STUDENTS had the chance to be the staff for the day at The Taunton Academy.

On Tuesday, November 8, twin brothers Declan and Jack Moss became the top dogs of the school when they took over the positions of head and deputy head teachers.

Declan held staff meetings, greeted pupils in assembly and held student forums. His brother Jack was on corridor patrol and held classroom inspection.

Year 11 Elena Yarde was also a deputy for the day, which involved checking students’ exam scores and academic ratings.

The switch was part of the Children’s Commissioner’s Take Over Challenge, where pupils take on a variety of roles in school and within the community. Other students took over the canteen, taught lessons, became department heads and ran the theatre.

Head teacher, Jenny Veal, said: “Declan was an excellent head teacher, he really listened to the students as well as offering them his advice.

“Overall, I was impressed at how the students took this exercise really seriously.

“It wasn’t just about having a bit of fun, it was also about creating a purposeful learning environment. “It was amazing how attentive the students were to their peers while they were in charge.”

Head-for-the-day Declan said: “It was really interesting, I certainly got to see how a school is run from a management perspective. It was quite insightful to see how it all works from the inside.”

Within the community they helped at the Conquest Centre, Taunton Foodbank, Hestercombe Gardens and Cheddon Fitzpaine School.

Organiser and school support worker, Jayne Parsley, said: “The students were all very excited, they worked very hard preparing their lesson plans, researching their topics and meeting the staff they took over.”