School Council
Why do we have a School Council?
The School’s Council is an ideal opportunity for pupils to get more involved in the way the school is run. We respect and value the thoughts and opinions of our children and whilst it may not always be possible or practical to do everything they suggest, children do have some fantastic ideas.
The School Council benefits the whole school, pupils and teachers because it provides opportunities for pupils to communicate their feelings as well as influence decisions that are made within school.
Councillors develop skills such as confidence, communication and negotiation. It is the responsibility of each Councillor to ensure that they express both their own views and the views of all the other pupils they represent. We want to encourage our pupils to respect the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs.
Who would make a good school councillor?
Any child in the school can stand to be a school council representative for their class. It is not a decision made by teachers but by the children. A good school councillor does need to have some of the following qualities though:
- A good listener and speaker
- Friendly character
- A team player
- Keen to make a contribution to improving our school
- Able to represent the views of others
- Willing to give up some of their time
- Has lots of good ideas
- Sets a good example to others
- Good communicator
What will our School Council do?
Our School Council meet regularly with Miss O'Brien to discuss ideas and may be set the following tasks. These tasks may involve:
- Collecting information from our class using a questionnaire
- Collecting new ideas from our class
- Asking our class their opinions
- Presenting to the whole school
- Collecting information from our teachers
- Talking to school visitors
What has the School Council achieved so far?
- We carried out a questionnaire to see what the children of St Francis would like to make the school better for them. One of the main comments was having more equipment for the playground. The School Council acted on this and ordered lots of equipment for both playgrounds!
- We have carried out lots of questionnaires within our classes and have lots of discussions about what our next steps are going to be!