Yesterday was one of those incredibly special days when you cannot help but feel immensely proud of our pupils.

An amazing 29 Year 6 children put themselves forward for the roles of Head and Deputy Head Pupils. Each candidate delivered a speech on stage to all 353 pupils in the junior school before visiting every infant class to explain why they would be a good Head Pupil and what they hoped to achieve if elected.

I was absolutely blown away – as were the other staff – by the quality of their speeches, the ideas they put forward and the confidence with which they spoke. Standing on a stage and addressing so many of your peers is an incredibly nerve-wracking thing to do, but they were so amazing!

The speeches included some very ambitious promises, ranging from extra playtimes, new playground equipment, more sports clubs and additional school trips to cookies for everyone and even ice cream Fridays!

However, what impressed us most was the sincerity behind their words. One pupil delivered their entire speech without using any notes whatsoever. Another spoke movingly about arriving at St Julian’s as a very shy child and gradually developing the confidence to put themselves forward for Head Pupil. Others reflected warmly on their years at our school and spoke passionately about wanting to support younger children and make our school an even better place.

As some of the children spoke, I genuinely felt a lump in my throat. Their love for the school, their desire to help others and the confidence they have developed during their time with us made me incredibly proud. Driving home last night, I found myself seriously wondering whether it might be possible to have 29 Head Pupils!

Today, every pupil and member of staff cast their vote. Choosing between such impressive candidates was an extremely difficult task, and the results were announced during our end-of-day assembly.

A huge congratulations to our new Head Pupils, Freya and Ruzgar, and to our new Deputy Head Pupils, Lola, Lottie, Ollie and Isaac!

They will meet with me over the coming week to discuss their priorities before delivering an assembly to share more about their plans. They will also record a podcast to talk about their ideas for the school and, throughout the year, will represent St Julian’s at a range of events.

The children who put themselves forward but were not elected will be invited to become School Ambassadors. We will meet with them on Friday to talk more about this important role and the many ways in which they can contribute to school life.

We are enormously proud of every child who had the courage to put themselves forward. Each of them represented themselves, their families and our school brilliantly – and they should all feel exceptionally proud of what they achieved.