Shaping the Future: Thomas on His Role as Deputy Head of School

As one of Sedbergh’s newly appointed Deputy Heads of School, Thomas has stepped into his final year with a strong sense of purpose. Balancing A Levels with leadership, he is determined to embody Sedbergh’s values of kindness and resilience, while acting as a role model and advocate for younger pupils. With ambitions to study Geography and Business at university, combined with aspirations to continue his rugby at a high level, Thomas is committed to making the most of every opportunity. His vision for the year is clear: to give pupils a stronger voice, foster a supportive environment, and ensure Sedbergh remains a place where everyone can thrive.

Have you noticed a difference in how you feel now in Year 13 compared to Year 12?

Being in Year 13 and now the oldest in the school, I feel a sense of responsibility to be a role model for younger years, showing them how to act, embodying the core values of Sedbergh such as kindness and resilience, and what it means to be a Sedberghian and part of such a special and unique school.

What does your role as Deputy Head of School entail?

First and foremost, my role as Deputy Head of School is to be a role model for people throughout the school, someone to look up to that embodies what Sedbergh is all about, and I try to do this on a daily basis. Along with this, I am also a person that anyone in the school can come and talk to about a problem they may be having or things that they may want to be changed or added within the school so that we can make the school a place for everyone, where they can enjoy different activities and hobbies that they may have as well as finding new interests.

What’s the biggest challenge for you juggling your role as Deputy Head of School and your A levels?

So far I haven’t struggled with trying to balance my role as Deputy Head of School and A levels as I think that there has been a good balance of having plenty to do but not being swamped in work. I think this is important as it means that I can do the best I possibly can in my academics, which is important, while also developing skills of time and task management so that I get everything done and for the right deadline, which will be a good and useful skill in the future.

What were your thoughts on being honoured with this appointment?

I was very honoured when asked to be Deputy Head of School, as I was excited to gain a role of leadership where I could be a role model for younger people within the school as well as also being a voice for them and their ideas. I am a big advocate of pupils having their own voice within the school to make it the best place possible for them.

Do you have a vision for what you’d like to achieve as Deputy Head of School?

As Deputy Head of School, I would like to see the school become a place where pupils have a voice and are heard by staff that are able to make changes and implement ideas that students have. As well as this, I want to push the school to be a positive environment where people get behind and support everyone.

Do you know what pathway you’d like to follow when you finish at Sedbergh?

Currently I plan to go to university after I finish school to study a degree in geography and business, with an offer of a placement year where I can either go work abroad or within the UK to get real-world experience. As well as this, I look to carry on my rugby with potentially getting a professional contract or playing BUCS Super Rugby with my chosen university.

Why that pathway?

I have chosen this pathway because it feels most natural for me, not knowing what exact job I want to do in the long term, but being able to go and gain some experience while I also further my knowledge in the subjects that I enjoy makes the most sense to me. That way I can find out more on what I specifically enjoy and want to do as a job in the future, while also being able to add and strengthen my CV for employers.

Are there any Sedbergh staff or programmes that are really helping you to achieve your goals?

I think that doing my EPQ last year in Year 12 was very useful, not only helping with my application process, it gave me an insight into how to write a detailed project which I hadn’t done before and taught me how to thoroughly research an area that I enjoyed.