Awards & Leadership
Awards & Leadership
Recognising student success, leadership and community contribution is central to our ethos of developing well rounded, mature, and confident young people.
We are committed to ensuring that our students leave school having built their knowledge and grown their character; with outstanding academic outcomes, but also with the leadership qualities for a successful future.
We strongly believe that the most effective reward comes from being recognised for one’s achievements and contributing in a positive way. Our rewards and leadership structure reflects our core aims.
Thurstable Way Awards
Students in Years 7 - 9 have the opportunity to apply for a Thurstable Way Award. These awards are given based on a student's commitment to developing their character and their engagement in the wider school community. The awards also provide an opportunity for students to demonstrate their commitment to their character development outside of school as well.
There are two windows in which a student can apply for the Thurstable Way Awards - students will be informed of these windows in assemblies, with the first being around November each year. A student who has not been successful in applying for one or more of these awards, can do so later in their school career.
The Headteacher and Platinum award are the most coveted awards available at Thurstable School. These are awarded without application, based on a student's contribution to the school and awarded only by the Headteacher.
A formal Awards Evening will be held annually Year 7-11 at the end of the summer term. Students are nominated (by a range of staff) for awards to recognise academic excellence, outstanding effort, attendance and community service.
Making a TWA Application (Years 7-9)
See the presentation below on how to apply and what makes a good application.
Leadership
Once a student has achieved all three lower school awards they can be considered for the role of ‘senior ambassador’ in the Summer term of Year 10. Ambassador appointments are made following a month-long probationary period following a successful interview.
Once a newly appointed senior ambassador has completed their probationary period, a senior ambassador badge is awarded. A further selection process will lead to the appointment of senior ambassadors and mentors who manage teams of senior and junior ambassadors who work with Year 7 to 9 students respectively.
Finally, a small number of students will go through a stringent, final phase of selection for the positions of Lead Students who represent the school at the highest level of student leadership.
The Smart School Council
The Smart School Council (SSC) is Thurstables Student Council and is open to any student in any year group to apply for. Applications are held once a year in October, and students must write an application to be part of the council. Applications are the vetted by the Senior Ambassadors who decide on the merit of the anonymised applications and members are then elected.
All senior ambassadors and lead students are de facto members, and each member of the SSC takes on a specific role within the council. Students have the chance to set questions for the school to vote on, liaise with staff, present to SLT, run action groups within the school and much more. To see the school council structure, you can look at the presentation below.
Awards For Competitive Sport
Competitive sports are an integral part of Thurstable Schools’ values. We encourage all students to participate and will actively encourage those who develop exceptional talent and skills to compete at a higher level.
Sports colour will be awarded for Year 7-9 (junior sports colours) and Years 10-11 (senior).
sports colours) These are awarded to students for dedication and commitment to their teams and societies as demonstrated by attending training regularly and participating in school fixtures.
Gold and Silver Sports Colours - These are awarded to students who display an exceptional level of sportsmanship and achieve a high level of competence in a relevant sport. The silver sports colour will be awarded in Years 7-9, and the Gold Sports colour in Years 10-11.
Sports Personality of the Year - Each year two students from Thurstable are selected for their outstanding contributions to competitive sports.