VICE PRINCIPAL - HEAD OF JUNIOR SCHOOL
MR TOM SAVILL VICE PRINCIPAL – HEAD OF JUNIOR SCHOOL
LEARNING TO LEAD
A STRONG LINK TO SERVANT LEADERSHIP HAS LED TO SOME
WONDERFUL OUTCOMES
In 1970 , Robert K Greenleaf published his seminal essay entitled ‘ The Servant as Leader ’. Within this paper he coined the term ‘ Servant Leadership ’ and detailed this powerful leadership philosophy as one that places the wellbeing of people and communities at its core . From this moment , the concept of Servant Leadership gained traction and has been deeply considered since .
The key characteristics of a servant leader are to be a good listener , empathetic , self-aware and to be able to foster a work environment that promotes growth , wellbeing and autonomy . Servant leaders put others first and aim to help them help themselves ( a coaching approach ).
During the second half of 2023 , the Junior School spent time considering its student leadership model and the ways in which our Scotch leaders of the future might develop their leadership skills and attitudes . The process of review sought to capture the boys ’ desires and beliefs in relation to leadership growth . It was fascinating to note that the boys had a very strong leaning towards a wish to serve others and the recognition that leadership involves action through support .
As Greenleaf notes , true servant leaders are those who wish to have impact on the least privileged and / or the most vulnerable members of a community . Our Scotchies are connected to this belief and through our review of leadership structures , made it clear that they wished to improve their leadership skills and ability to help others .
Like many schools , the Junior School has , for some time , had a number of leadership roles which are distributed among a small number of Year 6 students each year . These roles have traditionally ranged from Sports Captain to House Captain and included a number of other areas of interest . Also like many schools , these roles have often ended up with boys who already have notable leadership skills and attitudes , and for which the growth of leaders has been largely through opportunity and less by design .
The student leadership model review highlighted a desire to create a model which gave every boy in Year 6 the choice to engage in processes which could help improve their leadership skills and actively seek to serve others . Thus , the Service Team model was born .
Each Year 6 student is now part of a small collective of peers who form a ‘ Service Team ’. The Service Teams each have a focus on helping to provide avenues through which the team can design actionable support for others .
For instance , we have a Social Justice Team whose focus is to support people beyond the school gates . We have a Sports Service Team who assist Mr McMahon and the House Leaders with internal sporting endeavours . Our Library Service Team is engaged in means by which reading is promoted and supported throughout the Junior School . Each team has a purpose in which the boys are given means so they can learn to lead and develop the skills required in a considered manner .
I have been fortunate to experience some of the tangible ways in which our Service Teams have positively impacted others at school . Our Wellbeing Service Team spent time working to develop a series of team-building activities for the Year 6 Camp at Cowes . It expertly designed ‘ Minute to Win It ’ challenges , sourcing all of the necessary equipment and leading the evening activity with 80 of its peers on the first night of camp . Our Library Service Team took picture storybooks into the Junior Primary section of the school , at different times of the day , to read to and with our youngest Scotchies . The team took time to choose texts it thought would resonate with the Junior Primary boys and then considered how and when best to deliver .
Our Social Justice Team spent time collaborating on the organisation of the annual ‘ Footy Colours Day ’ fundraiser . It researched the Royal Children ’ s Hospital Good Friday Appeal and learned more about the impact of donations to this cause . It designed an Assembly presentation for the Years 3 to 6 boys , to help everyone better understand what their donations would be used for and to encourage their peers to get involved .
All of our Service Teams are working on ways in which they can lead opportunities to serve other people , and I look forward to seeing this work blossom .
As part of the commitment to service and servant leadership , the Year 6 boys are also engaged in the ‘ Serving Others at Scotch ’ ( SOS ) Time , set aside on a few occasions each term . This has been another adjustment to the Junior School program , with this tweak being applied to what was previously known as ‘ Peer Support ’.
SOS Time sees our Year 6 boys lead a small group of Scotchies from within their House and from all year levels . This vertical grouping system aims to help boys connect across the school and look beyond their own year level . The time also leverages the boys ’ deep desire to serve , with the program focusing on bringing the boys together to look beyond themselves and to take action .
In Term 1 , the focus of SOS Time was to get to know one another and learn about the team each boy was in . As the year
22 Great Scot Issue 171 – Edition 1 2024