What made you want to be a Head Prefect?

Anna – BGS has given me so much through its opportunities and experiences, and I really wanted to give something back. When I think back to being younger at BGS, I genuinely looked up to the older students; their encouragement meant a lot to me. That’s exactly what motivated me to apply: I’d love to be that person for younger pupils now.

Leo – Ever since I started at Bradford Grammar as a slightly terrified year 7 from a very tiny primary school, I looked up to the Head Boy and Girl as a staple of what the school is about. Becoming Head Boy has been a long-term ambition of mine and now I’m glad I have the opportunity to give back to the school community the way it did for me.

How did you feel when you found out you were selected?

Anna – I was really pleased, though I’ll admit I was a little surprised – I know the other candidates well and think they were equally strong. But I was genuinely grateful and excited to get started. It also meant a lot to see how supportive my friends were and how much they shared in that excitement with me.

Leo – Honestly, I was a bit shocked, it definitely did take a second for it to sink in, but I was very thrilled at the same time. It’s been such a long-term goal that now I can’t completely believe it, but I’m incredibly honoured to have been chosen for the role.

What is one idea or project you’d like to introduce this year?

Anna – I’d love to develop the existing mentoring system and create more meaningful opportunities for older and younger pupils to interact. I think those connections can make a real difference, especially for students who are new to the school and still finding their feet – because I still remember what it felt like to be in that position.

Leo – I’d love to add some proper infrastructure around work experience opportunities in the sixth form mainly, but in the lower school too.  There are so many brilliant placements that somehow seem to slip under the radar of most students, and the more students that are able to experiment and find the things they enjoy doing the better.

If you had a motto for your year as Head Prefect, what would it be?

Anna – Show up, try hard, be kind. It’s simple, but it captures everything I believe in – giving your full effort, being there for the people around you, and approaching everything with kindness. They’re the values I try to live by, and what I hope to encourage in others this year.

Leo – “Every week everyone gets the same 168 hours.” To me it’s a great reminder that everyone does get the same amount of time and what differentiates people is how they spend it. It helps me to make sure I fill my time with the right balance of schoolwork and the things that I enjoy.

What will be your key responsibilities as Head Prefect?

Anna – My main responsibilities will be helping to organise the prefect team both at school and at events, as well as representing the school at occasions such as Open Days and Founder’s Day. But beyond the formal duties, I see a big part of the role as simply being visible and approachable – someone younger pupils feel they can come to.

Leo – I think the Head Boy role is a great opportunity to make the voices not only of the sixth form but of the whole school heard. We have an incredibly active and diverse school community, sporting every talent under the sun; making sure everyone gets the opportunities to find their niche is what I’d like to spend a lot of my time doing. Along with that we as Head Prefects lead the senior prefect and full prefect teams and represent the school at events like speech day and founders’ day.

What do you think you will bring to the role?

Anna – I hope my genuine enthusiasm for BGS and everything it offers will inspire younger students to get involved. Being part of the swim team, which spans all year groups, has made me someone who’s used to connecting with pupils across the school, and I think that approachability is something I can bring to this role. I’m also really looking forward to working closely with the rest of the prefect team – I think we can achieve a lot together.

Leo – I’d like to say I’m a people person so I’d hope I can bring some approachability to the head prefect role through my experience in coaching the junior years. In addition, my experience in running clubs like debate society and Engineering society has given me the organisational skills to help the prefect team run as smoothly as it can. I’d also like to commit time to implementing genuine meaningful improvements for students.

What parts of the role are you looking forward to most?

Anna – I’m most excited about representing the school and showing what makes BGS special – to prospective pupils and parents, but also to younger students who are already here. I want to encourage them to throw themselves into everything BGS has to offer.

Leo – I am most looking forward to helping to improve the opportunities of BGS pupils. It’s a very big school with a lot of very talented and hardworking people and a lot of really incredible clubs and sports. For me the best part of BGS has been the experiences and skills I’ve learnt from those extracurricular activities, and that’s why the aspect of the role I’m looking forward to most is giving those opportunities back to the students.

What subjects are you studying? Do you take part in any extracurricular activities?

Anna – I study Maths, Further Maths, History, and Geography, and I’m planning to study Geography at university. Outside the classroom, I swim for the BGS swim team and compete with Leeds City Athletics Club. I’ve also really valued volunteering at Frizinghall Primary School, where I read with Year 1 pupils. It’s been a genuinely rewarding experience and something I’d encourage others to try.

Leo – I study maths, further maths, physics, and computer science with the goal of taking computer science at university. That leaves me with just about enough spare time to run the BGS debate society along with the two other secretaries, row to some degree of success for the school boat club, play water polo spectacularly badly on a Friday and claim to be a regular at engineering and maths societies. I also help to run a physics Olympiad for the year 10s which has, every session, proved to be more eventful and creative than expected, and I have to say it’s my favourite extracurricular at the moment.

When did you join BGS and what are your favourite BGS memories?

Anna – I joined in Year 7, though BGS has been part of my life for even longer – both my older sisters attended the school too. I have so many fond memories, from the Year 7 residential right through to competing in the Bath Cup in London three times with the swim team. But it’s the everyday sense of community at BGS that I value most – the friendships, the atmosphere, and the feeling that you genuinely belong somewhere.

Leo – I joined BGS in year 7, so I’ve been here for nearly 6 years, but it really hasn’t felt that way. I still remember looking up at the balconies in the Price Hall where the sixth formers sat and imagining what it would be like when I made it to year 12. My favourite memories from BGS have got to be some of the incredible school trips (like the infamous 15-hour coach ride back from Germany), and rowing in a final at the National Schools’ Regatta after some of the toughest lane racing of the season.

How would your friends describe you in three words?

Anna – Hardworking, loyal, and kind. I give everything I commit to my full effort; I really value the friendships I’ve built at BGS, and kindness is the quality I try to lead with in everything I do. I think those three things together are what I’d want to bring to this role, too.

Leo – I think they’d probably describe me as focused, efficient, and reasonably easy going. If there is work that needs to be done, I am more than happy to put the hours in, and I love making the most of the clubs and societies at school to do the things I enjoy doing with the people I enjoy spending time with.

What makes BGS special to you?

Anna – BGS brings together pupils from all different backgrounds, with different strengths and different stories. What I love is that there’s a place for everyone here, whether that’s on a sports team, in a classroom, on stage, or somewhere else entirely. It’s a genuinely welcoming and encouraging community, and that environment has helped me grow in confidence more than anything else.

Leo – To me what makes BGS so special is the incredible opportunities and chances you get here through the huge variety of sports and clubs that are in so many instances run by students FOR students. The ability of students at this school to have an idea and make it happen whether it’s for a sporting goal or for a club is really amazing and unique.

How has the school’s ethos shaped you?

Anna – I’ve really tried to live by the school’s motto, Hoc Age. I’ve thrown myself into music through String group and tried many sports, some of which I was decidedly not very good at! But that’s the point – BGS encouraged me to try anyway, and not to be afraid of being a beginner. That spirit has built my confidence and shaped how I approach every new challenge.

Leo – I think the schools HOC AGE ethos of getting stuck into everything with complete enthusiasm has really helped me through my time at school. There are so many things I would never even have considered trying when I joined BGS but which I’ve managed to get a huge amount out of, thanks to that “try everything” attitude I think the school encourages so well.  I can’t wait to help to pass that on to the next generation of BGS students.

What advice would you give to younger students at BGS?

Anna – Push yourself, try new things, and don’t be afraid to fail. When I was in Year 7, I lacked confidence, and looking back, the moments I grew the most were when I stepped outside my comfort zone. BGS gives you so many opportunities – take them, even when it feels daunting. You don’t have to be brilliant at something to get a lot out of it.

Leo – Don’t be afraid to try something new, take every chance and opportunity you’re presented with because there is so much to try and to take part in;  you might find you are in fact a complete prodigy at something you’ve never even heard of before, and I am yet to find a sport or club where older students are anything other than encouraging and more than willing to help or give advice.

If you could swap roles with any teacher for a day, who would it be and why?

Anna – I think I’d swap with my Geography teacher, Mrs Handbury. Geography is the subject I’m most passionate about and the one I’m planning to study at university, so I’d love to see it through her eyes for a day and understand what it looks like from the other side of the classroom. Although I’ll admit, a very close second would be swapping with Angela in the catering team- purely so I could make the cookies, as I love baking!

Leo – I’d swap with the headmaster for sure, he has the comfiest chairs in the school by far. Other than that, I think I’d swap with Mr Davenport the head of maths, because the work he does organising the maths department and supporting Debate Society are things I’d be really interested in learning a bit more about.