School Council

What does a School Council do?

A school council is a formal group of pupils who act as representatives of their classmates in discussing school issues with the headteacher and staff.  Pupils are elected to represent the views of all pupils and also to improve their school.  They help to make decisions about how the school is run and take on projects that support the children’s learning and development, such as organising charity events, representing the school at outside events or ensuring the school is environmentally friendly.  School Councils are elected annually by the other children. A school council does a number of things:

• A school council usually meets with a Teacher present to discuss and sort out problems. These could include school lunches, behaviour or ideas for fundraising events.   

• Members of the school council are responsible for carrying out the ideas that have been agreed upon, such as planning discos, writing newspaper articles, or meeting with catering staff.  

• Each year, every class will elect a representative to be a member of the School Council.

Why do we have a School Council?

There are lots of reasons why we have a School Council.  To begin with, Article 12 of 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.  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.  Evidence and experience from schools all over the country shows that a School Council that is supported and nurtured helps to improve many aspects of school life.  It is an important and useful way for our school to provide leadership and development opportunities for our pupils.

Pupil Councils are a great way for pupils to take on leadership roles, promote the voice of the pupils, problem solve and impact their community.  A council serves as the voice for an entire pupil body and actively works with teachers and advisors to promote a better learning environment.

Within the school curriculum, one of the key areas making up the ‘Learning for Life and Work’ theme is active participation.  The curriculum requires that young people are provided with opportunities to participate in school and society.  The School Council is an excellent way in which to increase participation, teaching young people about democracy, local and global citizenship and accountability.

What might be discussed during a School Council?

Children are elected from classes all around the school, and the School Council is designed to provide an opportunity for them to be directly involved in general issues that affect the school.  These issues can be wide-ranging and can be initiated by staff or pupil groups.  During the School Council meetings, council members would typically discuss things like improvements to school grounds; creating a school motto; arranging tours of the school for guests and visitors; and input in staff appointments.

Members of the School Council are given time in class to get feedback from their peers and find out opinions on matters that will be discussed at the meetings.  Feedback from these sessions and minutes from meetings are then be used to inform decisions at a whole-school level.