School Council Members
The Youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow.
- Nelson Mandela
Intent
A school council is a formal group of pupils within a school who are elected by their peers to represent them and their views.
At Manor Primary we embrace Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) where it stipulates that children and young people should have a say in decisions that affect their lives.
Our school council will provide a meaningful way in which pupils can voice their opinions and have their views taken into account in decisions which impact upon them helping to improve many aspects of school life within our Manor Primary 'micro-society'.
As we use this as an important and useful way to provide leadership and development opportunities for pupils it is our intent to increase participation, teach our young people about democracy, local and global citizenship, responsibility and accountability and the value of witnessing how contribution and action leads to change.
Implementation
As a school, we value our school councillors as their voice and ideas are integral to making our school the inspiring and enthusiastic place it is. The election of our school councillors is held annually in the first part of the Autumn term of each academic year.
Every child from Foundation 2 to Year 6 is given the opportunity to take part in a 'hustings' event where they present to their class their visions, values and positive characteristics which they believe will make them a good representative. From this, children then vote democratically for who they feel will suit the role of a school councillor.
Each year group votes for their own year group councillors who will then represent them at school council meetings chaired by Mr Croft our PSED/PSHE/RSE lead. school council meetings are held fortnightly where notes are taken. During these meetings projects, ideas, fundraising opportunities and pupil voice opinions are shared and discussed. School councillors will then report back to their class the outcomes of each meeting, with Mr Croft sharing the minutes with staff.
At the end of each half-term Mr Croft will support the children in creating a report to be sent to the SLT and Governors as a summary of all items which have been explored.
Impact
We believe that our school council provides a meaningful way in which pupils can voice their opinions and have their views considered in decisions which impact upon them. It enhances children’s confidence, self-esteem and promotes the development of life skills like problem solving, negotiation and decision-making. Through the school council, our children will have the knowledge and skills to be able to make appropriate decisions and express their opinions respectfully. It allows our children to have increased responsibility, involvement and commitment within our school and the community, allowing them to become empowered young people. At Manor Primary School, we believe having a school council enables improved communication and relationships between staff and children. This in turn promotes improvements in pupil behaviour and school ethos.
Welcome to our new 2023-2024 School Council Members
