Leadership Opportunities

Student Parliament

Student Parliament allows every King’s Warrington student a voice and is an integral part of life at the Academy. All students are encouraged to take an active role in decision-making processes that lead to improving the quality of life and learning at King’s Leadership Academy Warrington. 

Every child takes part in the Student Parliament process once a learning cycle. Student houses discuss issues and proposals that they feel need to be considered. Representatives from each house present these proposals to the Student Cabinet. The Cabinet then meets with the Principal to discuss the students’ suggestions and concerns. This informs debate at SLT and subsequent school review. 

At King’s Warrington, we value our students’ opinions and are working together to make King’s the best it can be.

 

Outdoor Education

King’s Warrington residential programme is closely tied to the school’s mission of “developing in each of our students the academic skills, intellectual habits, qualities of character and leadership traits necessary to succeed at all levels and become successful citizens in tomorrow’s world”. The residential programme uses the outdoors as a medium for learning, allowing students to:

  • Develop independence through self-confidence, self-direction and self-knowledge

  • Sharpen their reflective and critical-thinking skills
    Enhance their appreciation of, and respect for, the natural environment

  • Discover personal strengths

  • Learn how to be effective leaders and cooperative team members

Through experiential learning of the outdoors, students hone their leadership and team-building skills while learning about themselves, about others and about the world around them. 

The leadership program is mandatory in Years 7 through to 11, and becomes increasingly challenging as each year progresses. Year 7 students attend a two day leadership residential. This is a crucial part of their first year at King’s and all students benefit hugely from the experience, both educationally and socially, within a secure and controlled outward bound residential environment. In year 8, students attend a three day leadership residential which further develops their experience of the outdoors. This sets the foundation for students as they prepare for their Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award beginning in Year 9 and Silver Award beginning in Year 10.

 

Duke of Edinburgh’s Award 

A life-changing experience. A fun time with friends. An opportunity to discover new interests and talents. A tool to develop essential skills for life and work. A recognised mark of achievement; respected by employers.

The DofE is many things to many people, at King’s we have adopted the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award as it enhances the character and leadership education of our students. It is a great vehicle for students to develop their; social, personal and leadership skills. There are four sections to complete at Bronze and Silver levels. They involve helping the community/environment, becoming fitter, developing new skills, planning, training for and completing an expedition. 

Achieving an Award will give you skills, confidence and an edge over others when you apply for college, university or a job. Beyond academic achievements, universities want to see evidence of character developed through extra-curricular activities, such as communication, commitment, leadership and teamwork.  

In Year 9 you will be signed up for the award and will start your DofE journey. The school has dedicated activities and staff that support you through your award, allowing you to achieve. You will learn to be self-driven and design and drive your award at all stages. 

You will be trained in:

  • Navigation skills 

  • First Aid and emergency procedures

  • Campcraft and cooking 

  • Safety in the outdoors 

  • Nutrition and menu planning

  • Countryside code  

You will return having faced challenges, risks and adventure in the outdoors and be able to apply the learning to everyday life. 

You then progress onto the Silver award and continue your learning and adventure with us until the completion of your Silver in Year 11. Once you leave King’s Warrington your DofE journey does not end there. You have until age 25 to finish your awards and also to progress on to the Gold award, where you will attend St James Palace, London to receive your award from a member of the Royal family.

 

Combined Cadet Force

There are CCF contingents in over 400 secondary schools all over the UK, offering young people a broad range of challenging, exciting, adventurous and educational activities. Our aim is to enable the development of personal responsibility, leadership and self-discipline. Each CCF is an educational partnership between the school and the Ministry of Defence, and a CCF may include Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Army or Royal Air Force sections.

The tradition of cadet units in schools goes back over 150 years to the 1850s. In 1948, the Combined Cadet Force was formed, covering cadets from all three Services.

Today the Combined Cadet Force contingents are very different to those early groups of young people. Although they are still based on the ethos of the Armed Forces – their focus is on helping young people to develop and reach their full potential by providing challenging, active, adventurous and fun activities.

A weekly programme of military training is designed to give young people at King’s Warrington a chance to exercise responsibility and leadership, to provide them with the knowledge of our defence forces, and to encourage those who might be interested in becoming officers of the Armed Services.

The self-confidence and self-discipline required in service life are equally vital in the civil life of the nation today. As such, the King’s CCF also aims to engender a sense of public service and provides opportunities to take part in some military training together with outdoor activities.

Furthermore, Adventure Training and Challenge Pursuits are seen as a very important part of the Cadet experience, defined as challenging outdoor training in specified activities, involving controlled exposure to risk, to develop leadership, teamwork, physical fitness, moral and physical courage among other personal attributes and skills vital to the development of the rounded cadet.

 

"I have excelled through the ranks to become the youngest Sergeant in the country at age 12, and have now reached the highest rank available, Cadet Warrant Officer. Furthermore, I represented the CCF as the standard bearer in the Festival of Remembrance in front of the Queen." Cadet Warrant Officer B Frank