Pupil Voice

What is the School Council and why do we have one?

At Croft Church of England Primary School 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. Through our School Council and class council work, it is hoped that we can develop a balance and wholeness, helping to make our community more harmonious to live in. Our School Council work will enable pupils with positive attitudes to exert a positive influence. Everyone will benefit from the work of the School Council. It is made up of different children from Year 3 to Year 6. It is a representative group of students who have been elected by their peers and it meets to discuss ways in which everyday life and routines in school could be improved. It is the children’s voice on the decisions which affect their school lives and the development of the school. Meetings are held fortnightly where pupils review and reflect.

To be a good School Councillor, we value someone who is:

• A good listener
• Helpful
• Committed
• Reliable
• A good role model
• Able to work in a team
• Able to share good ideas
• Able to discuss and not argue
• Respectful and values a democratic approach

What are the roles and responsibilities of the school council?

• To express both their own views and those of other children
• To communicate their feelings to adults
• To attend regular meetings
• To give up some of their personal time
• To help make positive changes
• 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
• Have a safe, happy and fair learning environment
• Have a forum to voice their concerns and act upon them
• Have a structured opportunity to learn problem-solving skills
• Gain opportunity to take an active role in the organisation of the school
• Gain an opportunity to experience a democratic process

Our School Council encourages pupils to develop:

• A sense of ownership over policy and practice
• A consensus over school issues such as behaviour
• A responsibility towards the school community and environment

Our School Council gives pupils the experience of:

• Planning, organising and monitoring small projects
• Speaking and listening skills
• Debating skills
• Mediation and negotiating skills
• Basic budgeting and managing money

Our School Council aims to prepare our pupils for citizenship by teaching them about roles, rights and responsibilities within the school system.

Elections:

Class elections will be held every year so that different representatives can put forward their election speeches as well as developing the full potential of the School Council to complete tasks. Two candidates will be elected from each class in KS2.

Organisation:

• Two representatives from each KS2 class
• Link Teacher
• An agenda organised by the link teacher
• Minutes will be recorded by the children

It is a very responsible job, and School Council Members will share information with their class, and get ideas and views from pupils by talking.

Link between the School and Class Councils:

Each class will operate a class council in which issues are discussed associated with their class. If, however, an issue does occur which they feel needs to be forwarded to the School Council, then the issue will be presented to the School Council through the class representative. The School Council leads meetings with their class to hear their feedback on a termly basis.

Giving Feedback to Pupils:

Following the School Council Meeting, School Council Members speak to their class to let them know what is going on and tell the class about the issues being discussed and what is happening next.  This will encourage more children to contribute to further meetings, share worries and let members know the things which could be done to improve the school.  The school will record School Council Achievements on the school newsletter as and when appropriate.

Our House Captains and Vice Captains have been carefully selected by the staff team. They have a range of responsibilities, some of which include, leading their houses for sports and other events, bringing their houses together as a community for fundraising and fun experiences, as well as presenting prizes, awards and certificates.

Our House Captains are a shining example to our whole school community of living the Croft Values. Throughout their Croft journey, every child aspires to be a House Captain in Year 6 and is very proud to wear their badge!

This year our Eco Team have a mission! To drive the school forward to achieve the Eco Schools Award.

To this end, they have been meeting every week, litter picking, making bird feeders, tidying the forest and making big plans. They have ordered new hedgerows for our school border, booked visits with Severn Water, ordered water butts and met with Miss Down to make sure that our curriculum includes sustainability and chances for us to make changes!  

They are truly our environmental warriors and are determined to make our school grounds as biodiverse and rich as possible. 

Wellbeing Ambassadors volunteer to hold the role. They are passionate about the wellbeing of staff and children at Croft. They demonstrate the Croft Values and are the heart of our school. Wellbeing Ambassadors find ways to fill children’s buckets with kindness, putting up motivational posters, giving children the chance to nominate each other for kind deeds, fundraising for a buddy bench to name a few of their recent projects. It is a joy to see their happy faces around school Offering Friendship.

Sports Ambassadors apply to support the Sports Coaches and Miss Abbott with PE during the year. They motivate others to join in at break and lunchtime and are trained throughout the year on how to lead games and adapt games for all pupils from our youngest in the nursery to Y6, including everyone with varying needs. Sports Ambassadors plan Sports Day and with the help of other pupil groups ensure that everyone has a great time. During the year, Sports Ambassadors help to train teams for competitions and attend events representing Croft. 

The role of Collective Worship Ambassador is a very important and popular role enabling pupils across school to have a say in what happens during our times of worship and informs the staff Collective Worship Lead about what happens in classroom worship.

We have at least one Collective Worship Ambassador in every class from Year 3 to Year 6. These Ambassadors visit Reception and Nursery Classes from time-to-time too.

Ambassadors meet the Collective Worship Leader regularly. During these meetings we update each other about what has been happening in the classroom. Views are shared about the worship that has happened and ideas for the next month’s worship given, including possible stories and songs from different faiths that link to our values including British Values, the Christian season, other special festivals from a variety of faiths and children’s rights.

They help plan and lead some worship sessions in their classrooms and for larger groups in the hall. Ambassadors also help decide about things such as celebrating major festivals, e.g. Collective Worship Ambassadors’ input in Harvest and Easter decisions and creation of a spiritual area for prayer and reflection and how to manage it.

They also help with some of the charity work we do at Croft and sometimes work together with the Eco Team to help us to learn, grow, achieve, and flourish.