles within, and also beyond, the school community as they are ambassadors for the school who are the perfect embodiment of our school values of Justice, Compassion, Forgiveness and Trust.

Our student leader body is divided into groups, who focus on improving their section of the school. These include Charity, Chapel and Collective Worship, Sixth Form Social, Student Voice, and Communications. They also offer invaluable support to the lower school years by paired reading with younger students and also through the mentoring program where younger students are nurtured and guided by our student leader role models. To aid their contributions to both the school and wider community, the Senate meets every other week to discuss a range of issues to make a direct change for the student body within Sixth Form and across main school. Working closely as an organised and driven collective has been of quintessential importance this year given the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic, and our ability to succeed as a collective stands testament to the commitment and dedication of our student leaders.

So far this year, we have organised and discussed several issues followed by solutions in Senate which are now in the process of being implemented. For example, our Chapel and Collective Worship team worked to improve student input into chapel assemblies. This included observing and giving feedback on chapels, as well as delivering a chapel themselves over a two week period. Our Charity team also organised a number of bake and sweet sales throughout the year in aid of various charitable causes.

We also believe that the school is outstanding due to the opportunities it offers, including extra-curricular clubs, programmes such as the Duke of Edinburgh Award, and a variety of trips which cater for the wide range of students that come to Archbishop Holgate’s School. The range of trips across a broad subject and cultural spectrum offer valuable and enriching experiences which truly enhance education. Between us, as School Captains, we have visited France, Spain, London and have both completed the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award – all of which provided enriching and interesting experiences that have helped shape us as students.

We are both very proud of our school and the Christian values that it embodies. The generous array of opportunities that are offered to every student work towards creating well-rounded individuals who thrive in a caring and holistic school environment as they also thrive in the wider community.