Throughout this academic year, the Student Council have played a leading role in reviewing and redesigning the school's tie. This project provided students with an authentic opportunity to influence an important aspect of school life while learning about leadership, consultation, democracy, and decision-making.

The process began with a series of Student Council meetings held across the year with Mr O’Hagan and Ms Jassal. Student Council representatives from each year group gathered feedback from their peers regarding the current school tie and discussed whether changes should be considered. Students shared a range of views, including ideas about modernising the design, improving school identity, and ensuring the ties reflected the values of the school community.

Following these discussions, Student Council members reported back to the wider Whole School Council. Through these meetings, students considered the opinions collected from tutor groups and year groups before agreeing that a review of the school tie should move forward.

This information was shared in a Student Council meeting with Ms Jassal and Ms Hall, where they decided on what criteria should be considered for designing the tie.

To ensure all students understood why the tie would be changing, and had an opportunity to contribute, members of the Student Council developed and delivered assemblies to KS3. During these assemblies, students explained:

• Why the tie's redesign was being considered
• The role of the Student Council in representing student voice
• The importance of democratic participation
• The process that would be followed to ensure every student had a chance to contribute

The assemblies encouraged students to become actively involved in shaping a visible part of the school's identity.

Design Competition

Following the assemblies, students in Years 7 and 8 were invited to participate in a tie design competition. Student Council members created a clear design brief and set of criteria to guide entries.

Designs were required to:

• Be practical and suitable for everyday school wear
• Incorporate school colours where appropriate
• Be distinctive and recognisable
• Be suitable for production as a school tie.

Students were given time to develop their ideas and submit their designs. The response was extremely positive, with many creative and thoughtful entries received from across both year groups.

Shortlisting the Designs

Once all entries had been collected, the Student Council met with Ms Jassal to review every submission. Students carefully considered each design against the agreed criteria and discussed the strengths of each proposal.

After thorough consideration, the council shortlisted the six strongest designs. These represented a variety of creative approaches while meeting the practical requirements for a school tie.

The shortlisted designs were then shared with tutor groups in key stage 3.

  Learning About Democracy

Before voting took place, tutor groups participated in a lesson focused on democracy, representation, and voting systems. Students explored:

• The principles of democratic decision-making
• Why voting matters
• How elections and ballots work
• The importance of making informed choices.

This learning helped students understand that their vote would directly influence a real school decision.

Whole-School Vote

Following the democracy lesson, students were given the opportunity to cast a formal vote using ballot papers.

The voting process mirrored real democratic elections. Students were able to review the six shortlisted designs before selecting their preferred option. Ballot papers were completed confidentially and collected for counting.

The process ensured that every student's voice could be heard and that the final decision would be based on the views of the school community.

   

Counting and Publishing the Results

Student Council members took responsibility for counting the votes. Working carefully and transparently, students verified totals and ensured the process was accurate and fair.

Once the count had been completed, the winning design was confirmed and the results were published. The Student Council shared the outcome through tutor notices, assemblies, and school communications.

Students were proud to see that a decision affecting the whole school had been made through an enthusiastic democratic process.

  

 

Communicating with Parents

As the final stage of the project, members of the Student Council worked together to draft a letter to parents and carers. The letter explained:

• Why the tie redesign project had taken place
• How students had been consulted
• The design competition process
• The democratic vote
• The winning design and next steps.

This communication celebrated the significant contribution made by students throughout the project and demonstrated the school's commitment to student leadership and student voice.

This project has been an excellent example of meaningful student participation. From gathering feedback and presenting assemblies to organising voting and communicating with parents, Student Council members have demonstrated leadership, responsibility, teamwork, and commitment to improving their school community.

Most importantly, students have experienced democracy in action and have seen first-hand how their ideas and votes can influence decisions that affect the whole school.

This process has shown the power of the student voice at Heston Community School, with students leading a project from initial consultation through to final decision-making and implementation.

LB [7B] – Student Council: We were all stood eagerly waiting in line for our turn to choose which tie design we preferred. Despite the fact that many people wanted our basic tie design or something completely different, our minds were completely set on this momentous occasion where we got to express our opinions rather than everything being done for us without us having an opinion.

I contributed by sharing my ideas and giving an idea of boundaries and rules and how it would be nice if we could influence our PSHE lessons where we learnt about democracy.

AU [7P] – Student Council: My experience of student council allowed me to develop my skills of communication, coordination and listening by participating in discussions, listening carefully to the other members of the Student Council and working towards a goal. The main change of this academic school year was the re-design of our ties. We gave students the opportunity to design their own tie as a chance for it to be the new tie for the whole school. There were rules for submitting the ties such as deadlines and the tie required the school tie on the top part of the tie. From the hundreds of ties submitted, we narrowed them down to only 6. From there, we gave all the students a chance to vote out the 6 ties and Y7 had a lesson about democracy, as it links to students being able to have a chance to vote. Being on the Student Council allowed me to listen to the different views and opinions of students all around the school who also want to make positive changes to our school.

Year 7 Rounders Team Secure A Fantastic 10–4 Victory Over The Heathland School

Our Year 7 rounders team delivered an outstanding performance last week, securing an impressive 10–4 win against The Heathland School in a match full of energy, teamwork, and skill.

From the very first innings, our team showed confidence and determination. Strong and accurate batting from Sharon and Mansirat allowed them to score quickly, with several well-placed hits sending the opposition fielders under pressure. The team demonstrated excellent communication when running between posts, in particular Raisam, Ariana and Sonam making smart decisions to build a lead early in the game.

On the field, the team were equally impressive. Sharp catching, quick thinking, and accurate throwing limited The Heathland School’s scoring opportunities. Several key players made crucial outs at important moments, which helped maintain control of the match throughout.

What stood out most was the team’s excellent teamwork and positive attitude for their first game of the season. Every player contributed, supporting one another and showing great sportsmanship from start to finish. Their focus and effort paid off, resulting in a well-deserved victory.

A huge well done to all players involved – we are incredibly proud of your performance!

We look forward to seeing the team continue their success in upcoming matches after half-term.

Team: Leyla, Mansirat, Jiyana, Sonam, Sharon, Raisam, Sargun and Ariana.

Reflecting on the DofE practice expedition, I was able to develop confidence in my navigation skills and learn to trust myself even if it was difficult to.  And adapt to being in an unfamiliar environment. One of the most challenging moments was the long walk back from the Co‑op checkpoint to the campsite on the first day, arriving at the camp where tiredness and exhaustion while carrying my heavy rucksack tested my resilience, but we kept going by managing our pace. Even when we got lost, we still pushed through, which I think taught me an important life lesson [NN Y12]

Upon reflection, the DofE practice expedition enabled me to develop my communication skills and improve my navigation skills, as that was something I struggled with at the start of the practice expedition and I was also able to improve my problem solving skills. Instead of panicking during stressful or difficult situations, I was able to think carefully and to solve them on my own. One thing that I liked was the change of environment/scenery as it allowed me to learn to adapt to different environments and stay ambitious and resilient [AW Y12]

On Friday, we started off by reaching the skate park successfully but took the wrong route, not following the map correctly. This was a huge disappointment to us as we thought we had successfully managed to follow our route. However, Mr Ghataura informed us we went in circles for about 3 hours! We did have a nice pit stop at a park a few feet from the skate park where we ate our lunch and went on the swings, which made us really enjoy having come to the expedition!
Having gone in circles the first day, I was motivated to document our route & stops for Saturday. With emotions running both low [from the lack of sleep due to the cold conditions] and high [determination to get to our checkpoints with a route we designed] we started our route and knew we followed the route 90% correctly this time as I documented the timings and the road names when we entered and left. Sadly, we encountered a carcase of a deer. We left a flower nearby to pay our respects, which helped us a little bit overcome the traumatic site. [AB Y12]

On the morning of Friday the 01 of May, we were to set off for our DofE practice expedition, I felt a sense of both nervousness and unease. We brought journals to record our emotions throughout different parts of the expedition, as that was our team goal. On the coach ride there, I was more at ease since I was able to interact with my teammates. We played card games and did some drawing, and that allowed me to relax a bit. After we set off upon arrival to the parking lot [with a few hiccups], I felt somewhat confident. Overall, the Friday route was alright. Along the route we had some difficulties, but it wasn’t a bad first impression of the hike and the ones yet to come. We arrived at the skate park and met up with groups 4 and 6, saw the minivan pull up into the local parking area and were taken to the campsite. The time at the campsite was amazing. Our team was able to relax, get some food, set up our tents and other necessities. It was nice to interact and socialise with everyone there. [VH Y12]

During the expedition, I motivated my team throughout the journey, so we did not give up and got further along the route that we had taken. At times, we were tired and exhausted, but we kept pushing through. Our team goals had us assessing the nature of the environment and the paths we took. When assessing these goals in our expedition, I noticed that some paths were small and hard to notice. Using the map, we could see the path, but when we got there, we had to work hard to find the path we were looking for as it blended into the environment, making it hard to spot. It took us some time to find the paths, but we got there in the end. When we did find the paths, the majority of the paths had no letters and were clean. [OG Y12]

Before the Easter holidays, the Music, Dance and Drama departments organised a phenomenal showcase with a variety of flawless acts. We performed a traditional style of dance, accompanied by live music played by Shaan and Dylan Gill. The crowd was taken aback by the use of instruments, such as the electric guitar, drums, dhol, piano and the captivating singers. Year 9 students also executed an infamous production of Othello, a traditional Shakespearean play, which was perfectly engaging. One of the most iconic acts was Richard Sandu enacting the legendary Michael Jackson. Overall, it was an exceptional event which gave all performers an opportunity to express their talents with their determination. The audience was mesmerised by every single act and the hard work they put in. Thank you to all those who took part and were involved!

Jaania Kanvar [11Y] and Jaya Dhillon [11B]

 

 

I’m interested in going into business, especially the financial side, because I study Business at school and enjoy working with numbers, analysing information and understanding how companies make financial decisions. I’m considering becoming a financial accountant or going into management for high-end car brands.

I’ve chosen this pathway because I like problem-solving and seeing how financial decisions impact real businesses. My strengths include organisation — I manage my tasks well and meet deadlines — and communication, as I can explain my ideas clearly, which is important when presenting financial information.

I’ve been researching accounting careers and attending virtual events with companies like PwC, Lloyds and BDO, which have given me more detailed information about the role. UCAS Day was also really helpful because it showed me the different qualifications and routes into finance, which helped me understand what I need to do next.

My next steps are to find a good company to work with and hopefully secure a placement, as well as completing an introductory accounting course to build my knowledge.

Maria Beigi – Business & Finance Pathway

I’m interested in something related to finance, possibly becoming an accountant. I’ve chosen this path because I want to gain practical experience while developing skills that are useful in many industries. I enjoy working with numbers and understanding how money is managed in real businesses. I’m also interested in how financial decisions are made and how they affect the success of an organisation. I like the idea of earning money while learning and gaining real-life experience instead of only studying in a classroom.

I believe I have strong attention to detail, good organisation, time management and clear communication skills. I’ve completed virtual experiences on Springpod and Unifrog activities related to business and employability. I’ve also researched different finance apprenticeships and their entry requirements. UCAS Day helped me understand the different routes available in finance.

My next step would be to watch a video or documentary about finance careers, such as “A Day in the Life of a Finance Apprentice.” One clear goal for the next 3–6 months is to complete an online finance course and build a small portfolio of notes and activities to support future apprenticeship applications.

Zubaida Malik – Finance Pathway

 

I have chosen to pursue Biomedical Sciences because I’m interested in understanding the root causes of diseases rather than only treating the symptoms. Many science students go into medicine, but I want to focus on how illnesses develop and contribute to future medical breakthroughs.

UCAS Day helped me understand the different pathways within biomedical sciences and how universities structure their courses. To explore this career further, I’ve looked into different sub‑sections such as haematology and developed skills like precision and accuracy through my science subjects, especially chemistry.

My next steps are to continue researching universities, complete relevant activities on Unifrog, and revise consistently so I can work towards this pathway with confidence.

Najma Noor – Biomedical Sciences Pathway