School Council

At Rudheath Primary Academy, we intend to give our pupils a voice. 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 the decisions that affect their lives. A school council provides a meaningful way for our children to voice their opinions, share their views and see how these decisions impact them.

We aim to provide a safe and fair learning environment where children are free to say what they think should happen, have their opinions taken into account when adults are making decisions that affect them and take an active role in organising school events.

Within the school council, representatives are given the opportunity to make positive contributions toward the school, enabling them to see and understand that their views and opinions count.

At Rudheath Primary Academy, we value pupil's voice and consider the ideas and views of the children integral in making our school a happy, inspirational, and enthusiastic place to learn. By holding annual elections for our school councillors, we ensure that our children’s voices are heard. 

Every child from year 2 to year 6 is given the opportunity to create a manifesto and share it with their peers and teachers. We also elect councillors to represent EYFS and year 1.

From this, children can vote democratically for the person they think will do the best job representing them at the school council.

Each year group votes for their representative. Representatives are then appointed for the roles of Chair/Vice Chair and Secretary/Vice Secretary.

School council meetings take place every two weeks. During the meetings, project ideas, fundraising opportunities and opinions are shared. Members draw up an agenda and take minutes. The children are encouraged to make positive contributions and actively listen during meetings. The counsellors need to be trained, supported, and encouraged in order to give prompt feedback to classes, teachers, SLT and governors when necessary.

At Rudheath Primary Academy and Nursery, we believe the school council can improve many aspects of our children’s lives.

It provides a meaningful way for the children to communicate their views and voice their opinions about decisions that impact them. We believe that school council enhances children’s confidence and s as it promotes life skills such as p, negotiation and d. In turn, this allows for increased responsibility and involvement in school and community issues.

In discussions, children have the opportunity to express themselves respectfully, and this can only lead to improved communication between staff and children.

We believe that giving our children a voice and the chance to express themselves will lead to improved behaviour and school ethos in general. Ultimately, our children will see democracy in action, and this will give them an opportunity to think about their place in the world, fostering ideas about local and global citizenship.

intent implementation impact school council amended version 28 .pdf