School Council Voice
Our school encourages pupils to have a real say in issues that affect them and to know that their opinions count. Our School Council consists of two pupils from Years 2 through to 5, and these pupils are elected by their peers to represent them and their views.
Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) states that children and young people should have a say in decisions that affect their lives. Our School Council was set up to offer this; a meaningful and consistent initiative through which pupils can voice their opinions and have their views considered in decisions which impact them. A School Council that is nurtured and supported can help to improve many general aspects of school life, and furthermore provides pupils with active participation, leadership, and development opportunities. We hope to inspire our pupils and teach them about democracy, local and global citizenship, and accountability.
Pupils elected as members of the 2021/2022 School Council are:
Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6
Florence Archie Evie Maria Robert
Charlie Eden Alex Harry H Leena
We are the pupil voice!
Throughout the current academic year we are going to be holding regular meetings to discuss and sort out problems which may include:
- Fundraising ideas and events
- Charities the school will support
- School behaviour, rewards and sanctions
- Carrying out ideas that have been agreed
At our very first meeting of the academic year we discussed our roles and responsibilities, and what it really means to be a member of the School Council and a representative of our respective peers. Details of further meetings can be found below:
4th November 2021
Items followed up by pupils at this meeting were:
- Toys and resources at break times - feedback was provided regarding this as the children felt that there were not enough available
- Pokemon cards - each class was asked to discuss potential rules around these. Year 3 and Year 5 provided feedback, but Years 2, 4 and 6 have not been able to fully discuss this as yet. The rules of trading cards, and where Pokemon cards should be stored whilst in school, were considered.
- Litter on the playground - the children discussed whether or not volunteers are needed for this.
- Children In Need - the date for this is Friday 19th November. The children discussed lots of ideas and opted for pupils to be able to:
- wear yellow and/or spots for a £1 donation. The children discussed the importance of not needing to buy anything spotty and therefore have to spend lots of money on this, but perhaps cut out spots and attach these to clothing instead.
- participate in a drawing competition linked to spots - for example leopards, dalmations - for a 50p donation. There will be a competition winner chosen from each year group and a prize awarded.
- offer a cookie/cake sale. Mrs Cooper to be asked if she can please make these, which will be sold to pupils and families for £1 each.
Discussion points raised by pupils this week:
- Stop Meat-Free Mondays - Instigated by two pupils in Year 5 recently, this was discussed at length with regards to how the children feel about it. It was decided that this topic would be addressed further in all classes after Christmas, followed by a whole school vote on the matter so that all pupils could contribute and have their say in any subsequent decision made.
Actions from the meeting this week:
- To make posters to advertise Children In Need and place these around the school. Posters will be passed to office staff so that they can be included in the school newsletter.
- Relevant staff to be approached for discussion around litter picking on the school playground and how this can best be addressed/managed.
- Class teachers to be made aware that the "Stop Meat-Free Monday" campaign is to be put on hold until after the Christmas break
