Prefect Team Interview 2024: What it means to be a Prefect at Pipers Corner

To help understand the role of a Prefect here at Pipers, we spoke to the Head Girl's Team and Heads of House about being Prefects and what is rewarding and inspiring about being ambassadors of the School.

Tell us about being a Prefect at Pipers

It's a role that has lots of opportunities. You act as a role model to younger students who really look up to you, but you are also able to impact change within the School by leading on new initiatives. You take advantage of the opportunities to take the lead, either as a Head of House or a member of the Head Girl’s Team. Our responsibilities can include organisation of Year Group events, Leadership and charity events, keeping schedules for tours for our prospective families, organising and running House meetings and developing team-building activities. As Student Heads, we also have to make sure we dress and act appropriately to be effective ambassadors of the School.

What experience led you to your role as a Prefect?

As we moved up through the School we always found the Prefects inspiring. We had a lot of respect for them for making positive impacts and it makes you feel empowered to do the same thing! We wanted to be leaders even back in Year 7, so we put ourselves out there and took part in the unique opportunities available at the School.

What is the most rewarding part of being a Prefect?

When you put all your work into something, for example an event and it all goes smoothly and better than we imagined, it's so rewarding. The School is filled with teachers and students who respect each other, but the amount of trust and responsibilities that Prefects receive and for teachers to know they can depend on us is a wonderful feeling. The students also approach us if they need help or want specific advice. We pride ourselves on being approachable.

We really do inspire and motivate each other as well. Even with simple day-to-day stuff that comes with the role, we also make sure we're all taken care of and give other a boost when we need it.

What are the challenges of being a Prefect?

When we first started our roles, it was hard to keep on top of the workload that comes with being a Prefect or a Head of House, it can be especially hard around the exam period. What's nice is that we all work well together, so we rely on and help each other during these periods. We're always happy and open to share responsibilities with each other even if our role dictates otherwise. 

Did you receive any advice from the previous Prefect team?

The previous Head Girl and members of the team were wonderful in sharing their ideas with us. A part of our responsibilities is organising tours, so they gave us useful information on co-ordinating timetables and schedules. Previous Heads of House gave us details on how best to tackle certain situations, so that was extremely beneficial for us. We all had feedback to help us develop our roles.

What advice would you give students who want to be a Prefect?

Get out there and throw yourself into everything around the School. Be a helpful member of the community and strive to do it not for the role, but for yourself. You should be willing to get involved, have respect for each and every one of your classmates and listen to the opinions of others. You are all equals in your year, so wearing the robe does not mean you are more important than anyone else.

You must also be prepared for the responsibilities that come with the role. The amount of extra work that come on top of your A Levels is significant and shouldn't be underestimated. It must be something you want, so make your mark, help your classmates and also help the current Prefects, that's something we always appreciate, and you will get valuable experience.