We are delighted to announce that our new Prefect team has been selected for the 2025/26 academic year. Larissa (L6 HR) and Sahil (SFC3) have been nominated as the Head Prefects.
Ava (L6 PW), Isabel (L6 HS), Jessica (L6 KP), Lana (L6 PW), Sophia (L6 MO), Tamara (L6 MO), Vaidika (L6 BM), Alex (SFJ3), Charlie (SFJ1), Ishan (SFH3), Mohammed (SFH2), Neel (SFC2), Saaj (SFR1), Saul (SFM1), Sebastian (SFS2) and Theo (SFM1), have also been appointed into the Prefect team.
They will play an active role in leading the Sixth Form and the wider School community. The Prefect team were elected by their year group and teachers and summed their roles with immediate effect.
The Senior Prefect teams were recently invited to the annual Haberdashers’ Company Leadership Conference, hosted at Habs Hall. The Heads, Larissa and Sahil, share their experience and lessons learnt from the Conference.
“As the Senior Prefect Teams for both the Girls’ and Boys’ Schools for the upcoming academic year, we were delighted to be invited to the annual Haberdashers’ Company Leadership Conference, hosted at Habs Hall as part of the Haberdashers’ Character programme. The event was truly eye-opening, encouraging us to explore novel concepts in relation to leadership, as well as giving us the opportunity to further develop our connection with the Haberdashers’ Company.
The event began with a formal evening dinner, before which we heard from Simon Lough (NED, Board Adviser and Trustee ) who encouraged us to take the opportunity to network at the conference, sharing his own tips and challenging us to speak to as many new people as possible. Speaking to members of the Haberdashers’ Company was invaluable, as they generously shared their own experiences and provided insightful advice specific to our own aspirations. After dinner, we heard from Shaninga Marasha (CEO of BIGKID Foundation) who spoke about the importance of leadership and mentorship, especially in relation to supporting the growth of young people.
On the second day, we heard from two inspirational speakers, starting with Lord Dr Michael Hastings of Scarisbrick. He shared his incredible journey and experiences; one thing that particularly stuck with us was his recount of meeting amazing leaders, such as Nelson Mandela, during his career. Lord Hastings reflected on Mandela’s forgiveness of his prison officers after being released after 27 years, teaching us important lessons in regards to the humanity of leadership. A quote that stuck with us was: ‘The power of love always prevails against the love of power – that’s what truly leads to world peace’. A particular takeaway from this talk is the importance of collaboration in our new roles, both between our schools and with the Livery Company. Afterwards, we heard from Claire Kennedy (Joint Chief Executive, PPL) who spoke about the practical application of leadership. Her discussion on the importance of self-reflection resonated with many of us, encouraging us to identify when to lead from the front, and when to perhaps take a ‘leading from the middle’ approach.
We then took part in a workshop led by Angus Watson, the Clerk of the Haberdashers’ Company, introducing us to different types of leadership and the necessity of basing progress on our own individual core values. At Habs, we strive to embody our four values, and greatly considered these in the following interactive session, where we planned key initiatives for the year ahead. It was inspiring to collaborate on ideas with students from other Haberdashers’ schools, incorporating goals that reflected all of our diverse backgrounds.
Following on from this, we participated in an engaging public speaking workshop with Robin Kermode (actor, author and communication coach). He shared fantastic tips for future events including speeches and interviews, considering leading with confidence and connecting with different audiences – advice that was truly valuable. We had the opportunity to practice these skills and receive personalised feedback, developing skills we hadn’t consciously thought about before.
After a great lunch, we took part in a team-building exercise with students from other schools, strengthening our problem-solving and communication skills while also getting to know others in a short space of time, developing strong friendships with other students.
Judge Anuja Dhir KC led the event’s closing session, sharing insights from her career, the challenges she faced growing up, and how she overcame them. She inspired us all with her message about standing up for what we believe in and how we can pave the way for other young people. As a whole Prefect Team, we reflected on key takeaways from the event, discussing how our perception of leadership has developed and, most importantly, how we can implement these ideas into our roles at Habs. The conference was an inspiring experience, aiding our development of integral lifelong skills, and was truly unique given the prestige of Habs Hall and our intrinsic connection to the Haberdashers’ Company.”
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