School Council
What is a school council?
A school council is a group of pupils who act as representatives of their classmates in discussing school issues and contributing to ‘pupil voice’.
What does a school council do?
School councils represent the views of all pupils in helping to improve their school. They help to make decisions about how the school is run and take on projects that support the whole school community.
At Seaton, our school council actively contributes to the following projects:
- Leading charity fundraising events
- Suggestions and improvements to the school grounds
- Choosing playground equipment
- Providing suggestions on after school clubs and school dinner menus
- Representing the school at wider community events
Why do we have a school council?
A school council can provide a meaningful way in which pupils can voice their opinions and have their views taken into account in decisions that impact upon them. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) says that children and young people should have a say in decisions that affect their lives.
School councils are a great way for students to take on leadership roles, represent the voice of other pupils, problem solve and impact the school and wider community.
How is the school council run?
One child from each class is democratically elected by their peers to be their representative on the school council for a year.
The school council meet at least once every half term. The school councillor is asked to gain the views of their class on the agenda items prior to each meeting. They present these to the rest of the school council for discussion. Notes and decisions from the meeting are then fed back to their class.
The teacher responsible for the school council acts as the liaison between the pupils and the school senior leadership team. They pass on or action any decisions made to support the school council in their role.