Scissett CE Academy
School Council
What is the School Council?
We are an organisation of councillors who aim towards making the school a better place. We try to help come up with ideas to help everyone in this school. We aim to make school a bully free place and a safe place. We aim to make everyone in this school happy and to help them enjoy learning.
We organise worship times, events and make decisions on behalf of the other children in our school.
Who are the School Councillors?
To become a school councillor, we had to write speeches to present to our class. Then every child in the class got to vote on who deserves the role.
Year 5 - Ben H and Bea G
Year 4 - Amorai S and Harry B
Year 3 - Finlay P and Maisie H
Year 2 - Libby A and Emilia L
What do we hope to achieve this year?
This year we would like to:
- · Fix the trim trail
- · Make our school look as clean and tidy as possible
- · Clean up rubbish around our school
Intent
At Scissett CE Academy, we have an established School Council with representatives from Year 2 to Year 5. We aim to encourage our children to:
- Develop confidence and responsibility and make the most of their abilities
- Prepare them to play an active role as citizens
- Develop healthy, safer lifestyles
- Develop good relationships and respect the differences between people
- To have a “voice” and to share their opinions and ideas with others
We value the benefits of operating a School Council. The School Council represents the whole school. We feel they benefit the whole community and as a school we operate as a community. Our School Council supports our wider school community in many ways from making decisions about our school environment, leading worship times and showcasing our school to visitors.
Implementation
Our School Council aims to prepare our pupils for citizenship by teaching them about roles, rights and responsibilities within the school system. We hold yearly elections in Years 2, 3, 4 and 5 so that different representatives can nominate themselves and explain their vision and plans for being a Councillor. Classes then vote for their two class representatives. In Years 4 and 5, School Councillors have an additional responsibility for ensuring that views from Years R and 1 are brought to meetings.
Each class has a School Council book, in which they can record ideas and plans that they wish to bring to the School Council meetings. This is also a place for pupils to record the ideas of other children in their class, if they have something they would like the School Council to discuss. It is the responsibility of the School Councillors to relay information from the meetings to their classes.
The School Council will vote for a chair. This is the person who makes sure everyone gets a turn to speak and encourages all members to contribute. We also have a vice-chair, who can take on this role if the chair is absent. In addition the School Council will ensure someone takes notes during the meeting and the notes should assist the feedback classes receive after the meeting.
At the end of the School Council’s meeting, everyone needs to know what they have to do next. The chair needs to make sure members know what to do and what they have to say to their class.
Our School Council also has a link teacher who is responsible for organising Council meetings and sharing ideas between the teaching staff and pupils.
Impact
Through our provision of School Council, we ensure that children have a safe, happy and fair learning environment as well as the opportunity to shape their school for themselves and future pupils. It also allows our pupils to be actively involved in the wider organisation of the school. Our process of elections gives pupils an opportunity to experience a democratic process and take on leadership roles within our school.
School Councillors are also involved in consultations regarding whole school changes, allowing them to develop a sense of responsibility over their school. For the school, this ensures that pupils views are considered in their developments and that pupils are given the opportunity to shape their own educational experiences where possible.
School Council Minutes