Student Leadership @ WAPS

Overview

In Waterway Primary School, we believe that ‘Every Waterway Student is a Leader’. With that, the committee aims to develop student leaders through school wide programmes and specific skills training at every level towards a holistic and balanced participation. All students in Waterway Primary School have an opportunity to get basic leadership skills and grow as a leader. The committee has also designed tiered programmes to develop our students to be leaders of tomorrow, who will serve with conviction and dedication.

Learning and developing good leadership skills in a caring and enabling environment as a student leader would serve our students well when they leave our learning environment and step into the society. With our motto, “To Learn, To Lead, To Serve”, we hope that our students will be able to progress in their leadership journey and contribute to the class, school and community with their leadership skills.

In our school, we also adopt the ‘The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership’ (Adapted from Kouzes & Posner’s Leadership Challenge Model) as the focus for our student leadership development.

Empowered with the different leadership roles, all students are committed to (MICEE) :

Model the Way

• Create standards of excellence
• Be good role models
• Set an example for others by behaving in ways that reflect the school values (R.I.S.E).
• Set goals and achieve small wins that build confidence, commitment and consistent progress while working towards larger objectives

Inspire a Shared Vision

• Envisioning an uplifting, exciting and meaningful future
• Create an ideal to work towards
• Get people to see exciting possibilities for the future

Challenge the Process

• Look for opportunities to grow, change, innovate and improve
• Be a risk taker to make things better by learning from mistakes

Enable Others to Act

• Be a great team player
• Work with others with respect
• Foster collaboration by building trust

Encourage the Heart

• Recognise efforts
• Celebrate success

Student Leadership Mission

The Student Leadership Programme in Waterway Primary School aims to nurture our students to become confident and responsible individuals who have self-discipline, integrity and empathy, and can contribute to the betterment of self and others with a Growth and Benefit mindset.

Student Leadership Framework

To establish a whole-school and progressive approach for effective Student Leadership Development (SLD), the framework below guides the planning and delivery of SLD processes and programmes to achieve the student outcomes.

The Student Leadership Framework sets a hierarchy for all Student Leaders in the School. All students undergo the Tier 1 training during CCE and FTGP lessons which provide students with the necessary set of skills to attain Self-Leadership. Tier 2 leaders hold appointments within the classroom and CCA. Tier 3 Leaders hold responsibilities beyond their classrooms and CCA. Tier 4 Leaders hold responsibilities and commitment to lead the other leaders.

Tier 2 to Tier 4 leaders undergo training specific to their roles and responsibilities. In addition, Tier 3 and Tier 4 leaders may also be engaged in school programmes as well as student initiated projects that may benefit the school and the community.

Student Leadership Tiers and Roles

In Waterway Primary, Student Leadership Development permeates across all students at various tiers. The tiered design of the approach caters to the implementation of various SLD activities for different groups, specific segments of the student population or the entire cohort of students. This differentiated approach ensures all students receive a baseline level of development while targeted training will stretch positional student leaders with role-specific skills.

The tiered approach is aligned to the guiding principle of inclusivity and the belief that every student can be a leader. Hence, intentional development of our student leaders will be carried out to achieve the desired student outcomes. The school aims to develop leadership qualities for all students in a tiered approach for all levels through CCE-FTGP lessons, MCCA modules, co-curriculum experiences, and leadership appointments.