Smart School Council helps every child to engage and lead change in their world through democracy.

The programme, run by our Communication Team, enables every child’s voice to be involved in topical discussions while they are at school, and that pupils can learn a broad range of key skills as a result.

 Our Smart School Council is helping our young people by: 

• Learning to work together
• Learning about democracy and pupil voice
• Learning how to play a positive role in our community

 It is for everyone in our school, helping pupils to: 

• Find things they want to change
• Come up with ways to make them better
• Put those ideas into action
• See what works (evaluating)
   

Our Smart School Council is driven by our Communication Team, who decide and circulate a question of the half term. They then work together with the action team to ensure that suggestions , made by their peers across the school, are then discussed and acted upon, where possible. 

Autumn 1 2024 Meeting Outcomes

This half term our Smart School Council were asked to think about what new playground equipment would be good to have for lunchtimes. As a group, thought about what the school has previously had, what needed replacing and what would be new and exciting.

Question

‘What new play equipment would you like to have at lunchtimes?’

QUESTION OPTIONS

1. Badminton sets
2. New balls
3. Hula hoops
4. Space hoppers
5. In-floor trampoline

Class meetings were held for children to discuss their favourite options in class and to make further suggestions.

Although the in-floor trampoline was the most popular choice, the Smart School Council team looked into the costings and found that this was too expensive. Feedback from Class Meetings also suggested:

• It would only be used if an adult was available to keep safe
• It would only be available to use if the weather was good
• It might be small and we would have to wait a long time to use it
• It might be very popular and break easily

The Smart School Council then looked at other options and feedback from Class Meetings to decide which equipment could be better used. A letter has been sent to the Quality of Education team with suggestions and how this equipment can be introduced to everyone in a way that everybody knows how to use it correctly in the hope that it lasts longer.