PDMU Team 2010/2011 Daphne Wilson

Pupil Participation Class Councils The School Council Good Practice in NEELB schools

 We will discuss what pupil participation means and address the underlying principles (Session 1)  We will look in detail at one model of introducing a School Council, beginning with class councils(Sessions 2 and 3)  We will learn about other schools’ experiences of introducing School Councils (Session 4)  We will apply the learning to our own contexts and begin to plan for implementation (All sessions)

What areas of school life should the School Council address? Sort the cards under the four headings. Are there others pertinent to your school you need to add?

 Support the whole class and prospective candidates for elections: through class discussion about the role and qualities of a class representative and writing manifestos.  Organize class voting or participate in whole school voting activities

All children write manifestos. There needs to be plenty of discussion about what makes a good representative and how to use persuasive language. Teachers may provide a template for younger pupils. Writing a manifesto should be a literacy class based activity (to avoid keen parents taking over). Some children stand for election, in the full understanding of the role of a class representative and its responsibilities.

Class elections are held. Depending on the number of classes in the school there may be anything from 1-4 pupils elected per class, to make a viable School Council of at least 10 children. Teachers should ensure that both boys and girls are elected e.g. ‘you may vote for 1 boy and 1 girl’.

Pupils who do not want to stand for election could help with the voting process. Some schools have voting lists, voting cards etc, to mirror the ‘real’ process of voting in a local or national election

Chairperson Vice Chair Secretary Publicity and Communication Treasurer

Make sure that the class representatives are well prepared for School Council meetings Facilitate representatives reporting back to the class after Council Meetings. Reporting back should always take place as soon as possible after a School Council meeting. In the case of classes that send no representatives (e.g. Foundation Stage): pass on RELEVANT class council business and keep up with School Council minutes