Launched in 2019 our Student’s Union, named SRSU (Sotterly Ross Student Union) is fully affiliated to the NUS (the national union for university and college students). 

The purpose and driving motivator of a student union body is to help students have their voice heard and be able to influence changes or deliver improvements they would like to make to Sixth Form life – which aligns absolutely with our school ethos.

Student Union representatives are chosen by making a speech and outlining their personal manifesto and then all students in Sixth Form vote – every officer on the team is chosen by their peers through a democratic system. It is a great opportunity to get involved in school life and make a positive change, 

Introducing our SRSU Officers:

Bayan Yousif – President

As President of the SRSU, my role encompasses many different aspects; mainly, my job is to help all the members of the SRSU complete the goals and events they wish to make happen. This involves communicating with people higher up in school as well as members of the team in order to organise events and bring ideas to life. Throughout this role, I have been able to enjoy working effectively within the team and I feel as though my position within the SRSU could not be carried out without them. I would have to say the aspect I enjoyed the most is seeing the events we plan come together; for example, we had our secret santa within the Sixth Form and also had a very successful Valentine’s Hamper Raffle for the British Heart Foundation. Doing these events and taking on this role has allowed me to improve upon my communication skills, event planning and leadership skills, which are all helpful and transferable into my wider life.

Kate Lawrenson – Charities Officer

I’m currently the charity representative for the SRSU, which entails communicating and working with charities while representing the SRSU. We most recently raised over £100 during our last charity event – the Valentines Hamper. I really enjoy my role as it allows me to support our community through events and fundraising. It’s helped me further nourish my own skill set of communication, teamwork and organisation through my time in my role. Although I have my own role, as a group the entirety of the SRSU work together in a supportive environment and my peers and I support each other through any challenges we face.

Milly Ronan – Disabilities Officer

As the Disabilities officer for the SRSU I am responsible for helping to improve the experience of disabled students within the school community. I work closely with the diversity committee in order to identify and resolve issues that disabled students might face. I am currently organising some events for Autism Acceptance month in April that will help to fundraise for charities that support autistic people, as well as an assembly to educate people on the condition. This is important to me because I believe that education is one of the easiest ways to reduce intolerance and discrimination, which usually stems from ignorance. As an autistic person myself, I feel it is essential to raise awareness and encourage acceptance for all disabilities, both mental and physical, as it can make life much easier for disabled and abled people alike. One of the main ideas I would like to encourage is that disabled is not a dirty word. We are not ‘less than’ because of our disability, and calling someone disabled is not an insult. Diversity is beautiful and we should encourage it in all forms, whether that is race, sexuality or ability.

Tiffany Djagnikpo – Diversity and Inclusion Officer

As the Diversity and Inclusion Officer, I have recently set out to do my most enjoyable role in creating an Afro-Caribbean Society which will be moving forward to merge with the already made South-Asian Committee. This, as well as our SRSU meetings, have been the best part of my role as we feed back to each other on all the great things we are doing to make school life better – which has made me understand other aspects of working in a community i.e. marketing – as well as discussing any queries raised from younger peers that we can then take action on by involving the senior staff.

Chloe Midgley – Events Officer

As the SRSU Events Officer, it is important for me to ensure that I work with the rest of my team within the SRSU to organise events and ensure they run smoothly. As a team we’ve organised and ran multiple events across this academic year. We have organised an anti-bullying event within our year group where we decorated gingerbread men and chatted, we also organised a secret santa for Christmas where everyone exchanged a card and we had hot chocolate and pastries in the morning. My role was to ensure these events all ran smoothly and that everyone attended and enjoyed themselves whilst they were there. I’ve enjoyed working as a team with my peers and organising events that everyone can help with, and has equipped me with organisational and team-work skills that I know will be valuable in the future. 

Eleanor Cooke – LGBTQ+ officer

As the LGBTQ+ officer, it is my responsibility to go to IRIS and occasionally run it as well as plan an assembly. This is the most enjoyable part of my role because it creates a safe environment for queer people in the school. My role also involves going to meetings and planning events and making school a more enjoyable place for students. It is also great to be able to support charities and get the school involved in raising money. This role has been very beneficial and helped increase my confidence as well as build on team working skills and communication. 

Isobel Skinner – Media and Promotions Officer

As the SRSU Media Officer, I am responsible for creating promotional media, such as posters and presentations for the events and societies that we make as a team. I ensure that these contain the correct information and are distributed effectively so all students are aware of what is happening within the school. My favourite thing about this role is that I have creative freedom when designing posters and I find it very rewarding to see the final product around school. This role has been beneficial as I feel I have played an important part in improving communication within the school. It has also given me something to write about when applying for part-time jobs and other leadership roles in school. 

Katie Scollick – Treasurer 

The SRSU treasurer is an important role within the team. Working directly with the school Finance Officer Mrs Gent, I keep track of the SRSU expenses including organising floats for fundraising events, purchasing prizes and calculating our profits. So far my favourite activity has been assembling our Valentine’s hamper! Another member of the SRSU and I went out on a trip to Trinity Walk in Wakefield to purchase all the contents of the hamper. A few days later, a group of us got together in the common room and assembled it. I really enjoyed this because I got to work with peers who I normally wouldn’t spend time with and it has definitely given me the opportunity to develop important skills in teamwork and communication. 

Amina Khan – Well-being Officer

As the Well-being officer for the SRSU, I focus on issues affecting all aspects of non-academic student life, and improving the mental state of students by creating events that will improve their mood and give a break away from lessons, studying and revision. I believe a balanced lifestyle between school and personal free time is necessary and crucial to succeeding in your ambitions and aspirations. One event that I organised during the Christmas term was Secret Santa Christmas Cards for both Year 12/13, which made many cheer up on a cold winter’s morning with lovely messages to read on their cards. Although it required lots of management skills, I was proactive and had my wonderful team of officers to assist me. This is why I like working as a leader in wellbeing: to put a smile on students’ faces, and to work as part of a team: to help work towards a common vision. We have lots of upcoming events that we are all working hard towards, especially the Colour Run in the Summer, so watch out for that!