Student Voice Developments Barry Gransden 16 th October 2012

RECENT CONTEXTS Changing view of childhood UN Convention on Rights of the Child 1989 School Improvement agenda OfSTED Inspection framework Citizenship and Healthy Schools initiative Consumerism Public Service reform Childrens Commissioner Work of Professors Jean Ruddick and Michael Fielding

YOUTH: TRACING CONCEPTUAL RENEWAL JOANNA WYN 2009 Industrial (modernity 1945 – 1975) Youth as transitional period to adulthood Adulthood – a point of arrival Youth as future of society: both hope and threat Youth as deficit (pupils, patients) Youth as responsibility of the state (student) Mainstream and at-risk Post-Industrial (late modernity ) Blurring lines between youth and adult Adulthood - state of reinvention and improvement Youths as decision-makers + entrepreneurs in the present Youth as partners (co- learners, self-managing Youth as consumer (client, choice-maker) Diversity

IMMEDIATE CONTEXTS UK Government Legislation/Initiatives/Research Every Child Matters Personalised Learning Specialist Schools and Academies Trust NCSL Real Decision Making? School Councils in Action Working Together: Giving children and young people a say Academic Research and publications ESRC TLRP Consulting Pupils about T&L

NEW PRESSURES… Our structured programme provides your baby with a complete developmental workout. It helps to build the strong neural pathways that are vital for early brain development and all subsequent learning…..

Dont Miss This….. Yes … You Can Have A You Cant Ever Get Smarter Baby! This Time Back! Love……. Nurture….. The Secret of Communicate …… Prenatal Learning and Teach Your Baby Before Birth

NEW PRESSURES ….. BIRTH TO THREE MATTERS Maps Skill & Competence of babies and toddlers aged 0 – 3 4 themes, 16 dimensions, 64 components, with detailed guidance on Observing & recording Planning Responding to diversity Challenges AND MORE RECENTLY ….. EYFS: The Birth to 5 Quality Framework

RANGE OF STUDENT VOICE ACTIVITIES (1) Peer Support Buddying Systems Peer Tutoring/listening Peer Teaching Peer Mediator Circle Time (same year/mixed age)

RANGE OF STUDENT VOICE ACTIVITIES (2) Organisational reflection and renewal School/student councils Student Teams e.g. Mulberry School for Girls, Tower Hamlets / Blue School, Wells / Ringwood School, Hampshire Working party reps Student Governors Student Ambassadors Tour Guides Appointment Panels Junior Leadership Team e.g. Greenford High School, Ealing School Improvement Plans/ policy writing

RANGE OF STUDENT VOICE ACTIVITIES (3) Teaching & Learning AfL Lead-learners Students as Learning Partners Students as co-researchers Students as researchers Student-led learning walks Evaluating work units Dept/Unit development plans

RANGE OF STUDENT VOICE ACTIVITIES (4) Classroom Consultation (with your own class) Classroom observation Video recording Questionnaires, Interviews Transforming learning Focus groups Suggestion boxes Diaries, Photos, Collage Learning Review Meetings

FROM AUDIENCE TO AUTHOR, FROM DATA TO DIALOGUE (1) HOW ADULTS LISTEN TO AND LEARN WITH STUDENTS IN SCHOOLS ClassroomDept/TeamSchool Student as Data Source Individual performance data Samples of studentStudent Attitude Surveys Student as Active Respondents AfL Lead learnersTeam agenda + student perceptions Students on staff appointment panels Student as Co-Researchers Developing independent learning History Dudettes (History Dept review team) Joint review of rewards system

FROM AUDIENCE TO AUTHOR, FROM DATA TO DIALOGUE (2) HOW ADULTS LISTEN TO AND LEARN WITH STUDENTS IN SCHOOLS ClassroomDept/TeamSchool Student as Knowledge Creators What makes a good lesson? Evaluate playground buddying system Low level bullying YP + Adult co-Authors Joint Enquiry Stantonbury Day 10 on e.g. poetry writing Develop unit/dept research lesson Staff + student Learning Walks YP + Adults in search of the common good Participatory Democracy Y6 + museum staff + teacher co-plan visit for Y3 Classes as critical friends in thematic exploration Whole School Forum

4) Assigned but informed This is where young people are assigned a specific role and informed about how and why they are being involved. This rung of the ladder can be embodied by community youth boards.community youth boards 3) Tokenism When young people appear to be given a voice, but in fact have little or no choice about what they do or how they participate. This rung of the ladder reflects adultism.adultism 2) Decoration Happens when young people are used to help or "bolster" a cause in a relatively indirect way, although adults do not pretend that the cause is inspired by young people. This rung of the ladder reflects adultism.adultism 1) Manipulation Happens where adults use young people to support causes and pretend that the causes are inspired by young people. This rung of the ladder reflects adultism.adultism

8) Young people-initiated, shared decisions with adults This happens when projects or programs are initiated by young people and decision-making is shared between young people and adults. These projects empower young people while at the same time enabling them to access and learn from the life experience and expertise of adults. This rung of the ladder can be embodied by youth/adult partnerships.youth/adult partnerships 7) Young people-initiated and directed This step is when young people initiate and direct a project or program. Adults are involved only in a supportive role. This rung of the ladder can be embodied by youth-led activism.youth-led activism 6) Adult-initiated, shared decisions with young people Occurs when projects or programs are initiated by adults but the decision-making is shared with the young people. This rung of the ladder can be embodied by participatory action research.participatory action research 5) Consulted and informed Happens when young people give advice on projects or programs designed and run by adults. The young people are informed about how their input will be used and the outcomes of the decisions made by adults. This rung of the ladder can be embodied by youth advisory councils. youth advisory councils

About the Ladder Sociologist Roger Hart wrote a book called Children's Participation: The Theory And Practice Of Involving Young Citizens In Community Development And Environmental Care for UNICEF in This groundbreaking work put the work of young people and adult allies around the world in the context of a global movement for participation, offering needed guidance and criticism of many efforts. The "Ladder of Children's Participation," also called the "Ladder of Youth Participation," is one of many significant tools from the book. The 7/8 Debate Roger Hart's Ladder of Participation shows young people- initiated, shared decisions with adults as the top form of young people's participation, followed immediately by young people- initiated and directed. This is somewhat controversial an issue for many people working with and around young people. Essentially, the debate is which of these levels of participation is actually the most meaningful?

ONGOING PRACTICAL CHALLENGES (1) Inclusion Which students? Whose voices? Race Gender Social class Ability labelling An unusual, elite activity? Or An inclusive commitment that involves all students in all aspects of their lives at school?

30% DECLINE IN SENSE OF BEING LISTENED TO AROUND TEACHING + LEARNING BETWEEN Y3 + Y11 Despite 2004 Children Act and OfSTEDs 2005 framework, Antidotes recent School Emotional Environment for Learning Survey (SEELS) of 23,000 students shows that, between Y3 and Y11, they experience a 30% decline in their sense of being listened to in T&L Students say the structures + systems set up to collect their views involve too many people + have little chance of making meaningful changes to school life. The students taking part are often the most articulate, intelligent + well-behaved. The rest then feel there is little point in even being interested Source Antidote e-News, November 2008

ONGOING PRACTICAL CHALLENGES (2) Teacher tensions Pressures of time + curriculum coverage Lack of institutional support Beyond pockets of isolated practice (role of local, national & international networks) Consumerism or democratic agency? E.g. youre no good, no bullet points, too much thinking, not thick enough files Using students? Refusing the role of quality assurance donkeys Beating up teachers? E.g. excesses of covert observation

NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN STUDENT VOICE: SHAPING SCHOOLS FOR THE FUTURE PART FUNDED BY ESMEE FAIRBAIRN FOUNDATION Radical Inclusion Involving those whose voices are seldom heard Reversing roles Students as agents of adult professional learning Co-constructing the common good Remaking public spaces in schools where adults + young people can have an open dialogue