Click on each link below to find out more:

• School Council
• Year Council
• Form/Class Council
• Charters of Behaviour
• Peer Support
• Sub-committees
• Governors' Meetings
• Staff Meetings
• Year Head Meetings
• Senior Teacher's Meetings
• Non-Teaching Staff

School Council

School Councils are about involving young people in the life of their school. Traditionally pupils were viewed as passive learners, with their sole purpose being to get their qualifications and move on. In recent years, this role has been changing as society begins to recognise the rights of young people. Schools are beginning to listen to the views of pupils, and this has been seen to have a number of benefits to both staff and pupils.

In schools of several hundred pupils, ‘listening to their views’ is easier said than done. School Councils are the term given to structures which facilitate this communication, and enable young people to take responsibility for aspects of school life previously considered ‘out of bounds’.

While every school is different – and therefore every school council is different – we would give the following definition to describe a school council.

The term ‘school council’ is used as an inclusive term for similar student representative bodies such as pupil or student council, school parliament or school forum.

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Year councils

In larger schools (more than 300 pupils), electing two representatives from each class will mean that the school council will be very large, and discussions will be difficult. In most secondary schools, the class (or form) reps will meet to discuss issues raised in class, and issues to be dealt with at the school council.

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Classroom or form councils

Class/form councils provide the structure for all pupils to be involved in discussion and decision-making in the school. They enable effective communication between the pupil body and the school council. They also enable the form/class to develop a sense of group identity.

The new citizenship requirements have an emphasis on skills of participation and responsible action. Regular form/class council structures provide a real space for all pupils to develop these skills through their own experience of participation as a citizen of the school community. For example, pupils develop speaking and listening skills, self-confidence, self-esteem and problem-solving.

In primary schools, classroom councils can act as a development of circle time, with children taking more of a leading role and addressing whole school issues, as well as classroom issues.

In secondary schools, pressure on curriculum time is high and the amount of time pupils spend in their form classes is small. However, with the new citizenship requirements in the national curriculum, more schools are finding time during PSHE for form council meetings. Where PSHE does not take place in form classes, registration can be extended once every week or two so that there is enough time to hold class council meetings. The long-term benefits are worth the short-term problems you may face when making form councils a recognised part of the school week.

Form/class council meetings usually follow a similar procedure to school council meetings. However, pupils should be given an opportunity to discuss how they want their meetings to run. e.g.

Charters of Behaviour

Developing a charter of behaviour is a way of seeking and gaining a consensus about what is regarded as acceptable and positive behaviour in school. Everyone in the school should be involved in devising a whole school charter. Pupils can be involved via their classroom/form council meetings. Many primary classrooms will already have a set of rules or agreements, these can be brought together make a whole school charter of behaviour. When everyone is involved in making the charter, everyone is aware of what is acceptable behaviour. A whole school charter of behaviour helps children to improve behaviour in their school.

A charter of behaviour should be a broadly based document that does not contain details of punishments.

During classroom/form council meetings, pupils should encourage each other to use the charter as their guide for the behaviour that they expect from each other. When individuals fail to reach this agreement they should be supported by their peers, maybe a buddy being provided to help them try again.

Click here for an example of a Charter of Behaviour from Passmores School in Essex.

Peer support

Peer support is the general term used for projects that allow pupils to help each other through advice, educational or emotional support. While peer support programmes do run independently of the school council, in most schools where they are successful, they are linked to a strong council.

Types of peer support include:

Emotional Support

Advice/Education

Sub-committees

Some sub-committees may deal with a single issue or event, such as a survey or campaign. Others may be more permanent such as publicity or anti-bullying. This is a good way of allowing students to use their skills and to get things done.

Examples of permanent sub-committees:

Anti Bullying – monitors behaviour and organises peer support activities
Assemblies – organises and plans school assemblies
Budget/Finance – prepares school council budget and organises fundraising
Building/Facilities – monitors condition of school building and suggests new equipment
Catering – reviews school food and improves nutrition and range
Charity – decides which charities to support and organises fundraising events
Constitution – revises constitution annually and distributes copies
Dance/Ball/Disco – organises annual dance event for students
Elections – co-ordinates school-wide elections and ensures rules are followed
External Relations – organises links with other schools and organisation
Hospitality – organises orientation for new students and guests of the school
Publicity – produces newsletter/website/posters and press releases
Student-Staff Relations – plans projects and events to promote better relations between students and staff
Teaching & Learning – evaluates what makes learning effective (lessons and subjects) and offers constructive suggestions
Travel – reviews travel to and from school, and improves safety for all

Remember: There may be staff who could advise these sub-committees.

Don’t try and start all these committees at the same time. Begin with a small, manageable number.

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Governors' meetings

Any successful school council needs to have links with the governing body. While pupils cannot attend the whole of governors’ meetings, the chair of the school council could come to give a short presentation about their work. Also, a governor could be linked to the school council and attend meetings to give advice and support.

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Staff meetings

In many schools, staff do not know what the school council is up to, so they cannot facilitate discussion in class. While staff meetings are busy enough, it would improve communication if one or two council members were to make a presentation, assisted by the school council link teacher. This is probably more effective than simply having the school council minutes in the staff room, and sends a powerful message to the students. Plus, it would show pupils exactly how an effective meeting should function.

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Year Head meetings

In secondary schools, the year heads are particularly important to the effective running of year councils. They should be attending year council meetings, liasing with form tutors and supporting the pupils. It is also important that they liase with each other to ensure consistency between different years in terms of meeting frequency and procedure.

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Senior Teachers’ meetings

The Senior Management Team will need to keep in touch with the school council. This may involve attending school council meetings at least once a term and responding to the issues raised. With the support and involvement of senior managers, the pupils will be encouraged to pursue their ideas and make a difference.

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Non-Teaching Staff

How many pupils know the names of the catering or cleaning staff? It is ironic that while school councils spend most of their time discussing food, toilets and litter they rarely have any relationship with the very people who can sort these things out. Correspondence with the caretaker or catering manager can lead to real progress and the building of trust between pupils and staff. The same applies to administrative staff, learning mentors and lunchtime supervisors.

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Communication is key!!!