School and Trust Leadership

At Gorsefield Primary School, we believe that every child has the capacity to lead, influence and create change. We do not allow circumstance, background or the challenges faced by our community to define the futures available to our pupils. Instead, we use our diverse community as a source of strength, ambition and purpose.

Through Forward as One -One Family, we seek to develop a generation of young people who understand that leadership is not a position or a title, but the ability to take responsibility, influence others, solve problems, challenge injustice and make a positive difference.

Our approach to pupil leadership is deliberate, ambitious and deeply embedded. Pupils are given authentic opportunities to lead, make decisions, collaborate, communicate, resolve conflict and advocate for others. Through these experiences, they develop the personal qualities and transferable skills that underpin exceptional leadership.

We believe that these qualities extend far beyond academic success. They prepare our pupils to navigate an increasingly complex and competitive world, to access future education and employment opportunities and to contribute meaningfully to their communities. Most importantly, they strengthen our commitment to equality of opportunity and social mobility.

Our ambition extends beyond the boundaries of Gorsefield. We want our pupils to recognise themselves as future leaders of Radcliffe and beyond - leaders in their professions, communities, schools, organisations and society. As Radcliffe continues to evolve, our pupils have a unique opportunity to understand their community, contribute to its future and become part of the change they want to see.

With this vision in mind, we look outward. We consider who currently holds positions of influence across our country, who has historically been underrepresented and how this landscape is changing. We want our pupils to see both the progress that has been made and the work that remains.

We do not simply want our pupils to aspire to become tomorrow’s leaders.

We want them to believe that they can shape what leadership looks like.

Women now hold 44% of FTSE 100 board positions, compared with 24.5% in 2017, while ethnic minority people hold 20% of FTSE 100 directorships, compared with 12% in 2019. Almost every FTSE 100 company now has at least one ethnic minority director- 98 in 2025, compared with just 47 in 2016.

But progress at board level does not yet mean equality at the very top. In 2025, only nine of the FTSE 100 companies had a female CEO, down from ten in 2023. There were 14 ethnic minority CEOs, but none were women from an ethnic minority background. Black people held just 2.3% of FTSE 100 directorships, compared with 3.9% of the UK population aged 30–69.

In 2019, women made up 34% of MPs, with 220 women elected to the House of Commons. At the 2024 General Election, 263 women were elected- 40% of all MPs and the highest number ever recorded.

This represents significant progress towards greater gender representation in political leadership. However, women still do not hold an equal share of seats. As of March 2026, women make up around 41% of MPs, meaning that men continue to hold the majority of seats in Parliament.

1979: 19 women MPs — 3%
1997: 120 women MPs — 18%
2019: 220 women MPs — 34%
2024: 263 women MPs — 40%

When our pupils look at the history of political leadership, they can see that change happens. The question for their generation is not whether change is possible, but what change they will choose to make.

Why this matters to us

We want our pupils not simply to see themselves as future leaders, but to understand that they have the power and responsibility to make leadership more representative, inclusive and equitable for future generations.

The picture is changing - and our pupils can be part of that change. The progress made over recent years shows that barriers can be challenged and leadership can become more representative. But the remaining gaps remind us that there is still work to do. We want every child at Gorsefield to see leadership as something that is open to them, regardless of their gender, ethnicity, background or circumstance- and to develop the confidence, skills and ambition to shape the future rather than simply inherit it.

Both Gorsefield and Forward as One’s mission is to challenge the current demographic and create inclusive, representative leaders of the future, including those from social deprivation, poverty, and ethnically diverse communities. We want pupils to take charge of rapid change and engage with our local communities, bringing their own personal experiences and challenges to a national level. We know as educators, and citizens of the 21st century, that talent is equally distributed, but opportunity is not. It is our job to bridge the gap not only for our communities but for the young people who make them stronger.

We have therefore devised a 2-layered approach to pupil leadership. 

1) Gorsefield Primary School Little Leaders and Young Leaders, including their respective Departments.

This pupil leadership structure exemplifies Fundamental British Values through mirroring the Governmental structure of Departments. Pupil leadership is distributed across six departments: Department of Education; Health, Wellbeing and Safety; Rights & Justice; Sports; Environment; and Media and Culture.  Each of these departments, and the leaders within them, play an important role in contributing to the vision, ideas, shaping and making a significant impact to life in school and beyond.  

Each department consists of ‘Little Leaders’ and ‘Young Leaders’. Our Little Leaders comprise of children in KS1, and their positions focus on key tasks that ensure that school runs effectively. Our Little Leaders lead about the skills required for operational tasks, such as organisation, turn-taking and listening. For example, Little Leaders in the Department for Media and Culture share Picture News articles with each class, which are placed in classroom reading areas. These accessible jobs give our youngest pupils great operational responsibility, whereas our Young Leaders take a more strategic direction in the visionary outlook of the school, learning the vital skills needed for visionary/ strategic leadership such as coaching techniques, innovation, aligning etc. For instance, our Department for Education recently consulted about the school’s feedback policy, playing an integral part in shaping its key elements and monitoring the impact of this through quality assurance opportunities. 

All pupils must apply to be a member of each department. Their applications must include evidence of their commitment to learning, understanding the eight learning goals and how they are able to demonstrate this for the department chosen. Close links are made to the Learning without Limits curriculum. 

Pupils meet at the start and end of each half-term. They plan what they would like to achieve in the half-term, then review the progress. Additionally, pupils can reference this against the UNCRC rights, ensuring that their rights and the rights of others have been met throughout this process.

2) Forward As One 3 Step Approach to Pupil Leadership: Trust Primary Pledge, TPQL and Pupil Advisory Board. All of which can be found in more detail within the handbook below. Forward as One Pupil Leadership

Well-considered pupil leadership enables pupils to develop vital non-cognitive skills such as conscientiousness, teamwork and emotional maturity. Leadership opportunities can also provide pupils with the skills that inspire, motivate and influence others, and the deliberate teaching and opportunities of pupils’ leadership, when done well, can build life skills such as communication, conflict resolution and decision making. These essential qualities help to distinguish pupils in an extremely competitive and ever-changing world. Educating the whole person brings wider benefits to community and society too. It enables equality of opportunity, fair pursuit of jobs and further education, and increased social mobility.

Our Mission

‘For us, leading schools with hope is not merely wishful thinking, an optimistic outlook, or a positive attitude towards the future. It is a deeper, broader, richer concept that is rooted in God’s love and compassion for all people and for the whole of creation.’

Reverend Nigel Genders, Church of England’s Chief Education Officer

Our Hope 

• Place the voice of the children and young people at the centre of decision making
• A vision for education, curriculum and learning experiences that prepare children for an exciting, rapidly-changing world
• Prioritise equity, diversity, belonging, inclusion and justice for children from all backgrounds in all aspects of school life