Effective Pupil Councils

Setting the scene 1: “Democracy…is not something which is ‘taught’, it is something which is practised.” (Hodgkin,R. 1998)  

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (Article 12) Setting the scene 2: The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (Article 12) Standards in Scotland’s Schools 2000 Act

Setting the scene 3: ‘However, much of the evidence relating to pupil councils suggests that, while some are good, far too many are tokenistic.’ Maitles, Henry, TES, 11-2-05 ‘Where they function well, they can make a real difference in terms of contributing to the development of pupils’ social and moral responsibility, community involvement and political literacy.’ Maitles, Henry, TES, 11-2-05

How well do our pupil councils work?

(From R.Hart’s ‘Ladder of Participation’) 8. Young people initiate and make decisions 7. Jointly initiated with young people playing a big part in decisions 6. Adult-initiated, but children share in decisions 5. Children consulted & informed of decisions 4. Children help out & are kept informed 3. TOKENISM: children asked for views 2. DECORATION: children help with events 1. MANIPULATION: adults use children’s views

What is a Pupil Council? An organised group of pupils who: tell teachers and staff their ideas and those of the other pupils meets regularly to talk about important school issues and projects keep you informed about the life of the school help you to feel good about your place in the school community give you responsibilities and encourage you to be an active citizen

How a Pupil Council Works The pupil council must have: a chairperson, who leads the meetings by following the agenda, which is a list of items to be discussed a secretary, who takes notes of what is said at the meeting - these notes are called the minutes of the meeting a link teacher, to give guidance and support.

How a Pupil Council Works During the pupil council meetings: important issues are discussed, ideas shared and action points decided discussions must be orderly and fair, with everyone having an equal opportunity to talk or be listened to

How a Pupil Council Works After the council meeting: representatives report back to their class while things are still fresh in their minds - this helps every pupil to feel involved a class or school suggestion box can be used to gather ideas: these can be discussed at the next meeting.

2010/2011 Plans Two Councils: S1-S3 S4-S6 Regular meetings Let’s make a difference!!